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Reality Check – Baseball Not So Important


I turned the televison off in the living room and headed for the shower. I wasn’t happy. I just watched the Tampa Bay Rays get eliminated from the MLB playoffs by the Texas Rangers in game 5. I couldn’t believe the mental errors that were made by a usually smart baseball team. I love sports, and I probably take it too serious – especially when my team is on the losing end.

Getting into bed, I wasn’t ready to sleep yet. Why do you spend all that time and energy playing all of those games, just to lose in the first round of the playoffs? I know it wasn’t their intention – but it was still tough to watch….And then I changed the channel to CNN. The first Chilean miner of the 33 trapped underground was making his way to the surface. The wheel was spinning, and with each rotation, the first rescue was another foot closer to becoming a reality.

Family members waited nearby. The miner’s wife and child stood with smiles on their faces. Anticipation was mounting as the time passed. It would take 15 minutes to go from underground to surface. I guess after over 60 days being trapped, what was another quarter of an hour? I have to say, as each minute passed, I found myself holding my breath and praying that nothing went wrong.

The little boy waiting for his dad just kept smiling as rescuers talked with him. Finally, Miner #1 reached the surface. After a minute of getting him out of the protective cage, he finally got to touch his family once again. The little boy, with tears flowing from his eyes, probably will never smile or be as happy as he was in that moment.

You think about everything these men and their families have been through over the last couple of months, and it gives you a serious reality check. Here I was, laying in a warm bed with my wife at my side, just minutes before, angry at the world because a baseball team lost. It’s moments like the ones being witnessed over the last 14 hours that everyone should stop and think about what’s important in life. For me, it’s being able to love my family and enjoying the company of good people. It’s about learning new things in life, making people laugh, and doing what you love. It isn’t about making the most money or being famous. And “most important” certainly isn’t being on the winning side of a baseball game.

Charitable Organizations Outpacing Other Sectors in Social Media Use


A UMASS Dartmouth Center for Marketing Research study is painting a clear picture into large non-profits and their use of social media. The initial study in 2007 revealed that non-profits had a better understanding, attitude and usage of social media than large and small businesses, and universities. In 2009, 97 percent of charitable organizations said they are using some form of social media, including blogs, podcasts, message boards, social networking, video blogging, wikis and Twitter.

Here are some highlights of the study:

Most Familiar Social Media Tool

2007 2008 2009
Blogging (62%) Social Networking (70%) Social Networking (88%)

Social Media Usage

2007 2008 2009
75% of respondents 89% of respondents 97% of respondents

General Statistics

Blogging
  • 65% of non-profits are blogging.
  • Non-profits are the most prolific bloggers of any organization studied
  • 47% are using WordPress as their platform.
  • Charities are out-blogging Fortune 500, the Inc. 500, US colleges and universities for a third year in a row.
     

Perhaps the most important statements of the study are…

“The mantra of the blogosphere is ‘conversation.’ Blogs that are unattended lose their audience. In the 2007 study 85 percent of those charities with blogs accepted comments. That percentage rose in 2008 to 88 percent. The latest study shows 90 percent of charity blogs accepting comments. These organizations realize the importance of the conversation and want to engage their audience.”

“For volunteers/donors looking to have a conversation online about particular aspects of the charity’s mission, this increased interaction through comments can be significant. With more and more non-profits moving into multiple channels of social media, those that don’t allow for conversation will quickly be passed by.”

“Fifty-six percent of those without a blog in the 2009 survey planned to add one in the future, making blogs a permanent tool now and for the forseeable future.”

For a look at the entire study please click here.

What can JLC Writing Services do for you? Is your organization/non-profit/business/company ready to start blogging? Let’s discuss your options!