This week, I spent a half hour on the phone with Grant Webster talking about the power of social media.
We live in the same town, minutes apart. I met him through Jim Lange; Jim and I attend the same church. I met Jim, though, initially, through social media. And the library. It’s a good story.
Soon after we moved here in February, I took my girls to the library to get cards. The library is one of my favorite places on earth, for obvious reasons, so getting cards in our new hometown was at the top of my list of things to do.
That day, I saw a copy of Jim’s book on a sale shelf and noticed that he lives here, too.
So I bought the book, went home, and looked Jim up on Twitter. I looked him up on Facebook. I found his blog. I sent him an email. Not long after, I met him at church. He wasn’t hard to find, even though our church is large, because he’s really tall. I met his wife, too.
I was happy because we were new in town and we hadn’t met many friends at church yet. I was happy because sometimes the world can feel so big and then something happens that makes it feel suddenly smaller.
Jim introduced me to Grant Webster, who is brand-new to social media, because he thought I might be able to help him. But first, Grant helped me: answering lots of technical questions and logging into my WordPress account to help me work out issues with this blog.
So, this week I talked to Grant about social media. He is launching a new blog — later today — and he wanted my advice how to make connections.
I gave him a few tips and then I told him a story about social media, one of my favorites.
It’s about the day I got a cell phone call from Tanmay Vora. Tanmay and I connected on Twitter and later on Facebook. He writes a great leadership blog and had often supported the work I did on the other blog. He wanted to build our connection further, so he picked up the phone and called me.
From India. To get to know me, and let me know him.
I was really happy because sometimes the world can feel so big and then something happens that makes it feel suddenly smaller.
The power of social media is in the connections, but is also in how we use those connections to make a positive difference for the people in our lives.
Can you help me show Grant the power of social media today by stopping by his blog or following him on Twitter?
Tell me something! Do you have a good story about social media? (I bet you do!) Share it here.
If you enjoyed this post, you might also enjoy:
Decision Making and Social Media
Social Media Communication
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.
Hi Becky – thanks for that generous acknowledgment. I am glad I made that call.
I have always believed that “social media” has two aspects. “Social” aspect in my view is more powerful than the “media” one. For me, phone call or one to one meeting is just another media that takes my social connections forward.
The thing is, internet and social media technologies has just erased the physical boundaries and made it easier to connect with diverse individuals. The world, as you rightly said, has gotten smaller.
Best,
Tanmay
Thanks Becky for the kind mentions!
In the three or so weeks I have been an active user of social media, I have been astounded by its simplicity and power.
One thing that has surprised me is that social media is not an alternate universe – the connections you can make via social media are real. You can build real relationships that make a real difference in the real world via social media.
Thank you so much for helping introducing me to this exciting new channel for communicating, building relationships, and hopefully making a difference!
I love social media for all it has taught me.. I tried out twitter to see if I could use it as a tool for education and stumbled onto sone leadership folks. I ended up going to Leaderpalooza and meeting some of the amazing, passionate leaders in the LeadChange group. They all knew each other from twitter and all those connections made last spring remain vital in my life today. I just attended a luncheon made possible for me because of those same connections… And to be honest, I continue to learn from these people most every day… In fact I found you the same way… The world is so amazingly big, and so small…
Deb,
Thanks so much for joining me here and sharing your story. I wish I could have been a part of the LeaderPalooza event. I know that it was such an amazing experience for everyone involved. I am glad, at least, that I have the opportunity to interact with the #LeadChange group regularly on Twitter, where the learning continues.
I appreciate the way you made the world smaller for me by taking the time to connect here!
Becky, thanks for the kind words! Wow, I feel like I’m somebody now…kinda like Steve Martin in “The Jerk”! Have an awesome Christmas!