Social Media is – social.

Isn’t that a brilliant statement?  Duh.  I think we all understand that trivial statement but I wonder how many of us REALLY get it and are aware how powerful it is?  For many of us social media has done as much or more for our social presence as it has for our internet presence.  I’m as guilty as anyone for sometimes forgetting the impact this phenomenon is having from a social standpoint – I always seem to be looking at the business applications and how social media is transforming businesses.

So how has this crazy little thing impacted me from a purely social standpoint – forgetting business for a moment?

• Family. Wow.  Not only do I keep up with the immediate family that we are in constant contact with – but today I’m able to see what’s happening with our extended family across the country!  We interact more.  We talk on the phone more.  We see each other more often – all because of this silly little thing called social media.
• Friends – the old ones.  Once again we’re able to keep up with each other on a more frequent basis.  As a natural by-product of that we tend to get together more often.  These are the friends we had even before social media popped up.
• Friends – the REALLY old ones.  Now here is where social media is shining.  My two best friends from high school are now my two best friends today – decades later.  I can attribute this directly to FaceBook.  We have reconnected with so many old friends that we would have never seen or heard from again – and I’m not just talking about sending a FaceBook message, a Tweet, or an email – we actually have developed relationships and get together on a regular basis.  This is powerful.
• Friends – The new ones. So here we are in 2010 – making new friends hand over fist because of social media.  Just last week I attended an event where I met several of the people who I interact with on the various social networks – had an absolute blast.  I now have even MORE people to call friends.  Great group of folks that I would have never met had it not been for social media.
• Community. Thanks to social media I’m so much more informed about our community than I ever was.  Not only from an information standpoint but the fact that I have interacted with some of the community leaders online has naturally given me opportunities to meet these people in person.  I can sit here and think of several who I consider to be friends now – all because of social media.

There are many more ways that social media has transformed our lives from a social standpoint – I would like to hear some of your stories and your ideas.  Take a moment to use the area below to fire off a comment – we really do love reading what you have to say.

In the meantime – attend a social event – next time you see an event invitation pop up on FaceBook – don’t just ignore it – make the time to go visit with these people, you just might make a friendship that lasts a lifetime.

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