What My 91-Year-old Grandma taught me about Social Media
As I sit here and think about some of the mothers who have touched my life, I think about how much society has changed. I first think of my 91-year-old grandmother. As she still drives and goes out every day to see people, and gives her time to volunteer, she is the ultimate in selfless community development.
DISCLAIMER: Now I know you may think this is just some sappy Mother's Day post, and in part, it is. But in my defence this one will have an actual connection to the subject matter of this blog.
Grandma has lived in the same community for all of her 91 years. This small farming community in southern Ontario has an extremely strong social network. This includes the Woman's Institute which gets together every month to discuss the issues women in agriculture face, including home economics and political issues. I had the wonderful opportunity to grow up next door to my grandparents and this meant that I also had to attend the odd institute meeting. It's at these meeting where I see what it truly means to have a social community. These women are getting together, not for personal gain, but rather to help others. Grandma would not only attend these meetings and share her "2 cents" but she also acted strongly as an ambassador when new woman moved into the community to welcome them. Grandma has always offered a welcome of a "hand-made" quilt for any new family that moves into the community to show them that the community cares.
LESSON 1: Don't worry as much about being found as much as helping find others!
- Lots of people are using social media to help themselves get found. But you need to remember that to excel in social game it important to help others - just as Grandma welcomed new comers into her community, you too should work at going out to welcome others into the social community. Spread the word. Use tools like Twitter, Facebook or LinkedIn to share a great forum or blog about a special interest you have so that others can enjoy it too.
I lived in a small rural community (700 people), where everyone knew everybody. When you talked about the neighbours, their houses were not referred to by a number but rather by the name of the family that owned the farm 100 years ago. Still to this day, Grandma would start off a story with something like "You know the old Smith farm...." And the Smith's had not lived in that farm for over 60 years.
LESSON 2: It's not about numbers but rather quality connections.
- I find that many people get caught up with how many people they have following them on Twitter or how many connections they have on Facebook. It's not so much about the number of "friends" or "followers", but rather the quality of the individual connection. Number does not matter, it's more about influence imparted by relevant content. And in order to have influence you need to have a connection.
Grandma was a strong believer in giving with no expectation to receive. She and Grandpa gave their time to many community organizations. One of the strongest was the Rockton Agricultural Society (the local fall fair). She was more than happy so show others how to do things and share her knowledge freely. It's this level of selfless giving that has lead to many awards and recognition for Grandma.
LESSON 3: Give Freely
- Far too often people give with expectation of receiving. Or feel that they cannot share freely. The people and organizations that have the strongest connections on social media are those that give freely. The new model is FREE. You need to share your knowledge with others not with an expectation to receive. But rather in an effort to connect and engage. The more you connect and engage the greater long term rewards you will receive.
These are not just hypothesis, rather these are community development facts based on 91 years of proven practices. While Grandma may not be on Twitter, Facebook or LinkedIn and I am pretty sure she has not started blogging. There are still many lessons we can learn from May Irene Hunt from her 91 years of exceptional community development.
On this Mother's Day, what have you learned from the various Mother's who have touched your life which may help you develop your community?your mother or grandmother that helps you develop your community?