Comments on: To Make a Difference, Must You Choose?

By: Alex

Alex — Thu, 07 Jan 2010 03:58:42 +0000

Tre–

Thanks for your comments here. And you’re right. I was recently asked what I like best about social media, and I’m sure my answer made the person think I was the biggest suck-up, lol, but it’s honest. Part of my biggest appeal to Web 2.0 communications is that it widens the arena for freedom of speech. Granted, not every country gets to leverage this benefit (the Newseum has a great display of places where there is freedom of speech throughout the world and where there is not), but the idea that I, a woman, can create a medium of expression is incredible.

Also–Thank you so much for your uplifting and encouraging words. They mean so much to me and help motivate me to keep going. I don’t know if we take enough time these days to offer encouragement and support to those around us–and you did! –Thank YOU!

I’m not sure if I’ve “arrived” at an answer, but I’m continuing along the journey…thanks to people like you.

By: Tre ~

Tre ~ — Sun, 03 Jan 2010 05:51:34 +0000

Hmmm your response comment shows to me the whole point of having written this post….it was a question you needed to sort through out loud and get some feedback for…and you have..and now you still may be sorting the question but you are closer it seems to me…
May I offer something? This IS a cause..this paving the way for women to voice themselves openly and honestly through the use of social media…it’s more challenging in ways b/c no one unless you vlog can see who’s behind the words…and yet even video has a barrier b/c it’s not in person…so to me you are pioneering a cause for many globally: the right for a woman to assert her innermost yearnings online and put them out there b/c her voice matters.
More and more when I struggle which cause I remind myself my very life my very effort HERE is the fullest cause I can commit to for the now….Sheer integrity, utter honesty, compassionate commenting every which where I can seek to offer something of value…good golly girl..you aren’t so much a part of one cause as perhaps 100 or more when you do that..and you have done that and you are a kindred spirit to me b/c of how public you are.
so i look to your example a lot. and i am grateful every time i read you and hear you sifting thru some of the same stuff I am. My dog isn’t as vocal 🙂 as your hubby but we ask who we need to 🙂 and we get our nudges confirmed. Love what you gave here..continue the conversation with us and continue sharing here…It’s the most important cause to me in liberating women’s voices the world over. Hugs for all you are and do and blog;)

By: Alex

Alex — Fri, 01 Jan 2010 21:30:10 +0000

All–thank you for your brilliant thoughts. I waited to respond as I wanted to give myself time to marinate more on your thoughts.

My husband recently told me that whatever you put your focus towards, you will be good at…and I spend a lot of time focusing on our do-good community. But something keeps nagging at me, that perhaps there’s something more I should focus on–or at least better distribute my attention. Less reporting, more doing. In a way, I felt inept to write about social change while not being able to touch, sweat and bleed alongside some of our friends who are leading the charge against some of our world’s greatest problems.

Secondly, I wanted to share what motivates me and guides me along this path, which is my faith and family. I just couldn’t keep it in anymore. Thank you for respecting that. I know different things motivate different people, and I offer that same respect right back.

@Rebecca: I like how you phrase it as a value set. I think that’s a good description of what I have done and currently work to do with social marketing. Social marketing is quite scalable–its reach and impact are yet to be fully realized.

From this discussion, I wanted to know if it’s okay not to have one cause or one issue to champion because of exactly what you and @Nedra wrote about–helping others further causes they care about by providing, developing and advancing the field of social marketing through experience, research and practice. It’s more indirect–but it’s important. We need all in fighting the good fight. Thinking, doing and writing–as @Fard said, it’s a balance–thank you all for your help at I reflect and prepare for 2010. I hope to offer value and look forward to contributing further–in all facets.

By: Rebecca

Rebecca — Thu, 31 Dec 2009 17:00:25 +0000

I think you choose more of a value-set as opposed to a certain cause.

For instance, my two bosses, have worked together on three other successful start-ups. Their last start-up – which was about live search cashback – was sold to Microsoft for $50 mil and formed part of the basis for Bing. This one – which is all about toilet paper – is on it’s way to being much bigger. The secret to their success isn’t that they were particularly passionate about search or are now particularly passionate about toilet paper, but rather the values of disintermediation and bringing the power and value back to the consumer. That is their running theme.

In that case, you could have a similar value set in the social good space, and make large amounts of change whether it’s in the environment or human trafficking or a food pantry.

Great post!

By: craig

craig — Thu, 31 Dec 2009 13:49:45 +0000

Ah Butterfly, I know the feeling and angst as well. My choice architecture was similar a few years ago when it was Do I stick with the verticality of heart disease prevention business (where I was already a well-known research guy, Fellow in the preventive cardiology association – in short, making it) OR Do I go horizontal with the social marketing? I am sure there are personality and intellectual (to say nothing of ecological and structural) influences on the choices we make at these times, mine included being WAY more curious about lots of things I didn’t know about than being settled in a closed system of thinking, data and people ( a specific disease or cause). I also came to your conclusion that social marketing has the potential to move lots of needles, not just the heart disease risk factors, and those challenges seemed (to me) bigger than getting better at doing it for just hear disease (call it the Johnny Appleseed syndrome). And I enjoy the challenges of tackling new problems I may not even knew existed 5 months ago, and bringing some new perspective and insight to other problems people have been grappling with for years.
AT the end of the day, some people get known for their expertise in a silo. Far fewer for crossing the gaps (and I wager that has to do with the vertical funding streams that each of these communities settle around than the capabilities of the people – quick, name the major funders for any multi-disciplinary or horizontal area of expertise, ‘behavioral research (in general, not as it relates to a specific disease), behavioral economics, community-based approaches, social marketing.
Certainly the social/professional ties in horizontal careers are much different than in vertical ones. I rarely get to the same conferences every year (there are SO many choices when you are free from the expectations and pressure of a specific tribe). Many of my professional colleagues today are people I did not know 10 years ago – though there is that pesky social marketing tribe that keeps trying to form itself – 2010 will be the year!
So a little rambling early this AM, but I suggest you focus on what you passion is, and I think CHANGE is much different FOCUS. Focus narrows your vision and attention, focus is comfortably being in the zone, focus becomes a mind game, focus is maintaining the status quo. Change is opening to and imagining possibilities, being uncomfortable at times (and enjoying it – no great travel story is complete without the ‘uncomfortable’ episodes), change is an adrenaline rush (sometimes followed by those wonderful endorphins, sometimes just frustration) and change is what keeps moving to world forward.

I have a feeling I already know your answer, but a few more thoughts from a fellow traveler.

By: Fard Johnmar

Fard Johnmar — Thu, 31 Dec 2009 13:46:39 +0000

Alex:

This is a great, thought-provoking post. I’ve been thinking about the issue of focus a lot over the past nine months. In fact, this internal conversation led me to make some of the decisions I’ve made over this period.

When I first started blogging back in early 2006, I focused on a number of different areas, health IT, policy, technology trends, etc. However, over this time, I was finding that people were forgetting that at my core I am a health marketer. Because my focus was split, people were asking me to do things that were really outside of where I wanted to be. This was causing some problems professionally.

Then late last year, I decided that I had to make a decision: what was I going to stand for, what was I going to be about? I decided that health marketing communications was my professional focus and began to stop doing things that would distract me from that.

However, I also come from an interdisciplinary background and work with a lot of different types of organizations. I also recognized that being hyper-focused in one area of health marketing communications would limit people from learning from each other and growing in their respective fields. This is why I launched the Path of the Blue Eye Project.

So, my answer to your question is this: yes, we should certainly know what we are about, BUT, we shouldn’t be so hyper-focused that we lose sight of what we can learn from others working in other areas.

I’ve experienced the benefits of this approach. For example, a few months ago I attended a conversation hosted by the non-profit Mobile Active.org. We were a diverse group, focused on issues relating health communications and marketing from around the world. I learned more sitting around that table than I have learned in months. Would I have had this experience if I were only focused on communicating with people in my specific “world”? I’m not so sure.

It’s a tough balancing act, but I think we must learn how to be focused on what we believe while ensuring we continue to see the forest for the trees. Being open is a prerequisite for success.

By: Nedra

Nedra — Thu, 31 Dec 2009 08:34:11 +0000

Isn’t the lesson of social media that sharing what excites and motivates you is what helps other people connect with you? Of course, there may be a downside to this authenticity if some disagree with your cause or have other prejudices, but you’ll have to gauge that trade-off for yourself.

In terms of choosing one cause versus many, I think it depends on your goal. In the work that I do with many different organizations/causes, I feel like I’m making a big difference by helping a large number of people who have each devoted themselves to one issue to be more effective in their efforts. My impact may be more diffuse, but hopefully will ultimately have a bigger effect overall. Of course, I have my personal pet cause, but professionally I would feel so limited having to choose!

By: Akhila Kolisetty

Akhila Kolisetty — Thu, 31 Dec 2009 04:58:41 +0000

Personally, I think that yes – we do have to choose *something*. Whether it is choosing an issue, like global health, or a specialization like social marketing, I think we have to choose and focus on a specific thing.

However I think the most effective advocates are those who choose a cause AND perhaps a specialization. Or those who lead organizations focusing on a particular cause.

If you’re switching from cause to cause, how can you ever become a leader in a particular field? If you keep moving around how can you become an expert or get the deep understanding of a field that helps you become more effective in that area? I just don’t think it’s as feasible.