Online Communities & Social Networking
While The BluePrint for Life encourages personal face to face social interaction, you can also build rich social connections using online communities and social networking tools
You’ll discover new online friends here at The BluePrint for Life community. This community is not only a place where people can receive the absolute most cutting edge lifestyle wellness information; but it’s also a place for fun.
You can participate in weekly contests to win amazing prizes… just for doing things like going for a hike with a group of friends, taking a yoga class, playing outside with your children, posting a video of how to make your favorite smoothie or a photo of your famous salsa made with ingredients from your garden…essentially by sharing how you are actively incorporating the 5 principles of the BluePrint for Life.
If you haven’t already signed up, take a minute and sign up now. The BluePrint for Life online community will help support you in your journey to Hot Spot Health.
- A vast number of Web forums allow for dialogue on any topic of interest. Try Googling “forums about [topic].” As in any community, there are rules of etiquette. You’ll usually find them on a FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions) page in the forum.
- Similarly, an enormous variety of blogs—short for weblogs, or frequently updated online journals—invite you to read and comment on topics of interest. Search for blogs on topics that interest you at Technorati. You can also write, group or follow mini blogs at Medium.
- Want to join a hiking group, learn to speak Bulgarian, or perfect your Italian cooking? MeetUp can connect you with people near you who gather to share interests and activities.
- YouTube catalogs and displays user-created videos on an endless variety of topics. After you watch, you can share your reactions with other viewers and read theirs.
- The social networking site Facebook has almost 1 billion subscribers, half of whom visit the Facebook site on any given day. The average Facebook user has 120 friends on the site. Facebook is today’s hottest place to organize communications with current friends and reconnect with old friends and acquaintances.
And it’s not just for young people—the fastest growing Facebook demographic is those 35 years old and older. Facebook is free to join. - Try tweeting! Twitter is a Web-based and mobile service for friends, family, and co-workers to stay connected. It’s based on the exchange of quick, frequent answers to one simple question: What are you doing? Each post is called a tweet. People use Twitter to organize get-togethers, provide updates on family or work, to generate discussion on a topic, or for marketing and publicity.
- Interested in connecting with other in a business social platform? Try Linked In! LinkedIn is the world’s largest professional network with over 175 million members and growing rapidly. LinkedIn helps you exchange knowledge, ideas, and opportunities with a broader network of professionals by connections with your business contacts and groups.
- Google has always been at the forefront of technology with free programs like Google Maps, Google Calendar, Google Earth, Google Drive, etc. But they have a social layer to their programs called Google Plus. It allows you to create and/or join “circles” of friends and contacts (friends, family, hiking group, college buddies), group video chat via Hangout, find content based on interest via Sparks and so much more! It’s a great way to connect online and to meet new people in your area.
- Pinterest is a virtual pinboard which lets you organize and share all the beautiful things you find on the web. People use pinboards to plan their weddings, decorate their homes, and organize their favorite recipes. Best of all, you can browse pinboards created by other people. Browsing pinboards is a fun way to discover new things and get inspiration from people who share your interests.
A community connection awaits. It’s healthy to discover a network of new online friends, here at Akea and all over the Internet. You can even build your own network connections by inviting friends and family to share online in your wellness journey.
But don’t forget to power down the computer and go outside for some exercise and real-life connections. Wellness is all about balance.
