Giving Thanks for Social Media

by Samantha on November 25, 2009

Over the past week or so, I’ve been asking people to reply to me on Twitter with the reasons why they are thankful for social media. About 25 of you responded, and I think your answers are definitely representative of social media users. There’s been a lot of talk lately about personal branding, a lot of people getting fed up with certain aspects of the social media world. It was that sentiment, on top of the fact that it’s Thanksgiving week, that compelled me to ask that question and write this post.

Yes, there are some people who use social media partially or completely for their own personal gain. It’s all about them, promote, promote, promote. But, don’t let those people turn you off to social media. They are not what it’s all about, we are. I took the text of the answers people gave me and plugged them into a word cloud generator, and here’s what I got:

Word cloud

As you can see, the most mentioned words (after thankful social media) are words like connections, people, helped, and met. The next level includes ideas, smart,  intellectual, friendships, life, world and grateful. True, this is only a sample of opinions, but it’s a pretty amazing collection. Words like profit, brand, and success are nowhere to be found.

To answer my own question, I am thankful for social media for the special community it provides, filled with smart, caring, talented people from around the world. Some of my closest friends are people I “met” online.

On this Thanksgiving, take a step back. Forget all of the bullshit and drama, remove the negative thoughts and experiences from your mind. Look around at your life, online and offline, and give thanks for all that you have.

A big thanks to everyone who replied and RTed the question that inspired this post. Wishing you all a very Happy Thanksgiving!

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Tagged as: Advice, Appreciation, being thankful, bloggers, Family, Relationships, Thanksgiving

  • http://25andtrying.com Beth Oppenheim

    Great thoughts – its definitely a good community and how we meet interesting people that we otherwise would have never known of. I also think its good to think about what tools we can use offline about openness and hearing new ideas – that we may have learned online.
    Great insights!

  • http://twitter.com/RdGarnet Cheila Esquilin

    You took the thoughts from my mind ;) Are you in there?

    The post couldn't have been better. Thank for for letting all of us (on twitter) be a part of this post. Im glad we connected. It's funny how most people look at the bad instead of the good, the little wonders. Life isn't that horrible. It could be a bitch depending on how you dress her. Let's look at the bright side. As long as we have the family and friends there to support us, its smooth sailing. Great post. :)

    ps. I'm happy for being in the ” non-twilight fan club” ha, thanks!

  • http://twentyorsomething.com/ Susan Pogorzelski

    Sam, I love this. It's absolutely the perfect post (and at the perfect time) that says everything I've ever felt about social media. The positives will always outweigh the negatives, because there are so many positive, good-hearted people in social media. Yep. That includes you.

    What I appreciate the most about you, Sam, is your sense gratitude. You know what is important to you, who is important to you, and you make sure they know it, you never forget it. Especially in this world, that's so important.

    Great post — thanks for the reminder of what matters!

  • http://twentyorsomething.com/ Susan Pogorzelski

    Sam, I love this. It's the perfect post (and so timely), and it expresses everything I've ever felt about social media.

    What I appreciate the most about you, Sam, is your gratitude. You're so open and how willing to let people know how you feel about them, how they've affected you — to appreciate them. That's so important in the world, and I hope you know how appreciated you are in return. Thanks for this post and for the reminder to be thankful for what really matters.

  • http://www.twentyorsomething.com/ Susan Pogorzelski

    Crap. I didn't think this one posted so I wrote it again. Sam, I don't think your blog comments appreciate me so much ;)

  • http://www.lifeschocolates.com sameve

    Beth: Great point, we can definitely apply some of the tools we've learned online to our offline world. This is an awesome community, and it's opened my eyes up to a lot of new things. So glad to have connected with you! Thanks for your comments, and Happy Thanksgiving!

  • http://www.lifeschocolates.com sameve

    Chelia: Glad we're on the same wavelength! As far as I know, I am not inside your head :) Of all times of year, Thanksgiving is the best one to remind people of the positive. It's interesting that this whole personal branding debate has been heating up recently, and I know it left some people with a bad taste in their mouths. I just wanted to remind everyone that we're not all self-centered jerks lol. But seriously, thanks so much for commenting! I'm really glad we connected too. Have a Happy Thanksgiving!

  • http://www.lifeschocolates.com sameve

    Aww Susan, thanks so much! I'm happy this post resonated with you. As you know, life has taught me not to take anything for granted. That means being grateful for everything and everyone I have. I guess I'm kind of a missionary of appreciation, spreading the word and convincing people to make it part of their lives. Anyway, I do the best I can, just like everyone else. Thank you for your kind words, they mean more than you know! Happy Thanksgiving!

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  • http://25andtrying.com Beth Oppenheim

    Great thoughts – its definitely a good community and how we meet interesting people that we otherwise would have never known of. I also think its good to think about what tools we can use offline about openness and hearing new ideas – that we may have learned online.
    Great insights!

  • http://twitter.com/RdGarnet Cheila Esquilin

    You took the thoughts from my mind ;) Are you in there?

    The post couldn't have been better. Thank for for letting all of us (on twitter) be a part of this post. Im glad we connected. It's funny how most people look at the bad instead of the good, the little wonders. Life isn't that horrible. It could be a bitch depending on how you dress her. Let's look at the bright side. As long as we have the family and friends there to support us, its smooth sailing. Great post. :)

    ps. I'm happy for being in the ” non-twilight fan club” ha, thanks!

  • http://twentyorsomething.com/ Susan Pogorzelski

    Sam, I love this. It's the perfect post (and so timely), and it expresses everything I've ever felt about social media.

    What I appreciate the most about you, Sam, is your gratitude. You're so open and how willing to let people know how you feel about them, how they've affected you — to appreciate them. That's so important in the world, and I hope you know how appreciated you are in return. Thanks for this post and for the reminder to be thankful for what really matters.

  • http://www.lifeschocolates.com sameve

    Beth: Great point, we can definitely apply some of the tools we've learned online to our offline world. This is an awesome community, and it's opened my eyes up to a lot of new things. So glad to have connected with you! Thanks for your comments, and Happy Thanksgiving!

  • http://www.lifeschocolates.com sameve

    Chelia: Glad we're on the same wavelength! As far as I know, I am not inside your head :) Of all times of year, Thanksgiving is the best one to remind people of the positive. It's interesting that this whole personal branding debate has been heating up recently, and I know it left some people with a bad taste in their mouths. I just wanted to remind everyone that we're not all self-centered jerks lol. But seriously, thanks so much for commenting! I'm really glad we connected too. Have a Happy Thanksgiving!

  • http://www.lifeschocolates.com sameve

    Aww Susan, thanks so much! I'm happy this post resonated with you. As you know, life has taught me not to take anything for granted. That means being grateful for everything and everyone I have. I guess I'm kind of a missionary of appreciation, spreading the word and convincing people to make it part of their lives. Anyway, I do the best I can, just like everyone else. Thank you for your kind words, they mean more than you know! Happy Thanksgiving!

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