"Likeable" Lucky

I am sure that you have been touched by the many stores of struggle and survival that have been reported over the past two weeks in regards to the earthquake, tsunami and nuclear crisis in Japan. One story that captured my attention took place thousands of miles from Japan. Last week the South by Southwest conference concluded in Austin, Texas. While the purpose of the conference is to highlight entertainment, a dog received much of the attention in the early days of the conference. Lucky, a 14-year-old retired fire and avalanche rescue dog and constant companion of philanthropist and film maker Charles Weingarten, made a surprise appearance Saturday morning, two days after the earthquake. Five former canine team members were flying to Japan later that day. The Annenberg Foundation had made a pledge of donating $100,000 to the relief efforts if 100,000 people “Like” the “Dog Bless You” Facebook fan page in the next 10 days. If the number was reached by the following Sunday, the donation would double to $200,000 Weingarten and Lucky attended the film portion of SXSW to promote “Explore.org”, a series that documents and aids humanitarian causes across the globe. Both Explore.org and the service animals non-profit, “Dog Bless You” are projects of the Annenberg Foundation. "I got the call this morning," Weingarten explained.

"They said, 'Charlie, we’re shipping five dogs to Japan and we need your help’….I want to build some community around these animals," so Weingarten headed over to the Interactive side of things to get the word out.

"This is a historic call to action," Weingarten announced to pretty much everyone who stopped to admire Lucky. "We’re about to launch this on Facebook right now. You don’t need to give any money. You don’t need to buy anything. We’re just asking for your hearts and your time to help. You just have to like the page."

(http://technolog.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2011/03/12/6256126-sxsw-100k-facebook-likes-for-dogs-sends-100k-to-japan)

Once again the power of Facebook was demonstrated in a creative, heartwarming way. The last I check the “Dog Bless You” Facebook fan page had 173, 940 fans. Various social media sites have played pivot roles in recent days in historical political change, the rescue efforts in Japan and also in philanthropic efforts. Social media can play an integral part in marketing for today’s dental practices. Additionally many practices use social media to educate and empower their patients to make wise dental decisions.

For help in creating an effective social media strategy for your practice, contact DentistCEO, dental practice management for Vancouver, Portland and the surrounding area. And find DentistCEO on Facebook.