Photo by Tim Waclawski via Flickr
As anyone who pays attention to the social blogosphere and the network news knows, the Susan G. Komen Foundation decided to stop funding Planned Parenthood’s breast cancer screening and mammogram program.
I’m a woman and a liberal. It doesn’t take much more information that that for you to know that I think politicized right wing attacks on the rights of women to receive important health care is wrong. But that’s not what I want to talk about.
I want to talk about how social media–Twitter, Facebook–and motivated individuals with connections online can change the outcome of an event. The Komen Foundation mishandled this event in social media terms. The supporters of Planned Parenthood used social media to their advantage. The consequences include damange to Komen’s reputation, lots of discussion about what Planned Parenthood really does, and many donations rerouted from The Komen Foundation to Planned Parenthood.
Instead of retelling the story of how this happened, I’ll send you to Beth’s Blog, where she’s already recounted it. Go see what social media can do to help a cause, or to slam a social media clueless organization.
Hopefully the Komen foundation can take some steps to restore their reputation amongst people who are upset by their move to cut funding for Planned Parenthood screenings. Sometimes bad decisions get made – as a whole I still believe the foundation is doing their best to contribute positively to society.
I agree. It’s a shame that two such beneficial organizations got caught up in this. Even more so that it was mishandled so badly by the Komen people – who finally made a sort of apology that really didn’t clarify much.
Who ever thought it was a good idea to give the Komen people money and let them divide it amongst charities they chose.
If you’re going to give to charity, at least pick the ones you want and give to them directly to avoid any skimming or any of this monkey business.
In spite of the complaints that have surfaced about how Komen does its thing, I keep coming back to the fact that they have done a lot to help women. As has PP. There should be cooperation between them, in my view. But then I think the Congress should be working for the good of the country, so maybe I’m a dreamer.
Amazing blog! Do you have any hints for aspiring writers? I’m planning to start my own website soon but I’m a little lost on everything. Would you propose starting with a free platform like WordPress or go for a paid option? There are so many choices out there that I’m totally confused .. Any recommendations? Bless you!
A free blog is a good start for someone who doesn’t want to deal with the technology involved in self-hosting. The best advice I could give to someone who wants to be a writer is to start writing. Every day. You can’t beat a blog for that. You might like to visit my blog with writing prompts at First 50 Words.
Big mistake by the Komen Foundation.