Here are two stats from literacy advocacy groups that made me sit up and pay attention.
- 33% of the population in Los Angeles
- 25% of the population in New York
have been identified as being low literate or illiterate.
So when I learned that September was National Literacy Month (NLM), I decided to try something to promote literacy awareness, and I targeted writers as participants. Since I didn't know if this would work, I started small. Here's what I did.
- I created a List on Twitter @WeWrite4U_Lit, telling about NLM.
- I wrote 12 Tweets (three sets) for those interested to copy and paste, and I supplied sources.
- I posted a Linky on my blog just so I knew who would be interested.
This is what happened.
- 18 people signed up
- We generated a lot of (I couldn't keep up with them, so I don't have a count) of Tweets and RT's
- Some writers became very creative and Tweeted with the @WeWrite4U_Lit and a free book link
- On International Literacy Day, we joined the #selfielit event and posted selfies as we read books. This turned into a nice promotional bonus for several writers.
For the first time out, I think this was a success. I loved that we were using Social Media for such a positive and important cause. I plan to do it again next year with some changes based on what I learned.
And so that's a wrap for September. It's been a hot but glorious summer. I hate to see the sun move low in the sky and the days grow short, but it's part of the cycle of things. I know fall will bring its own joys and rewards.
