Co-written by Dr. Neil Hawkins, President of the Erb Family Foundation, and  Jim McClelland, MA, Founder of SustMeme

In September of 2021 when the Foundation, in association with SustMeme, launched a ranking of the top 500 Great Lakes influencers on Twitter, there was little dialogue about the Great Lakes.

As word spread about the new weekly #GreatLakes500 list—that would rank users based on their engagement in and discussion of #GreatLakes topics—it quickly became a go-to resource for making connections, building relationships, and spreading awareness. Open to anyone across the Great Lakes region interested in and working on Great Lakes issues, it attracted organizations and individuals alike.

On April 4^th, 2023, SustMeme published the final #GreatLakes500 list. Due to changes in Twitter’s API, the ranking cannot continue. However, it has created momentum that will continue to energize the use of the #GreatLakes hashtag and ensure that critical Great Lakes conversations will continue to flow.

Impact

The #GreatLakes500 list deepened a shared sense of community and responsibility for the Great Lakes basin. It provided opportunities to forge professional relationships and a platform on which to explore and establish new collaborations. Countless videos, images, Twitter chats, and conversations educated followers and encouraged participation and action.

In total, nearly 600 different players were featured in the ranking throughout its 17-month lifespan, with the top 500 regularly reaching an audience of some 4 million followers on Twitter every week. This community was also growing rapidly, with new followers joining at rates of up to almost 10,000 a week.

Since the ranking was based on hashtag usage and active participation in and engagement with #GreatLakes, accounts of any size could join the running and boost their visibility. Accounts in the list ranged from ones with under 50 followers to others with over 1 million.

The #GreatLakes community also encouraged conversations amongst those with shared interests in the U.S. and Canada, creating a bridge for binational issues and solutions.

#GreatLakes Lives On

The Great Lakes are the largest freshwater ecosystem in the world. And whilst the challenges facing the lakes are many, the vast number of passionate individuals and groups with innovative solutions and forward-thinking ideas, plus the opportunities they collectively present, far exceeds them.

Conversations using #GreatLakes should and must continue for the benefit of the region. Even though the friendly competition of the #GreatLakes500 list has ended, #GreatLakes lives on.

Follow #GreatLakes and use it in social posts to be part of the conversations advancing a flourishing Great Lakes ecosystem.