So last week I had the honor and opportunity to be on Jonny Goldstein’s Partay - along with two wonderful friends of mine, Qui Diaz and Alex Rampy. We were there to talk about the benefits, innovations and overall understanding of social marketing. Much of the evening was spent highlighting our respective passions within the “marketing for good” landscape - Qui with Nonprofits, Alex with a deep knowledge of social marketing practices and myself with a focus on health and social media.

Earlier in the day as I was getting ready for the Partay, my body felt like it was time to not feel well. Of course, this wasn’t the ideal situation to not feel at my peak but with the help of my most excellent co-speakers, I readied myself for the evening. As the Partay started, I became aware that many of my friends (much of whom met through social media interaction) were logging in to watch! Needless to say, as I began talking about my passions and getting in the zone of the chat, I began to feel better. Just the fact that there was friendly support from people I knew online, along with the friendly environment of the conversation, added up to a better evening for me.

Despite the inherent needle in a haystack feeling that one may feel when navigating through the Web, I feel as though there is strong potential in building relationships that reinforce positive mental health. So next time someone tells you that the Internet has no soul (yes, I’ve heard that before), let them know there is a whole world out there waiting to inspire and encourage you!