This month I had the great opportunity to write an article for Gospel Today Magazine about online significance and changing the world digitally. Here is that article, enjoy. Over the course of time we have seen numerous advancements in technology that have enabled individuals to communicate faster and access information faster. The printing press, telegraph, telephone, radio and television are a few examples, but nothing transformed the world as quickly as the internet, the internet gave individuals the power to communicate with the world from their computers.

Then, just as we were getting comfortable with the internet and how we “thought” we should use it, social media transformed the way we used the internet and gave us even larger platforms and more power to communicate with the world, all from our internet connected devices.Now we all know, with great power comes great responsibility, and social media is no exception.

As we continue to build our online presence we have to realize that through our words, ideas and interaction, we are impacting people, whether we see the results or not. Everytime we say something publicly on a social network, it’s a global message, we just don’t realize it till someone across the globe responds.

What ways can you make an impact online

Build a community FIRST! There a numerous social networks that you can join, connect with others, and convey your message to, but your initial focus should be to build a community. Start with Facebook and connect with old friends, classmates, coworkers and family. Use Twitter and Google+ to find like minded individuals, celebrities, influencers and groups of people that share your interest. Use LinkedIn to connect with business professionals that can help further your cause and grow your network. Join Youtube to help distribute your video content and find other video creators that share your sentiment. This may sound like a lot of work but each network you join has a distinct audience and your videos, photos, updates and links will help grow your online presence and build a strong community around you.

Help others with their online movement. There are numerous online communities that are built around helping others and you can use your social network of influence to help as well. A great network that’s helping others is called Hopemob and it shows how we can use our online social networks to help others and change their lives.

Hopemob.org (@Hope) and its founder Shaun King (@shaunking) have built the largest community of generous strangers the world has ever seen. What I love about Hopemob is that they feature real stories that I believe I can impact and make a change. The goals of Hopemob are not always financial either, sometimes they are virtual, such as helping a family to get a video out and make it go viral.

Start your own online movement. You can start your own online network with a website called Socialgo.com. With this online software you can build your own online community where your ideas and insights can be the rallying cry for your network. So as you build up your online audience on major social networks like Facebook and Twitter, you can inform your audience that you have an online network on Socialgo.com and they can join you there to further progress the message that you are trying to convey to the world and help you make a change.