SOCIAL MEDIA, Your Toy or Your Tool?: A Question for the African
American Community – A Thought for the World Community
By Henry Ford
As I read a recent review
of Social Media Week in Toronto (Feb
13-17), I was impressed by the content of the valuable information shared during
one of the panel discussions. The panel
lineup included the powerhouse lineup of Sam
Graham-Felsen, Chief Blogger for Obama for America, Aliza Licht, SVP of Global Communications for DKNY, Sam Champion, Weather Anchor for ABC's "Good Morning America", Kelly
Balz, North America Social Media Manager for Avon, and Kristine Welker, Chief Revenue Officer of Hearst Digital.
The panel lineup
also took me back in time to the mid nineteen seventies when I first attended a
conference of the National Association of
Investors. There was no
representation of African Americans on most panels (and almost none in the audience).
This is not a condemnation but an observation. African Americans were not locked out, but
they had “sat out,” not purposely or
in any organized fashion or for any reason, but they just were not there, except
for me and about ten others at a conference of over 500. That’s not a condemnation
either, but another observation.
The reality is that
trends that connect, educate, and empower often escape the majority of African
Americans for too long. How long? Too Long!
That is an observation also, one that I attribute in part to the social
and professional circles we tend to operate within. Often we are so tuned in to what we perceive to
be the upper limit or the “What is,” that
we cannot embrace The Dream, The Vision, The Possibilities.
The Investment Education
Movement took many more years to find its way into the African American
Community than it needed to, denying so much to so many, and negatively
impacting generations to come. Today two
of the movements in danger of taking place without us are those of Technology
and Social Media. It should not happen,
it does not need to happen, and we cannot afford to let it happen. There is enough African American presence on
the Internet, Facebook, and other platforms to convince me that we are well
represented. The question is will we
incorporate into our Social Media agenda, the education that can help us bridge
gaps in technology, education, business, and help enhance our personal and
professional development?
One of the powerful
eyes, ears and contributors to the Social Media scene is a dynamic, informed
and personable young lady by the name of Shirley Williams. A bright light on the Social Media scene,
Shirley is an internationally recognized Social Media expert that can help us
understand and narrow the gaps that so desperately need closing. A bonus in following Shirley is that she
freely shares with others without targeting any specific group; but absorbs,
evaluates and contributes, touching lives in over 160 countries. Her openness allows valuable information to
flow, leaving her objectivity unobstructed by special interests, and keeping her
credibility impeccable.
