Social Media. What can’t it do?
First it helped elect a certain U.S. president. Then it almost overthrew the Iranian government. Now it’s getting credit for the new legislation announced this week that limits the amount of time a plane can leave passengers stranded on the runway to 3 hours.
And deservedly so.
Kate Hanni, founder of Flyersrights.org, who used social media effectively to lobby the government, called it a Christmas miracle. 
Hanni, profiled in Clay Shirky’s book, Here Comes Everybody, was famously stranded on an American Airlines plane in Texas with her young family for over 9 hours in 2006.
But Hanni wasn’t the only social media rock star to have a part in this play.
Canadian Dave Carroll, famed singer of YouTube sensation ‘United Breaks Guitars‘, had a cameo role when he was invited to Capitol Hill by Hanni to perform his song before the hearings.
Social’s Batwoman & Robin prove how Social Media – the tool that connects us with like-minded people – can move mountains. And governments.
If you’ve got a cause, a mission, a passion – either professionally or politically – consider these three lessons from Kate and Dave.
1. Can you sustain it? Is it truly a passion of yours or your organization’s? Relationships – even the online ones – take time to build. Kate started years ago, devoted day and night and her persistence and momentum is just now paying off.
2. Are there enough like-minded people? I happen to have loved the movie Ishtar but sadly that’s just me. Who hasn’t sat on the tarmac for ever or suspected malicious baggage handling? The power of a crowd needs, well, a crowd.
3. Can you make it entertaining? It doesn’t hurt to have the talent to make a catchy video like Dave’s but use your own superpowers to make your content remarkable. Or, like Kate, find people in your own network with talents that can add fuel to your fire.
Now if they can just limit the line at the mall tomorrow I’ll be good.
