4) Team Lightship: Tweeting Empathy

In our introduction, we briefly understood an introduction to how social media-based marketing at 7 Cups uses a project called Team Lightship.

In this discussion, we will understand how the Lightship initiative works in terms of using tweets for spreading awareness, support, as well as 7 Cups content and other service information. We will also learn how the Twitter platform can be used to outreach to people requiring and in search of mental health support, in order to ensure that mental health is not ignored or stigmatized on social media.

(i) Using Tweets to Spread Awareness, Support, and Content/Service Information:

As previously discussed, the goal of Lightship is to use social media to reach out to those in need using kind and empathetic messages.

General tips include:

• What you tweet about should reflect the compassionate, supportive, and kind community that 7 Cups is. Use your best judgment.

• View your Team Lightship account as a force for good, and for spreading the 7 Cups mission and values.

• Feel free to discuss emotions, situations, and topics that often occur on 7 Cups.

• You might also want to post/retweet quotes or pictures, and that’s 100% okay! Just remember that reaching out to people should be a priority. Think of how social media graphics can be used in that sense, to engage people.

• Note: Lightship uses referral links (found on your dashboard page under the list of chats) to direct users to the 7 Cups site.

Tips in regards to which areas or services of 7 Cups you can mention (apart from the general fact about 1:1 or group chats!): Self-Help Guides, Expert Articles, Free Mindfulness Exercises.

Sample Tweets:

Having a tough time? Don't keep it all inside. If you want to talk, we're here to listen 24/7 #7Cups https://www.7cups.com/17156123 #MentalHealthMatters

Need inspiration from people who have overcome Postnatal Depression? Read these stories of women using their recovery to aid others! https://www.7cups.com/experts/postnatal-depression-recovery

(ii) Using Twitter to Outreach People Seeking Support:

The following steps are helpful ways to identify and respond to people seeking support:

1. Search for Keywords

Some keywords or hashtags can prominently help search for people in need of support.

Note: The following and other mental health-related tags on social media platforms can contain potentially triggering content.

• Prominent Tags: need to vent, need a friend, feeling lonely, anxious, and depressed.

• Other Tags Examples:

• #depressed #anxious #depression #mentalhealth (high volume tags)

• #needtotalk

• #bullying

• #chronicpain #chroniclife

• #coping

• #peersupport

• #selfcare

Note: These keywords or hashtags can also be used in your own tweets to help ensure visibility and engagement.

2. Reply to Tweets

After your search for important hashtags and keywords, when you find someone who has tweeted using one of those tags, and looks to be in need of support, reach out to them! Respond to their tweet with a message that includes information about how 7 Cups can support them.

Activity

Using what you learned about the Lightship protocol:

1. Create one general hypothetical tweet that is supportive and compassionate.

2. Respond to this Tweet using the outreaching tips:

3. Reply to one other student’s responses for both (1) and (2) and offer a review about their response: don’t forget to mention strengths as well as improvements they can make!

Please do not forget to personally save your activity answers as well as your reply to another user’s answer (recommended on Google Doc or other means) as you will be asked to share this for your Weekly Progress Report.

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