Molly writes A Foreign Land. I’m not really sure how we found each other. I read through some of her tweets as I prepared to write this post and noticed that she retweeted me sometime in the middle of December…. so maybe that’s when. (Molly, do you know? You’ll have to fill me in.)

She commented on a post here a few days ago. I love that!

Commenting on blog posts is a great way to deepen your connection with others. In fact, my friendship with Thabo began when he left several comments on posts at Weaving Influence.

Anyway, back to Molly. One of the conscious choices I’ve made in trying to cut down on the amount of time that I spend on my blogging efforts is to NOT individually reply to every comment on my posts. (I appreciate and read ALL of them.) Instead, I will typically take a moment to reach out and say thank you via Twitter.

So, after Molly and I shared a few tweets, I looked at her Twitter profile and then visited her blog. From there, I followed her social icons to Facebook and sent her a friend request. She accepted. I wrote on her wall, and we started a conversation.

It’s not complicated; it doesn’t take a lot of time. You can share a comment, share encouragement, ask a question, invite interaction, find common interests.

Deepening a connection starts with the intention to relate to others and grow relationships. 

I discovered that Molly will soon move to a city I love; we’ve read some of the same books; we share an interest in growing our faith and a goal of running a half marathon (I’ve run two, and plan to run one this year, a goal I hope will keep me on track with regular running this year.

Deepen common interests by appreciating differences. 

Discover what you have in common with others AND pay attention to differences. The greatest opportunity for learning and growth resides in those differences. Cultivate curiosity and learn from others by asking about their experiences.

Yesterday’s tip is one you can repeat every day. I invite you to repeat it, today.

Set your timer for 12 minutes and take the time to deepen some of your social media connections by interacting in a new online environment. Leave a comment for a favorite blogger, ask them a question, send a DM or an email. Look for common interests and areas of difference.

Do you have a story about deepening a connection with an online contact? Share your story (or a link) here.