Web 2.0 Wednesday: Do a Digital Favor for Someone

Maybe it's the economy. Maybe it's the nasty turn the American Presidential campaign is taking. Maybe it's that I'm feeling a little stressed out from the different projects I have going on right now. All I know is that I think we could all use a little love this week, so here's your project for Web 2.0 Wednesday (a day early, unless you're "down under").

Do a Digital Favor for Someone

Yes, I know, it might be better to do a something nice in "real life" , but since this is weekly activity is all about social media, we're going to do something digital. Here are a couple of ideas to get you started:

• Send someone an ecard.

• Make someone a Glogster telling them how wonderful they are.

• Leave a nice comment for a blogger you've never commented on before. Or go to one of your favorite bloggers and tell him/her why you appreciate what they do.

• Share a bookmark with someone in your network. Or maybe a few.

• Show someone how to solve a problem using social media, like Tony Karrer did last week with his screencast on using LinkedIn to find an expert. Use Jing (like Tony did) or maybe do a quick comic book-style instruction.

• Leave a funny message on someone's Facebook wall. (Do NOT superpoke, however--that's just annoying).

• Tell your Twitter friends that you love them or share a link to a great resource (in 140 characters or less) 

• If it's not too late and your in the US, help someone register to vote online. 

• Make an online donation to your favorite charity. Money's tight, yes, but it's tight for everyone, so we have to spread it around.

• Record a song or a poem or whatever with your cellphone and send a podcast to someone. 

The list could go on, but I'm sure you guys are more creative than I am. Feel free to do more than one thing, too.

If you blog about it, be sure to tag it with web2.0wednesday. And if you'd like, leave me a comment here--I'd love to hear about what you do.

This could be fun. Let's spread the love and let's spread it all week, not just on Wednesday. Now go forth and be a good digital citizen.

Comments

[Harold Jarche]

Speaking of spreading the love, check out Rob's post:

http://smartpei.typepad.com/robert_patersons_weblog/2008/10/credit-part-iii.html

[Kate Sloan Fiffer]

Well, I suppose a comment isn't the most adventurous of digital favors... but I figured I'd start here. Michele, you gave me some great feedback on e-portfolios a while back, and your blog has been a fantastic source of information and inspiration - and one of the things that's pushing me follow through on my long-formed plan to start a blog. I've been talking a good game to everyone in my actual life about the power of blogs and social media... but I've been falling short on my level of participation. I've always been one to lurk for a ridiculously long time before posting, commenting, etc. But perhaps if I officially commit, here, on one of my favorite blogs, it'll be the final little kick I need: I plan to publish the first of the posts I have lingering privately on my computer by the end of this week.
Thanks for the digital favor you've done for all of us readers by writing this excellent blog.

[Evita]

Neat ideas! I think no matter what one does it is just nice to think of someone in one of these ways and for the other person on the receiving end to know they are thought of!

And in today's world and today's so called "uncertain" times the more love spread the better!

So nice blog and great idea - thank you!

[Michele Martin]

Harold--thanks for the link. That's a really interesting series Rob has going.

Kate, thank you so much for leaving your wonderful comment! I do hope you decide to start blogging and if you do, send me the link so we can start commenting. I love to encourage new bloggers and I know a lot of other people do to. Just do it! :-)

Evita--you're so right that it's just nice to let people know you're thinking of them. In a lot of ways I think social media has been a great tool for making that happen more frequently, although it's also been a tool for expanding the number of people you're thinking about!