Using Social Media and Networking
December 16, 2009
Landis Homes is blessed to be a strong Christian community, one in which there are many blessed ties that bind our hearts in Christian love.
At the same time, we may also have many family members and friends who live at a distance, or who we don't get to see often, and over the years we've kept in touch by letters, by phone, and more recently by e-mail.
Recently I was asked to do a television interview for AAHSA TV at the AAHSA (American Association of Homes and Services for the Aging) Annual Conference in Chicago about new ways to keep in touch with family and friends, called social media and networking. The internet has created new tools like Facebook and Twitter, and for some, these create new opportunities to keep up with family and friends. The brief interview is on You Tube.
Both organizations and individuals are using social networking websites. In addition to our website at www.landishomes.org, Landis Homes has a presence on Facebook and on Twitter. If you have interest, you can check out both of the above without actually joining the sites and creating your own Facebook or Twitter accounts.
In recent months, we've been working with Ted Houser, of Ninja Fast Consulting, and formerly employed with Mennonite Disaster Service and Glick's Audio, to help us make the best use of these tools. We believe that a successful aging services organization depends on trust between caregivers, residents, family members and partners in the community. Social networking sites provide opportunity to strengthen these relationships through personal interactions that build trust and understanding between these groups of individuals.
Individuals can also use these social networking sites to keep up with their families and friends. While I don't likely know all of the Landis Homes residents who are using Facebook to keep in touch with family and friends, those who I have spoken with have found it a helpful way to learn what grandchildren and other family members are doing. Some may also connect with friends who are living in other states and in other countries around the world.
We hope to hold a class on some of these social media sites such as Facebook in 2010 as part of the Pathways Institute for Lifelong Learning at Landis Homes. If you have interest in learning more, and perhaps even joining Facebook to start your own journey in social networking, this will be a great opportunity to learn along with others!
If you are already on Facebook or on Twitter, a special welcome to join the Landis Homes communities on these sites! It will be a way to keep up with the latest as I, along with other team members, continue to use the Landis Homes Facebook and Twitter sites as one way of a number of ways to support communication.
Larry Zook
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