Change the World... Please?

The Butterfly Effect

 07-07-2007 was the date they announced the New 7 Wonders of the World.

100 Million were those who voted.

Yet, one, was the person who decided that this was news-worthy and assumed its showcasing on Lebanese news.

One person's action lead another, jealous over his country not being listed, to go visit the new7wonders website, frustrated and skeptical over the process that lead to those results... And there it was.

"Be the Change You Want to See in the World"

Lebanon was not voted, true. Yet, it was never nominated to be voted in the first place! Wasn't our dear Lebanon part of the world? Yes. So why didn't it have the chance to compete for the title???

Simple, the process was set as to get "open" nominations from website visitors... That were to ,then, be evaluated and selected for actual listing as a nominee. This opportunity had ended.

Yet a new competition was launched!

"The new 7 wonders of nature" was not as glamorous of a title as the previous... Yet it was revenge time: that person set up to nominate 2 locations in Lebanon, two! Two instead of one. He typed down "the cedars of Lebanon" in a blank field, and " Jeita Grotto". He was channeling his feeling of grudge, his country was to be listed! For once. In reality, it was "her" country.

How many of us have been moved by these nominations? How many have invested their time and money into voting, or making these votes a success? Would that have been possible had the nomination not been cast?

What if that person had been at the time a 23year old "she"? Would that girl ever have  had the chance to make a difference outside of her own room? Probably not. Yet, today, her action has sprung to motivate celebrities and politicians alike!

Lessons for All

It is funny how much we can do, thanks to the Internet these days. I wish for this to be a lesson to the older generations who think that the Internet is a waste of time.

 If you look at the Internet and think of Facebook, then yes. Yet, the Internet is so much more.  Let that be a lesson to the kids.

And digital marketing? It's not about updating a Facebook group and forcing your friends to unwillingly join. The power of online marketing is in going viral and reaching the world. The power of digital marketing is not in the money spent, but in the message. THAT is the future. That's what will make countries rise and fall. That's what will shift opinions (let's face it, who gets his information out of anything other than the Internet these days!) and if you can control information flow, you can change the world.

Make a Difference - Vote

For now, don't forget to vote for Jeita - Send an SMS to 1070 with the message "Jeita", it will only cost you 10 cents, and you won't even pay for the SMS cost.

11-11-2011 will be the date they announce the New 7 Wonders of Nature.   

Make sure your vote is counted.