"VOF Week 1: Raising Awareness."

What I find most exciting about the Web 2.0 is how we can use it to raise awareness and to show other woman they are not alone. For many woman there is the feeling of isolation and that you are all alone and this is something we can combat using this technology.

Isolation is what happens to many woman and can happen so subtly that you do not realize it at first. It is a tool used by those who wish to control you, whether that someone is your spouse, your family or your community. By cutting you off from things that make you feel worthwhile they slowly take that feeling away from you until you end up feeling like you are isolated from others. It is an even worse feeling when you are around other people and still have this feeling. Raising awareness about how isolation is a tool used against woman we can begin to change it and eventually stop it from happening.

In some situations you can feel you are alone, that no one else will understand or care about you and what you are going through. This Web 2.0 technology gives us the chance to show other woman that we care and want to help create a positive environment for them and ourselves. Raising awareness that woman are not alone in whatever experience they are going through we can help offer support, even if it is simply sharing our own stories.

I have found it a very empowering experience already in just sharing my own stories and experiences and reading about others. I love knowing that I am not alone and that there are other woman around the world who share this view that we can change the world for the better by reaching out to each other.

I really like the idea of ‘citizen journalism’ since I believe it will help us overcome barriers that we traditionally faced in person. For myself, in person I am a bit shy and always try to be respectful and polite. I find it very hard to say the things I want to out loud since I was raised partly with that idea that I should be seen and not heard and also partly that certain things are just not talked about.

But give me a pen and paper and I feel free to express myself openly. That is what I think is the greatest value with this technology so that others like me can finally be heard about things we care about. I truly believe that raising awareness about issues that matter we can help them learn to think for themselves and trust their own judgment. And finding that feeling is worth everything.