Grasshopper New Media Presents...

For those of you who might not know, I have a podcast and website about learning and learning disabilities. When I started this project, I’m not sure what I expected in terms of audience size or growth. I guess I sort of thought some of my friends and family might listen, and that would be that. Yet one of the first emails I got was from a mom of a young boy with autism in Australia. Yesterday, I got two lovely emails from listeners in South Africa and in Vancouver, BC. What started out as a passion project for me has a global reach that I never imagined possible.

And here, at GNM Parents, we have contributors from different parts of the globe, and from different walks of life as well. The diversity is amazing and important, and sharing different points of view about the topics we care most about is a central goal.

This brings home the point, in a very tangible way, that every voice can be heard.

In a world that often seems to be coming apart at the seams due to political and religious differences, this small corner of the internet shows a coming together of people from across the globe. We’re sharing with each other, for support, and to help us do a little better at the most important job in the world- raising children.

Social media- whether it’s blogs, podcasting, videocasting, or something all together different, is about connecting people and helping each other as best we can. As I send out books today to Tyson on Vancouver, a teacher of kids with learning disabilities, and Caithlin, a mom in South Africa, I will think about how truly global social media can be. That from my office, I can reach and help people all over the world. The things I choose to do or do not do, have ripple effects. And this means that every time we feel powerless, every time we think our small actions ranging from deciding to recycle a can, walk instead of drive, or whether to post a comment on a blog, can and does effect other people. We have hidden powers we don’t even realize we have, nor appreciate their true power.

My point here is firstly, reach out to others. You never know what kind of impact your words and thoughts can have on others. The second point is to realize that what you say can have a very real impact, so please try to be kind and responsible. Don’t treat others harshly just because it is anonymous- try to remember there’s another person at the other end of the keyboard. And lastly, never take yourself or your actions for granted. Even the small things make a big impact when we add them all together.

And thank you to everyone at GNM Parents, all our readers, and all the listeners to the LD Podcast for reminding me of the tremendous power and reach of ideas. When I start feeling pessimistic about the world as a whole, about the wars and desperate poverty, about whether we can all remember that forgiveness, love and understanding are more powerful than any weapon, you remind me that we all matter. Everyone can make a difference. We just have to decide we want to, and then go do it.

[tags]thinking globally, internet, podcast, making a difference[/tags]
Photo graciously provided by rogiro, through a Creative Commons license, some rights reserved