I love surprises: when my husband brings home a mocha for me, a handwritten letter in the mail from a friend, a friend stopping by unannounced.
One of the best social media related surprises ever happened on the morning of my most recent birthday.
My cell phone rang and I heard the voice of Tanmay Vora calling from India.
He told me he wanted to share a more heartfelt message than just writing on my Facebook wall or sending a tweet.
We talked for a few minutes, and then I hung up the phone, smiling.
Sometimes, we build relationships online in ways that are expected (we retweet our closest contacts’ blog posts routinely; we greet our friends online).
Today, I want to encourage you to do something different. Do something surprising and unexpected to support and highlight someone new, someone outside of your usual circle of close friends online.
Today’s Tip: Surprise and Delight
Set your timer for 12 minutes. During the 12 minutes, reach out to a new online friend with the hope of surprising and delighting. Leave a comment on a blog post or give them a shout-out. Catch your new friend by surprise. Make someone smile, today.
If you can, do a little extra: like your new friend’s page on Facebook and tag them in a post. Or share a post across several social media platforms.
If you have extra time, surprise someone else.
How will you spend your 12 minutes today?
My friend Wally Bock shares daily tips for leaders at the Three Star Leadership Blog. You can read his tips here.
I am the founder/CEO of the Weaving Influence team, the author of Reach: Creating the Biggest Possible Audience for Your Message, Book, or Cause, and the host of the Book Marketing Action Podcast. I’m a wife and mom of three kids, and I enjoy running, reading, writing, coffee, and dark chocolate.
Great post Becky! Those special touches, a hand written note or a phone call in today’s world of tweets, text messages, e-mails and facebook posts are like a ray of sunshine that warms your soul on an overcast day. Have an awesome day! Loved this one!
Becky,
If we are going to keep reaching out and developing new friendships, we need to make sure we avoid “getting into a rut”, so the surprise someone task is a great way to do it. Thanks!
Thanks for the reminder, Becky. It only takes a bit of extra effort, but we can easily get so caught up in our own lives and routines that we forget to do that for our friends and family. The great reward is that people usually know this, and appreciate it when you make the effort.
Becky, This post was inspirational! Think of all the good you are pushing out into the world by nudging your audience to to reach out, surprise and delight! Thank you.
Thanks, Jo! I am glad to make a difference however I can.