What am I Thankful for This Thanksgiving? Online Networking

I've been using online tools for several years now to keep up with colleagues and build a following. But earlier this year, I decided to embark on a social networking experiment and I set up a page on Facebook to find friends from my high school class. I know that there are some "nay-sayers" out there that can't imagine reconnecting and networking with people from high school, but I think this is one of the most powerful affinity groups there is.

My group started out small as I faced numerous obstacles including locating friends whose names had changed, sleuthing around to find active email addresses for people who had changed service providers, and just dealing with a generation of boomer friends who valued their privacy and didn't quite get the whole online social networking scene. But with perseverance and the help of some friends who were already embracing the power of social networking, the group eventually began to grow. And that's when the magic started to happen.

Since I started the group in January, I have had important and meaningful conversations with people who were not mature enough to have those same conversations 25+ years ago. Friends that had a falling out and can't even remember why have reunited and apologized. Members have shared pictures from the neighborhood so people who moved away years ago could get a glimpse of the old "hood."

I felt honored when one of my oldest friends asked me to help her with the content for her new website and was thrilled to offer my expertise to another friend who needed to prepare a resume for a new career opportunity. I'm planning on having a conversation with another classmate next week to discuss the value of LinkedIn.

Everyone is sharing resources, advice, book recommendations, pictures...you name it. What started out as a "let's see if I can find some old friends" experiment has turned into a blessing. And for that and for all my friends, I am thankful.

Posted by Barbara Safani

 

Comments

[Chandlee Bryan]

Barbara,

I couldn't agree with you more. This is a lovely post. I've found Facebook and LinkedIn to be an amazing way to catch up and stay connected--recently three friends and I all found ourselves in the same city (where none of us live) on the same night, and were able to get together on the basis of profile updates alone!

That being said, I know many of my clients and friends are also grateful for the "untag" feature on Facebook which allows you "not to be known" sometimes in photos, etc. And since prospective employers sometimes search Facebook for "tags that flag," I'm also that to the list of things that I am thankful for...

All the Best,
Chandlee

[Louise Fletcher]

I reconnected with my first real friend on Facebook, even though we now live 3,000 miles away. I met her when I was 4 and we were best friends until age 11 when she moved away. Being kids, we lost touch, but she found me on Facebook just this year. She looks just the same!

[Barbara Safani]

Chandlee,

These are good points. Facebook is fun but you still want to make sure that your profile represents what you are comfortable having others see.

[Barbara Safani]

Louise,

That's a great story! I think of Facebook as a Web 2.0 time machine. In just a few clicks you can revisit an earlier part of your life and build or rebuild meaningful relationships.