I don’t care about your political preference, this is a rhetorical question.
With the upcoming presidential election, many American’s have drawn their lines in the sand. We hear ‘military’, ‘troops’, or ’soldier’ and man y people relate it back to the war, the current president, or a political party.
The effect is that many people are confused about their support for such organizations as eMail our Military. I think Barak Obama making this and other statements will help bring healing and a realization that these soldiers are American’s, just as each of us is. Any line drawn in sand can be easily erased and is not permanant.
“eMail Our Military is composed of volunteers from all walks of life who understand that regardless of our political views, our military service members deserve our respect, support & encouragement.”
— Trish Forant, founder eMail Our Military
What Is eMail Our Military?
Due to the anthrax scare, two major letter writing campaign’s to our troops were canceled. These programs were the Department of Defense’s “Any Service Member” and Dear Abby’s “Operation Dear Abby“. When Trish Forant heard about these campaigns ending, eMail Our Miliatary was founded in 2001 as direct response to the cancellation of these two programs.
Reaching out on Twitter through social media
Trish has met both of the contacts for the partnerships below on Twitter. eMailOurMilitary is on Twitter as @mailourmilitary. For more information on eMail Our Military on twitter, You can also support eMail Our Military by purchasing a shirt or gift on their online shopping site.
eMail Our Military Partnerships
Babble Soft Babble Soft and eMail our Military are partnering to offer free subscriptions to Baby Insights and Baby Say Cheese for active duty service members with newborns.
“We are very excited about the opportunity to partner with Babble Soft.” said Trish Forant, Founder and President of eMail our Military. “My husband was called into service only one week after our first child was born. I had very few friends and family to turn to for support where we were stationed and it was difficult for me to convey to him what I was going through with our new baby.
“Our goal at Babble Soft is to help strengthen and enhance connections between family members during that wonderful, yet chaotic time after a baby is born.” said Aruni Gunasegaram, founder and president of Babble Soft. “We support our troops and know how important it is for new parents who have to be away from their newborns to feel connected to what is going on at home. Partners can share experiences and photos with each other through Babble Soft’s unique web and mobile applications.
As an added bonus, members of eMail our Military will have access to a discount code to purchase gift subscriptions for their other family members who may or may not have military ties.”
Qipit
Qipit has partnered with eMail our Military to provide for even more personalized communications. By creating better quality copies of documents to be included as a part of their email communications, we hope to make it possible for military families to literally share everything from legal documents to Little Johnny’s artwork.
While being home with their families is undoubtedly what every member of the military would most want, we are proud to be a part of helping them stay in close touch, in a very personal way, while they are separated from their loved ones in service to their country and in pursuit of world peace.
Qipit turns camera phones and digital cameras into mobile copy centers so people can turn photographs or written and printed materials into scan-quality digital documents they can share and store on the go.
There is so much more to say with this story that we are going to be doing a Part 3. The next post will include an interview with Trish and more about their supporters, and partners
Please contact Trish at the eMail Our Military web site if you or a loved one would like to be signed up to use these programs they offer, volunteer, or support their wonderful program.
Thanks for mentioning our (Babble Soft) partnership with eMail Our Military. I think it’s great what Trish has been able to do to build awareness and communication bridges with our troops. As you said, it doesn’t matter what political party the military personnel are from. They are all out there doing their best (based on orders from their commanders) to protect our country.
Awesome! Thanks for giving eMail Our Military a shout out. I know that there are plenty of people who want to DO SOMETHING to support our troops but aren’t sure what they can do. eMail is free and a great way to show support for our guys and gals serving. Thanks so much for taking the time to spotlight eMOM!
As our world adapts to change, many times our troops and their families are the first to feel those changes. When a seismic event (natural, political or economic) occurs anywhere they are deployed, many times with little or no notice. This makes it hard for families to get even simple tasks like signing leases or insurance policies accomplished.
This call for duty takes a large toll on interpersonal relationships (between a husband and wife, families, friends and in raising children). Fortunately, we live in a time where technologies are enabling troops and their families to bridge that gap more effectively. Using the tools of the social media/web 2.0 revolution we are bridging the gap created by distance, effectively reducing the distance from the Midwest to the Middle East.
I am personally very thankful and humbled by the sacrifices of these brave men and women; I am amazed at how many of them are able to deal with the added responsibilities of parenthood. “Can do” people such as Trish (@dayngr) and Vicky (@eeUS) are valuable contributors by helping people, troops and parents better understand how to use those tools to make life a little easier for everyone.
Thanks for the post, and continuing to contribute to making this world a better place. One step, tweet and post at a time.
Thank you so much for featuring eMail Our Military (eMOM) here on Remarkable Parents. We hope your post will inspire others to make a difference in some small way using the tools they already have available to them.
We’re gearing up for a big holiday campaign and we invite everyone to get involved and help us make the holidays a little bit brighter for our troops overseas. We send emails, cards, letters and care packages and we hope we’ll see many of our social networking friends, follwers and supporters taking part.
Awesome post about eMOM! I had the pleasure of working with Trish this summer on a project. It’s so important to remember that the miliary is serving, following orders and non-partison. (particularly in an election year)
Eileen on
September 16, 2008 6:53 pm
It never ceases to amaze me how many people (like the author of this guest post!)blatantly use Twitter (and social networks)to promote their own websites/blogs. Honestly, email our military is not a bad idea, but the shameless and CONSTANT self-promotion is enough to make anyone’s stomach turn. With all the suffering and poverty and serious problems there is in the world, can’t you (for once) stop and take a good look around. And realize it’s not all about you and what YOU think is important. Maybe promote other causes from time to time?
I think that’s the point the author is trying to make here. That you can use social media, new media and sites like twitter for whatever social causes you believe in.
eMail Our Military is @MailOurMilitary on twitter specifically to build a troop support community. That’s the purpose of the account on twitter.
However, the tweets aren’t only about eMOM or their blog posts but rather all things military related. We also use twitter to help veterans, military family members and service members find resources.
The bottom line is, find the causes you feel passionate about and use your social networks to help those causes.
Thank you so much for recognizing the amazing efforts of eMail Our Military. The support, concern and recognition this organization provides to our military and their families goes above and beyond duty. It comes from a deep compassion and understanding. eMOM’s use of Twitter to spread their message has allowed them to touch so many more lives. Their presence on Twitter is a constant reminder of what is truly important. Not our politics, but our support of the men, women and children who make sacrifices to protect this great country of ours.
Dave Kaleel on
September 16, 2008 8:02 pm
Trish, thanks for using Twitter as a mainstream vehicle for showcasing our great military and broadcasting news about our troops. I don’t think people realize that our troops in CENTCOM are using technology like Twitter to communicate with friends and family back home, but to get that refreshing support that we provide for them.
I have also seen you broadcasting updates about the recent hurricanes as well and i have not seen that anywhere else.
You are a proponent for keeping our troops informed, high spirited, and motivated. I will publicly say thank you as a retiree for what you do for the troops!
I first came into contact with eMail Our Military through Twitter. Had they not had an account, I would never had known about them.
From the minute I learned about eMOM, Trish has been friendly, personable, and very down-to-earth. Her tweets aren’t shameless self-promotion as so many other companies and organizations are on Twitter. She even helped track activity around South Florida when the hurricanes were threatening residents there. She has a real heart to help other people. Anyone who follows her would know that.
From the daughter of a Vietnam vet, the granddaughter of a WW2 vet, and the sister of a soon-to-be Naval officer, thank you eMOM and Trish for a great company that is much needed for our military today. I am happy to support and take part in such a worthy cause.
I posted another comment ealier that got lost in cyberspace:) I have had the privilege of working with Trish on a project this summer. I know how hard she works for our troops. It’s not about the policies or politics, but the men and women who volunteer to serve in our armed forces. I’d stand out on the street corner and shout if it would help them know that more people care about them!
It is you who should be ashamed… NOT Trish for bringing awareness for the need of Troop support by tweeting on Twitter.com.
Twitter is a social networking too where people CAN and DO bring attention to social issues as well as personal issues.
— quoted from Eileen’s comment —
It never ceases to amaze me how many people (like the author of this guest post!)blatantly use Twitter (and social networks)to promote their own web sites/blogs. Honestly, email our military is not a bad idea, but the shameless and CONSTANT self-promotion is enough to make anyone’s stomach turn.
— end quote of Eileen’s Comment —
It is MY stomach that is churning from reading YOU nasty comments.
Not too long ago I tried to do something special for our troops and people like you extinguished my passion and desire to go on with it.
People were too concerned that my website might have gotten a bit of publicity. The problem was my offer *did* come from my website, so it WAS all involved.
I did not get hurt other than wasting a lot of time, but it was the troops who never got to benefit from my FREE offer!
IF you do not like what you read on Twitter, then either delete the tweet, do not follow the person, do not use Twitter or just turn your computer off.
I don’t know you Eileen, but from your comment I am not sure I would want to know you. Trish answered you with kindness, but I have just about had it with those ridiculing those who want to help — for free yet!
First I’d like to thank all of you for this conversation you have started here. The more that we discuss these issues, the more we all learn.
@Aruni I am proud to mention Babble Soft in this article. I specifically wanted to mention both Babble Soft and Qipit because you are a part of the team making a difference!
@Daynger I agree, my hope is that as the site grows and reaches a larger audience that we will be able to have a specific section related to non-profit service for both parents and children. Your right, it’s so simple to send an email, 15 minutes of our time.
@Conrad I am always happy to mention the small businesses and entrepreneurs who give their time and the use of their products for a great cause.
@Eileen I think we all try to ‘get the word out’ about the causes that are important to us. I think twitter is such a great tool for this because the people that use Twitter already have email accounts, use the web frequently and can participate, if they choose, immediately. It also is very environmentally friendly way to support a cause. I found out about eMoM through Twitter, my hope is that others will find out both that this resource is available and how they can help.
@Trish That is what I want to concentrate on in the second article about eMail Our Military. More information about how parents, children, families, schools can participate and help.
@Gloria I have found that I have become more aware from using Twitter also. When these last 2 hurricanes have hit both Louisiana and Texas and I heard people tweet about how it effected them personally, it touched my heart on a much deeper level. It made me grateful for what I have and it made me think about these issues bringing them to the forefront of my thoughts.
@Dave I love your comment, yes it is all about keeping soldiers motivated, in high spirits, and informed about what is happening at home. The human spirit is an important part of our being human. We all need these motivations in our lives, the difference is we have our family and friends to turn to and are not in another country. Great point.
@Lauren I to did not know about eMoM until Twitter. Did you get a chance to read Part 1 about @MissingChildren id. I love that service also. It is so important that they find these children that are taken by predator’s in the first 48 hours.
You are doing great work here. Supporting the troops any way we can is our responsibility. We need to be creative these days as we, as a nation, seem to get so wrapped up in our own lives, we forget that there are people fighting for us that need our support.
That’s right. Supporting our troops is as important a cause as any other. For someone like Janet or “Eileen” or whatever name people want to hide behind to belittle and berate others and say With all the suffering and poverty and serious problems there is in the world, can’t you (for once) stop and take a good look around. And realize it’s not all about you and what YOU think is important. shows that she’s missing the point here.
This post, which was an interview by Vicky, wasn’t merely about supporting the troops or about eMail Our Military. It was about using social media, specifically twitter, for good – for a purpose – for a cause.
Eileen has a cause and I suspect that is where all the rage is coming from. Why not take the time to promote your cause, enlighten others about it and invite them to help you get behind your cause rather than tear down someone elses.
That certainly isn’t the way to get people to come together and it certainly isn’t the way to be a leader in the social/new media market.
And one more thing, supporting our troops isn’t about thinking about one’s self but thinking about those who defend freedom and democracy for those who can’t do it themselves.
Great article on eMail Our Military. This is an organization that is increasingly drawing positive and much needed support to the US military folks, especially those serving overseas.
One thing to remember is that few cause supporters on Twitter and other social networking and media tools are shy about self promotion, nor should they be overly so.
Yes, I don’t want to be bombarded by just those type of posts, but even following many cause focused Twitter accounts, amount the over 1200 other folks I follow, I’m hardly finding them even annoying.
Secondly, I’m an American. My first priority is supporting and caring about issues directly affecting America. It’s appalling that we focus on folks in other countries with troubles and fail to support struggling families and efforts here at home. Doing both is admirable and worth caring about but if I must prioritize, the US of A comes first.
With all the politics our candidates are spouting I have yet to hear anything about our Seniors – here at home. Perhaps I am more conscious about this these days, as I am a Senior.
Our troops are fighting to keep us safe here at home – or as safe as we can be after 911.
I live in NYC and I was trapped in the city that fateful day, so I AM behind our troops in any way possible. (and our Police, Fire Department, EMS, etc. It never occured to be before 911 how they put their lives on the line each day *for us.* I suppose I had been too worried about my own issues to see what was in front of me!)
I think what Trish is doing is admirable. She was able to do something that I could not and I admire her for her efforts AND her successes. It is gratifying to be able to make a difference, no matter how small!
What people do not seem to realize… It is very time consuming to give of one’s self. People seem to forget that.
I apoligze for focusing on this, but it is a personal issue for me, especially when one’s heart is true to the cause at hand!
We need to see *the good people are doing* and NOT worry that they may receive a bit of publicity. They SHOULD receive some thanks for their efforts! At least they are taking the ball and running with it.
As an American… Charity starts at home… THEN we can help others in other countries. We are suffering here at home — we just do not all share it!
Enough said from me on this issue! If I enlightened just one person by my comments it was worth my time.
@eileen I want to make clear this is not a guest post. I am the author. I would also like to say that these posts (Twitter for a Cause) are my most time consuming posts that have been done on this site. I’ve personally spoken with eMom, Babble Soft, and Qipit because I want to accurately represent all those involved.
This site was created to be inspirational, and as the headline says below are header “Using Information and Technology to Improve Lives”.
@Todd Thank you for your comment and support.
@Roz I’m sorry your comment was temporarily caught in my spam filter and posted late. It was not intentional.
@Dayngr Thank you for adding what I feel are very important points to this conversation. I am in total agreement with you.
@Greta Thank you and I agree. Sometimes if you can’t support financially, you do your best to contribute in another way. I guess that was also one of the points I was trying to make in my previous response.
I hope to do more articles like this. I have been contacted by so many non-profits that want to work with us and that I would love to post about, and I hope in the next 6 mos to do more like this. Specifically another post about eMom and about @BlogActionDay which wants all bloggers to post about poverty. I’m following that one too.
We all need to “Learn” from each other. The ideas for this site would take me 6 mos of writing to do all that I want to do. Thank you all for your input, even the people I don’t agree with.
Lala on
September 17, 2008 11:40 am
I don’t think Eileen meant to be rude or nasty in her comment – and I think she’s right! The self-promotion is CONSTANT, to the point that it is just TOO MUCH.
Whenever someone tries to do a good thing there will always be Eileens there to knock you down and try to stop you. Have you noticed those who talk most about “too much self promotion” are the biggest attention seekers?
Ignore the naysayers, don’t feed the trolls, and keep up the good work
And of course “social media” is still in its infancy — we’re all still trying to figure out how best to use it, and the media itself (not to mention the etiquette and conventions around any particular tool) changes almost constantly, too.
I rather like David Bullock’s approach, to assess the efforts on behalf of various causes by looking closely at the motives.
Fortunately, the blatant self-promoters soon show themselves for what they are — as do those genuinely care about the causes they champion. On the recieving end, the challenge lies in setting aside our own personal opinions about this or that cause, to give the benefit of the doubt long enough for that to happen.
Vicky H on
September 18, 2008 12:59 pm
@Roz Your second comment got caught in limbo, sorry for the delay. I agree, it is very time consuming to give of one’s self. Great point!
@NancySutherland Both of your comments also were delayed, again sorry. I’m learning so much as I go
@GretaPerry Thank you for stopping by. Good luck with your cause Let me know if I can ever help with something for it.
@Lala I don’t see the same Twitter stream as you do because who we follow is different. I’d say change some of the people you follow.
@ChrisGarrett Thanks. Yes, I need to concentrate on what I believe in and stand firm.
@DavidBullock Thanks.
@rjleaman Social media is still in it’s infancy. Technology moves so fast especially in the last 10 years.
Vicky H – You really are fantastic to answer everyone here! I am totally impressed!
Good night all. I hope with all this discussion people realize that there really are good people out there who want to help. So they have businesses too, so what!
Hi, I found your blog on this new directory of WordPress Blogs at blackhatbootcamp.com/listofwordpressblogs. I dont know how your blog came up, must have been a typo, i duno. Anyways, I just clicked it and here I am. Your blog looks good. Have a nice day. James.
Social media is the up and coming way to get your information across to those who need it. Trish has done a fantastic job with the use of Twitter and other applications available to her. Thank you for sharing this and helping even more people know the great work that is going on at eMom (http://www.emailourmilitary.com/).
I am a disabled vietnam vet and wish to warn disabled war vets from washington state because the veteran orginizations wont stand up for disabled vets the state is able to tax fed disability income on property taxes they count disability income as earned income and if income over $35000 none of which is taxable income as defined by the definition of veterans disability income from the internal revenue service ive fought this since 2000 yet because they can the state continues taxing my disability income .Welcome home and if you dont stick togeather and fight whats right they,ll walk right over you to
[...] Original Vicky H [...]
Thanks for mentioning our (Babble Soft) partnership with eMail Our Military. I think it’s great what Trish has been able to do to build awareness and communication bridges with our troops. As you said, it doesn’t matter what political party the military personnel are from. They are all out there doing their best (based on orders from their commanders) to protect our country.
Thanks!
Awesome! Thanks for giving eMail Our Military a shout out. I know that there are plenty of people who want to DO SOMETHING to support our troops but aren’t sure what they can do. eMail is free and a great way to show support for our guys and gals serving. Thanks so much for taking the time to spotlight eMOM!
Very interesting site, nice design, greetings
As our world adapts to change, many times our troops and their families are the first to feel those changes. When a seismic event (natural, political or economic) occurs anywhere they are deployed, many times with little or no notice. This makes it hard for families to get even simple tasks like signing leases or insurance policies accomplished.
This call for duty takes a large toll on interpersonal relationships (between a husband and wife, families, friends and in raising children). Fortunately, we live in a time where technologies are enabling troops and their families to bridge that gap more effectively. Using the tools of the social media/web 2.0 revolution we are bridging the gap created by distance, effectively reducing the distance from the Midwest to the Middle East.
I am personally very thankful and humbled by the sacrifices of these brave men and women; I am amazed at how many of them are able to deal with the added responsibilities of parenthood. “Can do” people such as Trish (@dayngr) and Vicky (@eeUS) are valuable contributors by helping people, troops and parents better understand how to use those tools to make life a little easier for everyone.
Thanks for the post, and continuing to contribute to making this world a better place. One step, tweet and post at a time.
Vicky,
Thank you so much for featuring eMail Our Military (eMOM) here on Remarkable Parents. We hope your post will inspire others to make a difference in some small way using the tools they already have available to them.
We’re gearing up for a big holiday campaign and we invite everyone to get involved and help us make the holidays a little bit brighter for our troops overseas. We send emails, cards, letters and care packages and we hope we’ll see many of our social networking friends, follwers and supporters taking part.
Thanks again for this nice write up.
Awesome post about eMOM! I had the pleasure of working with Trish this summer on a project. It’s so important to remember that the miliary is serving, following orders and non-partison. (particularly in an election year)
It never ceases to amaze me how many people (like the author of this guest post!)blatantly use Twitter (and social networks)to promote their own websites/blogs. Honestly, email our military is not a bad idea, but the shameless and CONSTANT self-promotion is enough to make anyone’s stomach turn. With all the suffering and poverty and serious problems there is in the world, can’t you (for once) stop and take a good look around. And realize it’s not all about you and what YOU think is important. Maybe promote other causes from time to time?
I think that’s the point the author is trying to make here. That you can use social media, new media and sites like twitter for whatever social causes you believe in.
eMail Our Military is @MailOurMilitary on twitter specifically to build a troop support community. That’s the purpose of the account on twitter.
However, the tweets aren’t only about eMOM or their blog posts but rather all things military related. We also use twitter to help veterans, military family members and service members find resources.
The bottom line is, find the causes you feel passionate about and use your social networks to help those causes.
Thank you so much for recognizing the amazing efforts of eMail Our Military. The support, concern and recognition this organization provides to our military and their families goes above and beyond duty. It comes from a deep compassion and understanding. eMOM’s use of Twitter to spread their message has allowed them to touch so many more lives. Their presence on Twitter is a constant reminder of what is truly important. Not our politics, but our support of the men, women and children who make sacrifices to protect this great country of ours.
Trish, thanks for using Twitter as a mainstream vehicle for showcasing our great military and broadcasting news about our troops. I don’t think people realize that our troops in CENTCOM are using technology like Twitter to communicate with friends and family back home, but to get that refreshing support that we provide for them.
I have also seen you broadcasting updates about the recent hurricanes as well and i have not seen that anywhere else.
You are a proponent for keeping our troops informed, high spirited, and motivated. I will publicly say thank you as a retiree for what you do for the troops!
I first came into contact with eMail Our Military through Twitter. Had they not had an account, I would never had known about them.
From the minute I learned about eMOM, Trish has been friendly, personable, and very down-to-earth. Her tweets aren’t shameless self-promotion as so many other companies and organizations are on Twitter. She even helped track activity around South Florida when the hurricanes were threatening residents there. She has a real heart to help other people. Anyone who follows her would know that.
From the daughter of a Vietnam vet, the granddaughter of a WW2 vet, and the sister of a soon-to-be Naval officer, thank you eMOM and Trish for a great company that is much needed for our military today. I am happy to support and take part in such a worthy cause.
I posted another comment ealier that got lost in cyberspace:) I have had the privilege of working with Trish on a project this summer. I know how hard she works for our troops. It’s not about the policies or politics, but the men and women who volunteer to serve in our armed forces. I’d stand out on the street corner and shout if it would help them know that more people care about them!
Eileen:
It is you who should be ashamed… NOT Trish for bringing awareness for the need of Troop support by tweeting on Twitter.com.
Twitter is a social networking too where people CAN and DO bring attention to social issues as well as personal issues.
— quoted from Eileen’s comment —
It never ceases to amaze me how many people (like the author of this guest post!)blatantly use Twitter (and social networks)to promote their own web sites/blogs. Honestly, email our military is not a bad idea, but the shameless and CONSTANT self-promotion is enough to make anyone’s stomach turn.
— end quote of Eileen’s Comment —
It is MY stomach that is churning from reading YOU nasty comments.
Not too long ago I tried to do something special for our troops and people like you extinguished my passion and desire to go on with it.
People were too concerned that my website might have gotten a bit of publicity. The problem was my offer *did* come from my website, so it WAS all involved.
I did not get hurt other than wasting a lot of time, but it was the troops who never got to benefit from my FREE offer!
IF you do not like what you read on Twitter, then either delete the tweet, do not follow the person, do not use Twitter or just turn your computer off.
I don’t know you Eileen, but from your comment I am not sure I would want to know you. Trish answered you with kindness, but I have just about had it with those ridiculing those who want to help — for free yet!
Roz Fruchtman
http://www.SayItWithEcards.com
First I’d like to thank all of you for this conversation you have started here. The more that we discuss these issues, the more we all learn.
@Aruni I am proud to mention Babble Soft in this article. I specifically wanted to mention both Babble Soft and Qipit because you are a part of the team making a difference!
@Daynger I agree, my hope is that as the site grows and reaches a larger audience that we will be able to have a specific section related to non-profit service for both parents and children. Your right, it’s so simple to send an email, 15 minutes of our time.
@Conrad I am always happy to mention the small businesses and entrepreneurs who give their time and the use of their products for a great cause.
@Eileen I think we all try to ‘get the word out’ about the causes that are important to us. I think twitter is such a great tool for this because the people that use Twitter already have email accounts, use the web frequently and can participate, if they choose, immediately. It also is very environmentally friendly way to support a cause. I found out about eMoM through Twitter, my hope is that others will find out both that this resource is available and how they can help.
@Trish That is what I want to concentrate on in the second article about eMail Our Military. More information about how parents, children, families, schools can participate and help.
@Gloria I have found that I have become more aware from using Twitter also. When these last 2 hurricanes have hit both Louisiana and Texas and I heard people tweet about how it effected them personally, it touched my heart on a much deeper level. It made me grateful for what I have and it made me think about these issues bringing them to the forefront of my thoughts.
@Dave I love your comment, yes it is all about keeping soldiers motivated, in high spirits, and informed about what is happening at home. The human spirit is an important part of our being human. We all need these motivations in our lives, the difference is we have our family and friends to turn to and are not in another country. Great point.
@Lauren I to did not know about eMoM until Twitter. Did you get a chance to read Part 1 about @MissingChildren id. I love that service also. It is so important that they find these children that are taken by predator’s in the first 48 hours.
You are doing great work here. Supporting the troops any way we can is our responsibility. We need to be creative these days as we, as a nation, seem to get so wrapped up in our own lives, we forget that there are people fighting for us that need our support.
That’s right. Supporting our troops is as important a cause as any other. For someone like Janet or “Eileen” or whatever name people want to hide behind to belittle and berate others and say With all the suffering and poverty and serious problems there is in the world, can’t you (for once) stop and take a good look around. And realize it’s not all about you and what YOU think is important. shows that she’s missing the point here.
This post, which was an interview by Vicky, wasn’t merely about supporting the troops or about eMail Our Military. It was about using social media, specifically twitter, for good – for a purpose – for a cause.
Eileen has a cause and I suspect that is where all the rage is coming from. Why not take the time to promote your cause, enlighten others about it and invite them to help you get behind your cause rather than tear down someone elses.
That certainly isn’t the way to get people to come together and it certainly isn’t the way to be a leader in the social/new media market.
And one more thing, supporting our troops isn’t about thinking about one’s self but thinking about those who defend freedom and democracy for those who can’t do it themselves.
Great article on eMail Our Military. This is an organization that is increasingly drawing positive and much needed support to the US military folks, especially those serving overseas.
One thing to remember is that few cause supporters on Twitter and other social networking and media tools are shy about self promotion, nor should they be overly so.
Yes, I don’t want to be bombarded by just those type of posts, but even following many cause focused Twitter accounts, amount the over 1200 other folks I follow, I’m hardly finding them even annoying.
Secondly, I’m an American. My first priority is supporting and caring about issues directly affecting America. It’s appalling that we focus on folks in other countries with troubles and fail to support struggling families and efforts here at home. Doing both is admirable and worth caring about but if I must prioritize, the US of A comes first.
Amen to that Todd!
With all the politics our candidates are spouting I have yet to hear anything about our Seniors – here at home. Perhaps I am more conscious about this these days, as I am a Senior.
Our troops are fighting to keep us safe here at home – or as safe as we can be after 911.
I live in NYC and I was trapped in the city that fateful day, so I AM behind our troops in any way possible. (and our Police, Fire Department, EMS, etc. It never occured to be before 911 how they put their lives on the line each day *for us.* I suppose I had been too worried about my own issues to see what was in front of me!)
I think what Trish is doing is admirable. She was able to do something that I could not and I admire her for her efforts AND her successes. It is gratifying to be able to make a difference, no matter how small!
What people do not seem to realize… It is very time consuming to give of one’s self. People seem to forget that.
I apoligze for focusing on this, but it is a personal issue for me, especially when one’s heart is true to the cause at hand!
We need to see *the good people are doing* and NOT worry that they may receive a bit of publicity. They SHOULD receive some thanks for their efforts! At least they are taking the ball and running with it.
As an American… Charity starts at home… THEN we can help others in other countries. We are suffering here at home — we just do not all share it!
Enough said from me on this issue! If I enlightened just one person by my comments it was worth my time.
Roz Fruchtman
http://www.Twitter.com/SayItWithEcards
@eileen I want to make clear this is not a guest post. I am the author. I would also like to say that these posts (Twitter for a Cause) are my most time consuming posts that have been done on this site. I’ve personally spoken with eMom, Babble Soft, and Qipit because I want to accurately represent all those involved.
This site was created to be inspirational, and as the headline says below are header “Using Information and Technology to Improve Lives”.
@Todd Thank you for your comment and support.
@Roz I’m sorry your comment was temporarily caught in my spam filter and posted late. It was not intentional.
@Dayngr Thank you for adding what I feel are very important points to this conversation. I am in total agreement with you.
@Greta Thank you and I agree. Sometimes if you can’t support financially, you do your best to contribute in another way. I guess that was also one of the points I was trying to make in my previous response.
I hope to do more articles like this. I have been contacted by so many non-profits that want to work with us and that I would love to post about, and I hope in the next 6 mos to do more like this. Specifically another post about eMom and about @BlogActionDay which wants all bloggers to post about poverty. I’m following that one too.
We all need to “Learn” from each other. The ideas for this site would take me 6 mos of writing to do all that I want to do. Thank you all for your input, even the people I don’t agree with.
I don’t think Eileen meant to be rude or nasty in her comment – and I think she’s right! The self-promotion is CONSTANT, to the point that it is just TOO MUCH.
If you don’t like what someone is saying on twitter, unfollow. That’s the beauty of twitter.
Whenever someone tries to do a good thing there will always be Eileens there to knock you down and try to stop you. Have you noticed those who talk most about “too much self promotion” are the biggest attention seekers?
Ignore the naysayers, don’t feed the trolls, and keep up the good work
You hit the nail on the head Chris!
No matter how good your intentions there is always that someone who will throw water on it.
The question becomes that of “what is your intention and what have you created today?”
Your intentions are pure.
Use everything at your disposal to communicate with the people that will listen. That is the power of social media. And, don’t you dare stop.
And of course “social media” is still in its infancy — we’re all still trying to figure out how best to use it, and the media itself (not to mention the etiquette and conventions around any particular tool) changes almost constantly, too.
I rather like David Bullock’s approach, to assess the efforts on behalf of various causes by looking closely at the motives.
Fortunately, the blatant self-promoters soon show themselves for what they are — as do those genuinely care about the causes they champion. On the recieving end, the challenge lies in setting aside our own personal opinions about this or that cause, to give the benefit of the doubt long enough for that to happen.
@Roz Your second comment got caught in limbo, sorry for the delay. I agree, it is very time consuming to give of one’s self. Great point!
@NancySutherland Both of your comments also were delayed, again sorry. I’m learning so much as I go
@GretaPerry Thank you for stopping by. Good luck with your cause
Let me know if I can ever help with something for it.
@Lala I don’t see the same Twitter stream as you do because who we follow is different. I’d say change some of the people you follow.
@ChrisGarrett Thanks. Yes, I need to concentrate on what I believe in and stand firm.
@DavidBullock Thanks.
@rjleaman Social media is still in it’s infancy. Technology moves so fast especially in the last 10 years.
Vicky H – You really are fantastic to answer everyone here! I am totally impressed!
Good night all. I hope with all this discussion people realize that there really are good people out there who want to help. So they have businesses too, so what!
Roz
http://www.SayItWithEcards.com
Hi, I found your blog on this new directory of WordPress Blogs at blackhatbootcamp.com/listofwordpressblogs. I dont know how your blog came up, must have been a typo, i duno. Anyways, I just clicked it and here I am. Your blog looks good. Have a nice day. James.
Social media is the up and coming way to get your information across to those who need it. Trish has done a fantastic job with the use of Twitter and other applications available to her. Thank you for sharing this and helping even more people know the great work that is going on at eMom (http://www.emailourmilitary.com/).
Trish – keep up the great work!
Vicky,
I found your post via Todd Jordan (@Tojosan) and I’m glad I found it.
This is a remarkable post; well-designed, intelligently laid-out.
email Our Military is brilliant and I’m glad you’re sharing it. I’ll throw out a Tweet about it and hope to raise some more awareness. Simply awesome!
What I think…
Today is International Peace Day…
I think we should all ban together and help each other, whether it is helping someone with a business, a cause, whatever!
It’s a big world, especially with the Internet and now with social networking. There is enough out there for all of us!
Just my thoughts. Perhaps I am getting soft as I reflect on the past year with Rosh Hashanah in 9 days.
Roz Fruchtman
http://www.SayItWithEcards.com
I am a disabled vietnam vet and wish to warn disabled war vets from washington state because the veteran orginizations wont stand up for disabled vets the state is able to tax fed disability income on property taxes they count disability income as earned income and if income over $35000 none of which is taxable income as defined by the definition of veterans disability income from the internal revenue service ive fought this since 2000 yet because they can the state continues taxing my disability income .Welcome home and if you dont stick togeather and fight whats right they,ll walk right over you to