How many times have you wished you could change the world, but then shrugged your shoulders and got back into the daily routine? After all, we’re talking about a huge planet out there and what impact can one person have in the great scheme of things, eh? And if you’re shy, who on earth’s going to hear your whisper amongst the great global chatter?
Well hold that thought, whatever it may be, until you’ve opened a new internet tab and BLOGGED IT! Yes, blogged it for the world to read! Ok, I admit it might just be your best friend and your window cleaner that follow your words initially, but most importantly your voice is out there and can have influence.
In my four years as a blogger, I’ve come across a whole range of people who share their thoughts online. Some have a larger following than others, but that doesn’t matter. What really counts is that these people are taking the opportunity to inspire others through the digital conversation and the topics they cover, whether it’s highlighting environmental issues, tackling poverty, raising awareness of charities or simply sharing experiences, from parenting issues to revitalising crafts.
Whatever your passion, your blog can address it in a number of ways. Take Bob Jones for instance. Historically more chess coach than blogger, he’s recently turned to blogging to chart his single-handed cycle tour of the British coastline, which he’s doing to raise money for The Stroke Association and the Meningitis Research Foundation. His blog, Coastrider 2011, offers a delightful account of the sights, encounters and challenges, all written from the perspective of one OAP, with one bike and one tent covering a distance of 6,000 miles.
Blogging to promote awareness as well as to raise funds for charities is a great use of blog space and the more unusual your story or challenge the more inspirational your posts can be. And if you’re working with the PR team of the charity itself, the results can be truly amazing. Directly engaging with three ‘mummy bloggers’, the international charity Save the Children managed to reach over 10 million people last year with their Blogladesh campaign, thanks to Josie George, Sian To and Eva Keogan blogging passionately about the poverty and stark levels of child mortality they had witnessed during their visit to Bangladesh. They also recounted their stories on national news, touching the hearts of many, and shared their views with Nick Clegg at the Millennium Development Goals Summit in New York.
Also, no stranger to such limelight is Rachelle Strauss, the blogger behind the independent waste-busting website My Zero Waste. Her story is a great example of how just a few single blogposts crying out into the wilderness can lead to a much wider influence.
I first met Rachelle in 2008 after I’d made it through my local council’s Zero Waste Week challenge and blogged about it of course. My record of the week is still there, over at The Rubbish Diet. Having been affected directly by climate change, Rachelle also grabbed the challenge by the horns, putting herself and her family on the line with tough challenges to live waste free, or as close to it as they could. What she soon created was an online community of ordinary people who shared her Zero Waste commitment, i.e. folk who don’t wait for councils and government to roll out their next goal, but who get on with it themselves instead.
Rachelle’s dedication to sharing waste-busting tips has reached far and wide. From chatting amongst ourselves a few years ago, her blog now has a readership of up to 75,000 visitors per month, with the highlight of each year featuring a national Zero Waste Week.
But it hasn’t stopped there. She laughs as she recalls the surreal nature of her rubbish being emptied live on BBC Breakfast news one year, with the camera crew holding up the traffic whilst filming her year’s worth of household waste, all packed into just one single bin. She has since been featured on Countryfile and has also just finished filming for a documentary that is hoped to be broadcast in the UK this summer. And that’s not to mention hitting the International headlines this year in Brazil, Japan, Italy, Portugal and Germany, bringing even more visitors to her site from right across the world. Even a popular science programme sent over a TV crew to film them for German TV.
So, next time you find yourself wishing you could change the world don’t just shrug your shoulders and delve back into your routine. Instead hang onto that thought and harness your passion. Then boot up the PC and blog it! You might well find that you can change much more than you originally thought.
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More from The Philanthropic Housewife
The Philanthropic Housewife: An Introduction
The Philanthropic Housewife: Rolling Up my Sleeves for 2011
The Philanthropic Housewife: Be Part of BBC Local Radio
The Philanthropic Housewife: More Music, More Variety
The Philanthropic Housewife: Volunterring Your Words
About the author
Describing herself as a philanthropic housewife, Karen balances the challenges of modern parenthood with support for community projects and freelance writing, with an emphasis on mainstream, yet sustainable lifestyle issues. She's also the creator of The Rubbish Diet blog and a frequent contributor to BBC local radio. To find out more about Karen, just visit www.karencannard.co.uk.
Image: PA Photos
