Putting social media to good use... tracking the COP15 Copenhagen

I'm not going to lie, I love Twitter. I tweet daily and read common tweet threads and the home tweets of those whom I am following online. Today, when searching for more information on Social Media Conference Northwest through variations of the title, I came across Planet Green. Planet Green, from the website http://planetgreen.discovery.com/, is a Twitter account that "offers practical, everyday tips on how to live a greener lifestyle."

Perfect, I'm thinking. This is exactly the sort of account that I should be following to help inform me on what I can do to lead a more sustainable lifestyle. Thus, the first tweet that appears on my screen is this, "Track Copenhagen Climate Conference with Twitter and Social Media http://bit.ly/1CYZZT #cop15."

Through following the link, I came across the article "Track Copenhagen Climate Conference with Twitter and Social Media" by Derek Markham on the Planet Green website. The article, which I encourage everyone to read, focuses on how to utilize social media outlets to track environmental change through the 15th United Nations Climate Change Conference. Twitter, Facebook, StumbleUpon, and digg.com are all outlined in the article, as well as means for utilizing them to gain and spread awareness of the conference.

It has only been in the last year that I have begun to think about social networking websites in terms of information sources for current events, trends, and as essential marketing tools. However, it is articles like this one that help make me aware of the possibilities for social media and ways in which I can make a difference, maybe not in a large scale, but possibly in my small circle of friends.