Wednesday's Words of Wisdom: Dr. Barbara Lavi The Power of #Hashtags to #Empower Us

"Hashtags when used wisely have the power to empower the powerless and change the world." Dr. Barbara Lavi

Thought for the Day: We are living in very troubling, yet exciting times. If someone woke up from being in a coma for a year or two, they would be shocked to learn that a simple sign on a keyboard like a hashtag (#) could be changing our world. Hastags played a major role in the Arab Spring revolutions. In the last few days, we had yet another example of the power of hashtags to make a difference. Ramaa Mosley, an LA director and mother of two created the hashtag #BringBackOurGirls after hearing about the kidnapping of 200 Nigerian schoolgirls. The tweet went viral and it has led to worldwide pressure to free the girls from their captors. As a psychologist, I spend my days helping empower people by better understanding themselves and those with whom they live and work. My words of wisdom for today are: "Hashtags when used wisely have the power to empower the powerless and change the world."

Motivational Mondays: Tabitha's Wish and A Video Everyone Should See

Thought for the Day: I have two motivational pieces for today. One is an example of how social media can do good and the other on how important it is to "Look Up" from your phone and computers. The 1st story cam to me via a message from a facebook fan. Duncan K McLindon had left me a note some time ago. His message went unnoticed  since he had posted it on a Facebook page for my psychology practice, ACT Now Psychotherapy.  An intern created the page, but until about a week ago I had not posted anything there. I post regularly on a facebook fan page for  my book, but simply never made time for the other page. Last week, I posted how a 3 year old can teach us about philanthropy. When I read Duncan's message, I was moved and wrote back that I would share his 12 year old daughter Tabitha's story today.  It is yet another story of what children can teach us.
     My plan was just to share Duncan's story, but today I saw another post of a video which we all need to see and share with everyone we know. It has been viewed on YouTube by over 13 million people, so it is clearly a powerful video. I hope you will read on, see both sides of the equation and share it with people you know and care about. On the one hand, social media can enhance our lives. However, on the other hand, too much of a good thing can detract from our lives.  

Wednesday's Words of Wisdom: Is Facebook Becoming an Anti-Social Cash Cow?

Thought for the Day: Today's Words of Wisdom are my thoughts related to Facebook and social networking. What made Facebook an exciting "social" phenomenon for me as a psychologist was that it was an easy, grassroots way to communicate with friends, family and fans. I believe in using social media for social good and facebook is making it increasingly difficult to do so. Lately however, I have been questioning whether it is worth posting anything on my facebook page. If anything, my posts have become more sophisticated with better graphics and content over the years. However, although I have over 1200 fans, unless I pay to boost posts, only 4 - 12 fans see them at all. 

The change happened gradually over the last few months. In the past, 80 -150 fans would see an average post depending on the content, day of the week and the time of day it was posted. Lately, only 4 or 12 fans actually see a post. It is clear that Facebook is trying to get fan page owners to pay for exposure. When I run an event or am speaking on the radio, I am happy to pay to boost a post, however, it feels unfortunate that people who have chosen to follow my page do not even see my regular daily updates which I work hard to make informative and helpful. Frankly, it is becoming an "anti-social" social networking site!