Back a year or so ago when MySpace was the rage their was little connection between the popular networking site and actual signs of helping individuals. Fast forward to today and we see that Facebook and Twitter are doing on a daily basis what Myspace could not do even today.
As a result of Twitter I have been able to network with more ladies in the plus size community that at anytime in the history of this blog. Finding peers is faster and the sharing of information is much more focused. Even with the fluff part of Twitter it still has allowed customers to connect to merchants directly. For example @MonifC, @LaneBryant, @IGIGILovers, @Cherished-Woman, @SWAKDesigns all have active pages on the social networking community keeping their customer base aware of upcoming sales as well as exclusive deals only found within the network.
The best part about social media and how it is helping the plus size community especially in the case of Twitter is that it offers a natural barrier from size discrimination. I am sure that it is happening in other parts of the site but it comes nowhere near those of us that are trying to do positive things for big men and women. Whether that feature was built in or is a surprise by product it is a good thing.
As the name alludes to there is much more social interaction between the members than ever happened in the AOL or Yahoo groups that are as we speak dying a slow death as Twitter and Facebook allow users to be themselves instead of hiding behind a user ID. As a result of social networking I have been able to talk directly to merchants and get timely feedback. And best of all there is no need to swim through a bazillion porn accounts to find what you are looking for.
Finally, as a result of my time on Twitter, I will be attending Full Figure Fashion Week next month in New York. I found out about it on Twitter and saw it quickly spread to Facebook and throughout the plus size blog community in a matter of hours. If that is not showing the power of social media and how it can benefit the plus size community I don’t know what will.
You are so right Glen. While Belle-Noir and FullFigurePlus were both born out of Yahoo Groups, they are truly dying a slow death. The ease of spreading information is just not as quick as it is via Twitter and Facebook. Curves & Cocktails grew out of both of these forms of Social Media, and I look forward to watching Belle-Noir, Full Figured Plus, and other plus blogs & websites grow via Social Media.
Great post, my friend!
Aja,
You are right I forgot about that we grew from yahoo groups. Who knows what we will be doing as a result of the contacts we have made via social media networks.