Social networking


FRIENDSHIP A friendship evening at the home of the


President and her husband, who had prepared quite a feast, brought an interesting day to its conclusion. I was so honoured to be presented with a brooch – a Maltese Cross with the Soroptimist emblem centred in it. This, together with a beautiful book, will be treasured memories of Soroptimist service and friendship in Malta.


ON TO GOZO Gozo is an island, just twenty minutes or so


by ferry from Malta and in some ways, has a micro culture of its own. The visit was arranged primarily to meet with women who would be interested in extension on Gozo, but in true Soroptimist style, our sampling of the local culture was in good measure.


The first call was to check out the venue


where the meeting with prospective members would be held later in the day. Once confirmed, we headed off to visit the castle from whose battlements, the island could be viewed. This was followed by a friendship lunch at a SI Malta members’ summer house. The extension meeting was sadly only


attended by one person. However, she was enthusiastic; was introduced to the ethos of Soroptimism and would be in contact with SI Malta members. Back to Malta, and a relaxing evening under the stars on the roof of mine hosts’ house under the watchful eye of Bertie, the family dog.


VISITING VALETTA My final day started with a relaxing morning,


visiting Valetta with the Club President – my only serious retail therapy was to purchase a suitcase to replace the one damaged by the airline on the outward journey. A barbecue had been arranged for the


evening. It was a fundraising event in the beautiful garden of a member. Discussions on the planning had been going on through the week, every detail being carefully considered. Dressed in our finery, we arrived to the scene that would equal any smart garden party. Tables beautifully laid with linen cloths; a bar set up, the barbecue fired up ready to cook for an eager gathering and a salad table. The magnificence of the Bougainvilleas was no less in the twilight than during the daytime. Pre dinner drinks made for circulating and talking to guests, not all of them Soroptimists, but very supportive of the work they do. Whilst enjoying the delicious meal, conversation was buzzing. I enjoyed some stimulating conversation with members and non members and was delighted to meet the Soroptimist President and members from Cagliari, Italy. It was a truly pleasant evening, a wonderful finale to my visit and one from which the Club’s Programme activities will benefit enormously.


HOMEWARD BOUND Case packed, I had time to visit a park before


being taken to the airport for my flight home. Joined by several members, we had coffee together before our farewells. It is such a pleasure to visit our overseas


clubs, visit their projects and to experience their culture. The warmth of the friendship experienced cannot be adequately expressed in words.


As the only Club on this delightful


Mediterranean island, members could so easily feel isolated from the wider world of Soroptimism. Visits from other Soroptimists would be greeted with enthusiasm and I know they would be made most welcome and experience the warmth of friendship extended to me.


Have you been asked to join friends or colleagues on the social network websites such as Facebook, Linkedin, or MySpace, or been tweeted (via Twitter)? Hopefully some of you will know what I’m talking about; others may not have a clue. Social network sites started for individuals to connect with each other on a social level. Facebook was started in the USA by Harvard students replicating the student directory and was originally only for students. It went public in 2006 for everyone over 13 and with a valid email address. Facebook users around the world now total somewhere over 500 million. Organisations, companies and community groups and individuals have pages on Facebook designed to let others know about their activities and events. It’s a great way of gaining free promotion and marketing, although many companies also pay for advertising on the site. Many Soroptimist Clubs now have their


own page on Facebook, as well as hundreds of individual members who connect to each other as ‘friends’. Most of the representation is from America, but Asia is gaining on them fast. One European member keeps an eye on aSoroptimist website activity and posts interesting news.


Sri Lanka spread President Jackie’s fame You will have read about SIGBI President Jackie’s visit to Sri Lanka in Soroptimist News. But, the members of the Sri Lankan Clubs were able to give her visit a worldwide promotion by using Facebook to bring the visit to life as it happened. You can still see the photos either by linking as a Friend with one of the Soroptimists from Sri Lanka or looking at the photos on the Soroptimist International GBI Facebook site. If you are having a visit from President Jackie


or a Federation Officers why not keep us all in touch while it is happening? Set up a page or use a member’s existing page and post photos and information about the visit on to it. It is very easy to sign up for Facebook and set


up a page for your Club. Find the registration page (via google or www.facebook.com), go to ‘create a page’, chose one of the types of pages offered from ‘official page’ (brand, product or organisation’) or ‘community’, click on ‘create a page’ and then add the information you wish to.


You can limit the amount of information you


put on if you don’t want to share details with everyone because once you put information on it will be in the public domain. You can also register as an individual but


you must have a valid email address. You can limit the amount of personal detail shown. Although there have been some issues about security so far I have found that if I check an invitation from someone else really comes from a Soroptimist then I can be confident about the person accessing my information.


If you aren’t already involved, do give it a try and if you are, sign me up as a friend!


Soroptimist News SEPTEMBER 2010 13


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