EDMONTON – Three friends attending University of Alberta were discouraged by instances of cyber bullying and decided to create the U of A Compliments Facebook page to encourage positive social media use.
” I think it’s a really crucial first step to creating a more positive social media network, especially very recently there’s so many negative comments going around,” explained one of the creators of the page, who would like to remain anonymous.
“People can send in their messages of positivity to their friends, to their peers, to Profs, to TAs, to people working on campus, and we just post it for them anonymously,” adds another creator.
The three young women behind the Facebook page were discouraged and concerned after hearing reports of cyber bullying, some so bad, it resulted in suicide.
“We got together and we wanted to come up with some sort of anti-bullying campaign,” one creator explains. They came across another Compliment Facebook site at another Canadian University.
“We just thought it was the perfect idea. It would get our message across about spreading positivity, about accepting everybody. We just went on board; we decided it was the perfect idea for U of A.”
This kind of Facebook page started at Queen’s University. Brown Univesrity, University of British Columbia, Washington University in St. Louis, UPenn and Yale have all done similar campaigns.
The women say social media is so prevalent in society now, particularly in young people, that it made it a really appropriate medium for their campaign.
“What makes it really powerful is that so many people use Facebook, especially on campus, so it’s a really quick and easy way to make someone’s day or cheer someone up,” explains a creator.
The page received about 20 messages each day. The women read the complimentary messages and post them on the Facebook page anonymously.
As of Thursday, more than 1,400 people have “liked” the page. The team behind the effort hopes it will grow from here.
“I feel that with our Facebook page, it could be the start of something even bigger, something that brings more positivity in the community in school and outside. We see a lot of bullying going on, we hope that maybe with this page, people can use it to get together and create a more positive atmosphere.”
To submit a compliment, simply send a message to the U of A Compliments Facebook page or send the group an email at uofa.compliments@gmail.com
Coincidentally, Jan. 24 is National Compliment Day; a day set aside to compliment at least five people.
National Compliment Day was started in 1998 by Debby Hoffman and Kathy Chamberlin. They created the day with the belief that compliments are appreciated by the receiver and also lift the spirit of the giver.
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