On the weekends, you salvage any extra sleep, you try to lounge around but end up spending hours at the market and cleaning the house. And before you know it, you're starting the next week's cycle.
In our physical lives, it's challenging to find extra time to donate and volunteer -- whether it's at a local non-profit, a church, school, or otherwise.
But what about online?
My digital self
Online, I have a variety of marketing veins -- Twitter, Facebook (yawn), LinkedIn, The Smart Marketing Blog, my book, etc.Each one has its own audience (there's some overlap), and each one is a channel to promote my content.
Online, I've created a brand; I maintain a space -- a space I use for my own agenda. Companies large and small do exactly the same.
But what would happen if we temporarily volunteer our digital spaces for another cause?
Why donate your time and space online?
It makes sense doesn't it? Some of us spend just as much time online as we do off -- without a screen glaring at us. We certainly tend to invest more in our online presences. I blog around eight to ten times a month. And apparently, I tweet just over ten times a day (I thought it'd be more than this actually).
In "real" life, we look at our schedules and carve out some time to volunteer.
Our digital lives should be no different. I have a blogging schedule, so why not carve out some time and use my blog for more of a donation and volunteer agenda?
Think of it as virtual community service.
Digital donation examples
Most recently, thousands upon thousands of Twitter users supported a 15-year old girl's bucket list dealing with terminal cancer. Each Twitter user put their normal agenda on hold and instead supported Alice's cause on Twitter.
The same went for Susan Fujiki's campaign to raise funds for those affected by the earthquake in Japan -- Cranes for Japan.
In a little over a week, she leveraged her blog and Twitter following to raise over $1,000 by folding cranes.
There are, of course, other examples of similar acts of selflessness, but each was also done in response; it was a reactive volunteer campaign.
Volunteering on purpose
Next time you're laying out your blog calendar, carve out one day to highlight a local non-profit or volunteer your time and space and following for a topic that doesn't have anything to do with your online business.
Make it a part of your calendar just like you would a book review or a weekly promotion.
You'll find a more personal connection with your followers, some amazing synergies developing, and a more successful business-focused operation.
Talk back
Have you purposefully-volunteered your online self before? Tell us about your experience. Or maybe you have a suggestion or two to make digital donations a little more effective. Share them below, won't you?_________________________________________________________________
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