I am raising my children in a small town. I love that they have some of the same benefits that I had growing up. But, sometimes in a smaller school district, the communication we receive form the school isn’t what it should be. This really hit home when I missed the awards ceremony for my daughter’s class on the last day of school.
That afternoon I was sitting at a playground with a couple other mommies and asked for their opinion. Why was I having so darned much trouble keeping up? One of them warned me that the middle school’s communication was even worse than the elementary school’s. Great. Something to look forward to. But, now I knew I wasn’t alone.
It seemed to me that we had some very connected and knowledgeable ladies in our small town, seasoned from having older kids pass through the district and knowing the who/what/where/when of how things work. How many other women in my community were sharing my frustration from the lack of communication? Furthermore, how many would benefit from having a network of like-minded people they could rely on for accurate information and help? I needed to create a channel for them to share their knowledge and experience with the rest of us newbies. So, I turned to Facebook.
After 2 weeks there are 174 ladies in our Facebook group and I receive new member requests daily. It has exploded and taken on a life of it’s own. Members are single, married, childless or have 7 (one of our members does) – and we have a common bond: we are ladies who needed a channel to talk, make new friends, share our opinions, ask questions, get validation or just see who else is going to be at the pool today.
Now local business owners are posting links to their fan pages on our Facebook and we support and refer local. Mother’s are finding women to pair up with to pass on clothes. Leaders in our community are posting information about the local farmers market and voting dates. We have about 24 stay at home moms (group within our group) that are planning weekly play-dates. How much tighter will our small little town be when we have this group as the backbone of our everyday lives?
Groups with a common need and purpose are everywhere. Social media gives them a place to be heard. How could your group benefit from an online social network? You may be surprised.
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Image under Creative Commons License by Global X
Fantastic article. As someone who has been blessed to be in the group, I realize what a blessing it’s been to me personally. I feel more connected with other women in my community because of it, and it’s helping me to get connected with others, even though I’ve lived here my entire life.