Tag Archives: a little help from my friends

At the end of last week I was really not on the best of terms with the internet. Content thievery was popping up a lot of places - big brands taking advantage of bloggers. I’d been reading more about the cognitive effects of the time we spend online, and reevaluating how and why I want to be staring at screens. And then, Friday night, I saw a tweet from my friend Jill, read her post, and very quickly remembered exactly why I love this place.

And so, I ask you to visit Jill, over at Baby Rabies, and see how the power of social media for good is alive and well. Jill received an email from a reader, Jamie, pregnant and living with breast cancer. Jamie asked Jill’s advice. And Jill came back with more than guidance. She brought an army to help.

Give us a tool to wrap our virtual arms around each other from every corner of the world, and we can use it to pull each other closer than ever before. We can use it to hold each other up.

Like Jill, I believe that people’s urge to give is far greater than their desire to take. Emotionally, intellectually, artistically, financially - we can all contribute so much online. We can be the change. In more ways that we could without this technology.

I’ll trade having a little less focus for all the good that can be done online. It’s just a matter of seeking it out.

Please, visit Jill’s site and find out more. #bethechange

Last year at BlogHer, I was just about everywhere. Flitting about like a hummingbird. You may have seen me. I looked something like this:

alexandra wrote behind the lens 1I have a million fabulous memories the five days I was in San Diego photographing BlogHer ’11. And if I weren’t speaking this year, I would have loved to do it again (come say hi Saturday morning: Leveraging Google+, Pinterest and Instagram). Instead, I look forward to attending the sessions and seeing friends and getting to see BlogHer from a different POV than this one:

alexandra wrote reflection blogher11I’ve joked that going to BlogHer is like seeing old friends at summer camp except you don’t know how tall anyone is. Avatars are tricky like that.

So, I’m joining in the link-up to say hello face to face, screen to screen, voice to voice. No cameras, bounce flashes, or lenses to be found.

And, because I did this while working today, I am sans makeup and my hair is a mess, but I don’t really care. Because the avatar self portrait I took against the bathroom wall is getting old (it should come as no surprise I’m wearing stripes in both and just might wear stripes one day at BlogHer, because they’re in my DNA).