Social Networking for The Common Good

Wednesday, September 21, 2011

It’s good to be blogging again for Farm to Philly after a brief hiatus. What I love about this blog is the diversity of writers and flow of information that comes from the site. Although I have plenty to write about in the vein of farming and sustainability, I thought I would make a fresh beginning by talking about the proliferation of information. This past month local web designer and sustainability activist Jaques Sapriel launched the website phillyecocity.com. This site has the traditional components of articles and event calenders, but Sapriel takes the site a step further by introducing the concept of social networking.
When navigating to the website phillyecocity.com, you are prompted to join and create a profile. Although you don’t have to join to access the calendar of events or articles, by creating a profile the user has the ability to socially network with other like minded people who are either active or aspiring to be active in Philadelphia’s vibrant sustainability movement.
I love this concept for two reasons. This first is that not everyone has the time or resources to find out where this community exists or how to access it. I often encounter people who are interested in this movement, but have no idea where to start looking for like minded people. As we’ve seen with social networking sites from music to dating, the internet (when used with good intentions) can be a very helpful way to connect people. The second reason is that people also often want to volunteer at one of my garden sites all the way across the city when there is a project that is just a few blocks from their house that needs help. The beauty of this site, much like Farm to Philly, is that the information that people access from the site doesn’t just keep them in cyberspace. Just as people can take a recipe or gardening tip from this site and manifest it into something tangible (like food), people can physically take these connections into the streets of Philadelphia.
So please check out the site and keep on reading Farm to Philly. I promise to have a good growing tip on my next entry.