We Are Visible

I was recently introduced to this website, We Are Visible, which is essentially a social network for homeless people. Their slogan, "Sign Up, Speak Out, Be Seen," is their mission for the site. The site aids homeless people who do not have the money to pay for rent, etc., but do have money to access the internet or phone service to connect with others to have their voice heard and to get their story out there for others to hear and hopefully do something about.

Under the "Why Social Media?" tab, there are stories from contributors about how they have made connections with people across the country and across the globe who did not realize they were homeless at first.

One quote was especially interesting: "People aren't used to the 21st Century Homeless People, who have laptops and mobiles and even money in the bank!"

The site allows you to follow the contributors on Twitter, friend them on Facebook, and follow their blogs, which facilitates their progress in having their voice heard.

The site walks you through signing up for Gmail, Facebook, Twitter, and setting up a blog and then the next steps have the contributors send their message out to the world.

This is a fascinating new idea that really found its niche and is doing quite well.