These days it seems that everyone has an issue he or she cares about and wants you to care about too. That’s the good news. We should care about what goes on in the world, we should want to change the world, end suffering and hardships to make the world a better place. The bad news is some people feel it is enough just to share their views on Facebook and move on with their lives. Adding a ribbon to their profile, sharing a video that supports a belief or liking someone or something related to their cause is good, but without action it is meaningless.

To be fair there are two types of Facebook activists. The first is the organized information drive, where an activist or action group wants to get a message out to the public. They share links to the information with their friends on Facebook and ask them to share it with others. This works because it publicizes ideas, events and causes and it has a call to action.

Then there are the bullies for a cause. They post the messages that end with words like “if you know someone who….. copy and paste this to your status.” Messages like these can bring people who have lost someone or experienced similar situations together, but they do not help the root problem. To make matters worse these status updates try to make you feel bad if you do not participate.

On top of it all when the only level of concern you have about an issue or a cause is to click copy, click paste and click send, that does not mean much. If you care, put it in your own words; make me see why you care, share the pain, share the anger: make it live. Make me want to do something about it.

Another issue with Facebook activism is that our friends with care about at least some of the same things we do. In other words, most of the videos we share and most of the things we do to raise awareness do not reach the masses. Instead, we preach to the choir, showing off our buttons and badges to other people wearing the same buttons and badges.

Shouting in the streets or shouting on a Facebook status will not change the world. If you care about a cause, then dedicate time to it. Donate money to it. Get out there and do the work that makes things better. Share that on your status. Tell me that you are out feeding the homeless rather than posting “homelessness is bad” as a status update. Raise money for cancer research and tell me how the walk, run, bike ride or bake sale went.

Do something other than put 20 words on my screen telling me why I should care. Start conversations, convince me that the change you want to see in the world is the change I should want, too. But do it with actions.