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Social Media: A Valuable Tool For Preppers

Preparing for the time when society collapses is more than just a hobby for many people. Prepping is a way of life and a way to ensure survival when a natural disaster, economic collapse, or a pandemic strikes the nation and the world. Those who don’t prep have an idea of what preppers are like. They imagine us as isolated crazies living in the back woods and having no connection to the outside world. In reality, of course, most preppers realize the value of working together to get ready for the ultimate collapse. In the digital age, you have a new tool in your prepping arsenal and one that you should take full advantage of: social media.

Connection

For some preppers, the temptation to stay isolated is great. Many have left the grid because of a loss of faith in humanity. Going off the grid and becoming self-sufficient is a powerful feeling. You get a sense of independence and a complete lack of reliance on others. When you can grow, kill, and prepare your own food, defend your home, and raise your children without the need of society at large, you have truly arrived as a prepper and a survivalist.

However, it is important that you fight the urge to close yourself and your family off entirely. The feeling that you have absolutely no need of anyone else is a false feeling. Everyone has their weaknesses, and everyone needs help from time to time to be at their best. Social media sites give you the chance to make a connection with people who have the same ideas and values as you and who are planning in the same manner. These valuable connections can become a lifeline when things really turn south.

There are several ways to use social media to make these connections. Create accounts on some of the most popular social media sites like Twitter, Facebook, and Pinterest. On each site, you will find groups of preppers. You will have the opportunity to interact with people who are trying to do exactly what you are doing: preparing for the worst. Also look into sites that are completely dedicated to preppers like American Preppers Network, which hosts forums and blogs where you can communicate with other preppers. Right here on Off the Grid News, participate in the comments to share information, gather valuable tips, and connect with like-minded people.

Having A Plan In Place To Ensure Everyone Has Food Is One Of The Top Priorities…

Information

One of the most important reasons for linking up with other preppers is getting valuable information that can help you survive. Undoubtedly you use traditional resources to learn about prepping and the skills you need to be self-reliant. However, getting information first-hand from experienced preppers can be invaluable. Sometimes reading about a skill or technique in a book just isn’t enough to be able to do it well. If you can learn from the mistakes, trials, and tips from others, you can do things better and learn faster.

Share Your Knowledge

Another great reason to link up with other preppers is to share the knowledge that you have gained through your experiences in preparation. It is important for the survival of the human race that as many people as possible are ready for when the bad stuff happens. If you can help others get to a reasonable level of preparation, you will have more neighbors to survive with afterwards.  Again, some preppers may be happy to be alone after society crumbles, but for most that is not an ideal situation. To survive ultimately, we need each other and the skills, knowledge, and abilities that we each bring to the table.

Questions and Answers

Getting all the information you need to become truly prepared can be frustrating. You probably have a host of questions you just can’t seem to get answered in any traditional way. Maybe you are looking for the best way to store your food supply and you have several options. They may all be valid choices for how to make your food last, but how do you know which is going to give you the longest shelf life? Get on your social media sites and ask the question. Find out what other preppers are doing and what techniques and supplies have worked for them or what they found was not worth the effort or time. You can save a whole lot of time and money by polling others before you purchase and set up storage facilities that are not going to serve you the best.

And, of course, as a good member of the community, you will be happy to answer questions for others. Let your experience guide others as they begin prepping or as they get stuck and need help figuring out how best to solve a problem in their prepping routine.

Intangible Support

Getting informational support from other preppers and handing out your own valuable tips is one thing. What the intangibles? We humans are social animals. We live in social groups and thrive in the company of others. Being isolated when living off the grid can be detrimental to both your mental and physical well-being. Even if you have your family around you, it can be very beneficial to have connections with others. Your children need friends and you need other adults for socializing. With social media, you can find people whose values and ideas match up with yours. You may even, through social media, be able to find those who live near you and with whom you can form a community.

Connecting with other preppers online can also lend you support in terms of helping you appreciate what you are trying to do. If you never connect with other preppers, you may begin to feel as if your efforts are on the fringe and not useful. Keep up your prepping spirit by hearing what others are doing and by being reassured that you are not alone and you are not crazy for doing what you do. You are one member of a large group of people who understand the value of being prepared.

Sell Your Wares

If you and your family are trying to stay out of mainstream society, that probably means that you do not have traditional jobs and paychecks. Going off the grid entails finding ways to live without those jobs and it can be tough to make, grow, or raise everything you need to survive. Bartering and making money should be a valuable part of your survival plan. If you make an excellent goat cheese, for example, or you have developed survival tools that others might be interested in having, you have something to sell or trade for anything you cannot make at home.

Social media has become a valuable resource for businesses. Both small and large companies sell their products and services via traditional routes, but also using social media. Share what you have to offer on prepper sites, and odds are you can find people who will want to buy or trade for the goods you have. This can be a great way to get what you need and to make a little extra money.

Make Real World Social Networks

The value of online social media cannot be overstated. You have the opportunity to meet like-minded people, to get important information, to share tips and techniques, to make new friends, and to sell your products. But when the power goes out, those connections will vanish. Be the ultimate prepper by taking these networks into the real world. Develop bonds and partnerships with preppers who live near you so that when things really go downhill, you will have people upon whom you can rely. If possible, these real world networks should include family, but also include friends and neighbors whom you know you can trust. Having the ability to connect in the real world is so important to survival. You will need each other when the time comes.

©2012 Off the Grid News

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