Making a Difference in the World – The Social Power of Blogging – Being Transparent Online

If you’ve followed this blog for awhile, you probably know that most of my posts don’t dive too deep into personal details. However, over the past few months I’ve made some connections through my site that have made me more aware of how easy it can be to make a difference in the world, right from my coffee table. That felt really good, and I plan to continue.

Several years ago I became involved with the (then fairly new) videoblogging community. I was moved by much of what I saw, but mostly by the idea that I was now able to get a more intimate and personalized view of people from around the world, and every walk of life. I briefly posted my own videos, became involved in videoblogging projects, but life happened and other pursuits took precedence on my time. However, I never stopped watching videoblogs and listening to the videoblogging community.

That’s how I became aware of InvisiblePeople.tv. , featuring video interviews with people who are homeless. I am restraining my writing because I want to get to my point, but to keep it simple, these stories moved me, deeply. I highly suggest you summon the courage to watch a few and ask yourself how you can help. That’s what I did…

I had been watching this videoblog for several months, when an episode was posted about a girl named Brianna.

Brianna - Girls Guide to Homelessness

I’ll let you learn of Brianna’s circumstances for yourself by watching the video, but when I saw her story, I knew I could help, although not financially. Brianna had been blogging about her situation for some time, and using the internet to make connections and learn how to survive…better and safer. Since I’m an internet junkie, web developer, and WordPress fanboy, I knew I could enhance her blogging life by offering her a free domain name, hosted WordPress blog, ongoing support, and technical guidance in the future. That’s what I did, and she accepted. After I had her new site configured, we worked out a migration plan to get her posts from Blogger to WordPress, and the new site was born. I hope you’ll take a look and follow her progress.

My hope is that Brianna will continue to persevere and succeed in whatever she pursues, but also that she will continue her blogging with the knowledge that she is changing the world and affecting others in a very positive way.

Thank you Brianna.