Do It Myself Blog – Glenda Watson Hyatt

Recently a friend commented to me that people don’t get together as much nowadays because they are sitting at their computers with Facebook, Twitter and such.

i say the opposite is true: I am meeting people because I am sitting at my computer with Facebook, Twitter and blogs.

This evening, Darrell and I opened our home to Mark Horvath from Los Angeles, California.

I met Mark last year at SOBCon (Successful Online Business Conference) in Chicago. I attended SOBCon for the second year in a row because I knew, respected and trusted co-founder Liz Strauss through hanging out at Open Mic Nights on her blog. Through Liz, I became to know, respect and trust co-founder Terry Starbucker.

Meeting Mark at SOBCon and hearing his story, I realized we shared a special bond: each of us has taken our unique circumstances, which others may see as debilitating and depressing, and we have turned them around for the greater good. As Reverend Robert Schuller would say, “We have turned our scars into stars!”

Having experienced homelessness (on Hollywood Boulevard, no less!), Mark is now turning the spotlight on those living on the streets – who we tend to ignore as we walk past – by sharing their stories via social media. Mark has criss-crossed the United States, sharing hundreds of heartbreaking as well as uplifting stories on Invisible People TV.

Thanks to support from PetroCanada, Delta Hotels, General Motors, the Government of Canada and others, Mark has begun a three-month trek across Canada to bring light to Canadians living on the streets, in the alleys and in the shadows.

Facebook, Twitter and such are tools. How they are used is in our hands. If used wisely, they have the power to connect people, to embrace friendships and to change the world. If used wastely, we become the tool.

While sitting at your computer, please follow Mark (@hardlynormal) on Twitter, like invisiblepeople.tv on Facebook, view Mark’s photo stream, and then go out and make a difference in someone’s life in any way you can, today.