Blog Action Day: B.A.D. or GOOD?

While I may technically be a day late on this post, shouldn't every day really be 'Blog Action Day'? After all, most bloggers understand the power that this medium possesses when it comes to content. For those that read blogs on a daily basis, but that may not fully comprehend how search engines work, the primary factor to be aware of is that search engine spiders [or bots] love frequent content. Especially content related to topics that are highly searched for on the web during a specified time period.

I don't want to drift too far off topic, so first: a quick background on B.A.D. Unfortunate acronym, but a very fortunate cause with a lot of potential. Essentially, thousands of bloggers unite to write about one pre-determined topic on a specific date.. which happened to be yesterday.. I never said that timing was my thing. Regardless, "poverty" was this year's selected topic.

In a time where those of us living in the United States have become all too familiar with the word 'crisis', this particular topic seemed to bring me back down to earth. Sure, our country is heading into a horrible recession, but do I personally suffer immeasurable consequences on a daily basis? No. I can still afford to buy gas, share cocktails with friends, pay my bills, live comfortably, and most importantly, purchase a surplus of food & bottled water (gasp!.. becoming environmentally-friendly is a goal of mine).. and then, if I feel like it, toss this food in the garbage. I actually just experienced a pang of disgust when I re-read that last phrase. Clearly, there are a lot of us in today's society that take the bare necessities for granted.. and why shouldn't we? We've never really been pushed into a compromising situation that would force us to address our ignorance. After all, ignorance is bliss, isn't it?

There are a plethora of causes to champion and non profit organizations to support these days. Because of this, I think it's often difficult for people to continually commit to assisting various missions. Factors that may dissuade people from assisting in ameliorating our world for the greater good include:

• Monetary donations: where is the money actually going?
  
• Personal issues: I need to look out for #1 before helping others.
  
• Consistency: Is once enough? I don't have the time, money, or resources to consistently contribute.
  

Fine, I can identify with these concerns. But, the fact of the matter is, excuses are like.. well, you know how the saying goes. Perhaps the harshest reality is the fact that innocent children are typically the people most affected by poverty. I'm not going to get all Sally Struthers on you here, but compassion and follow-through can go a long way.

How is blogging going to combat poverty?

Some would say that B.A.D. serves as a dishonest method to acquire links, traffic, and exposure for purely selfish reasons. Those acknowledging this theory must be the people that use blogging from a pure, business perspective. They, fortunately, are not the only members within the blogging community. For a variety of opinions on this topic, visit this article. It raises some extremely interesting points, most of which are worth digesting or at least pondering.

Now I would say that, as mentioned in the beginning of this post, I believe that the power of blogging can significantly impact levels of awareness. It can reach audiences that other mediums may not be able to tap into, and in turn, spark a viral campaign. Discussing social issues is vital to addressing humanity entirely. We all know that in today's society, it's very easy to turn your head the other way. I've posed this question before and I'll ask it again: it may be easy, but is it right?