So, earlier this week I mentioned that I was going to give you a great analogy on how social media is just like nurturing your herb garden.  It was chock full of great cliche's and examples...but as I was writing it, I realized it wasn't what I really wanted to talk about.  So, I had a change of plans.

I decided that I would tell you a bit about how I realized the power of social media.  It was a very personal experience and had a great outcome.

It was Spring of 2007.  I was living in a beautiful, peaceful historic district in New Bern, NC.  I purchased the home about 6 months prior.  Neighbors were awesome, lawns manicured beautifully, diversity was welcome, and it was everything you would imagine a historic district to be in a great little southern town.

Directly across the street was the Maola milk plant.  They had been there for 50 years manufacturing and distributing their products, adding to to the income of the town.  There had always been a peaceful relationship with everyone.  Until.

I came home from work one April afternoon to hear a loud noise that I assumed would soon stop.  Several hours went by and neighbors started congregating outside trying to figure out what was going on at the Maola plant across the street.  Hours turned to days...days to weeks...

Turns out, Maola had switched management, and decided to move the trucks that kept the product cold from a docking area that had been designated for that purpose for over 50 years.  It was in an area that far enough from our homes, and we never even knew those trucks existed until they decided to move them 25 feet from our home.

After many failed attempts to meet with the managers and many days of staying at hotels because the noise level was excruciating, I decided to start blogging about it...documenting the noise levels, calling the news outlets, contacting city officials etc.  Whatever I did, I blogged about it.  Video, audio, pictures. 

This blog became a bargaining tool for peace.  That is how I knew that social media was absolutely priceless.  Maola got their big lawyers on the case, and the neighbors rallied. After the blog went public, it became a hub for information, hits on the site went up every day by the hundreds.  Maola executives were monitoring it.  News stations were following it, newspapers referenced it. This blog hit the emotional string on everyone who readi it...whether they agreed with me or Maola. It was laced with passion.  It IS what social media is supposed to do!,

Their executives told me in a meeting that they would meet with the public only if I took down the blog.  I told them that the blog would come down when there was a resolution.

The town meeting happened and after some long fights, and sound experts coming from NCSU to measure the decibel levels (which were at times above 80 inside my house) the end result came.  The offered to build a sound barrier so the neighbors would have their peace back.

I offer to you the said blog.  I hope you can take some time to go read it, watch those videos, look at the pics...  I would love to hear your thoughts.

For a brief sneak peak into the blog "Maola Mayhem...Corporate Bullies" here are two videos that kind of spell out what was going on.  Truth is powerful...recording it is even more powerful.

This was the sound on a "good" day
This was the sound on a "bad" day.

Thanks for reading.  Feel free to utilize the power of social media and share this experience with someone who wants to know how powerful telling two friends can be!!

I would love to hear from you.