'Rural is cool' slogan promotes rural life on social media

A new hashtag is moving through social media, and it has nothing to do with celebrities, sports, or politics. It's a movement to promote the positive side of rural life using the motto "Rural is cool." The movement is in response to Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack's comments that he feared rural America is at risk of becoming less relevant, Jonah Arellano writes for the Rural Broadband Association. "It's a way for rural Americans to use their voices to shape the future of their communities and local industries. The purpose of the movement is to highlight the positive impacts and contributions of individuals, businesses and communities in rural areas." (Rural Community Building photo)

"The movement begins with one voice. The more voices that are added to the movement, the more the movement can grow," Arellano writes, saying people should use #ruraliscool to "share what's cool about rural communities on blogs, Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, Pinterest and Instagram. All of these channels are great platforms to share stories and content about what makes rural communities wonderful places to work and live." (Read more)