Jun 26, 2008 | blog
If you’ve been blogging or interacting on social media sites for some time, you’ll know the real reason many people are interesting in social networking. It’s the people of course! The power of social media is in it’s ability to shrink borders, provide publishing & broadcasting platforms, and do so in ways that make it very easy for people to use them.
That’s what I find most interesting about social media, being able to see people meet, plan new things, and build new things. Sure I like to be part of it too, but my goal is to bring people together so they can find the resources, ideas, inspiration or whatever it is that they need. I like seeing people make that next leap, that next step.
Watching it happen with people all over the world is a great thing, but it’s just as fascinating to see it happening on the local level as well. It’s one of the most important aspects of the social web, and one that I believe that is taking parts of it mainstream. I always hesitate to mention “mainstream”, but I see more and more people experimenting, or starting to use some social features on product sites.
It’s great to see that happen, because as our modern neighborhoods have kind of closed in on themselves, becoming safer, more secure, the physical interaction has waned. So it’s great to see people coming back around and getting more interactive online. In doing so, it seems that they really start getting interested in socializing in person as well. So I think it really generates a lot of community building offline as well as online.
Photo credit: roel1943
May 27, 2008 | blog
I’ve been doing a lot of local networking this past month & and have met so many talented people. With the exception of SOBCon08 at the beginning of the month, most of the events I’ve been to and people I’ve met have been local.
What I’ve found in this very busy month, has been a consistent mix of people from all sorts of industries and business fields all looking for new ways to connect with each other. The main interest these folks have, is to find better ways to connect with their audience.
The most fascinating part for me recently, is just how much talent there is right here in my home town. I’ve no illusions of Minneapolis being a center of cutting edge web 2.0 startups. However, there is a rich history of successful, community-oriented and customer focused organizations that developed here and still call Minnesota home.
That, in combination with strong focuses on healthcare, non-profit, educational, and retail markets makes it a progressive environment. Minneapolis has a diverse, knowledgeable, community-driven population of professionals that are looking to enhance their interactions with clients & peers. They’re engaged in improving their game and providing improved services to their customers.
It’s this excitement that I hadn’t seen until recently. The interest in making things happen is here, the knowledge to do it is here, and the determination to push boundaries is also part of this community. I’m looking forward to continuing to look for ways to make things happen, to find those talented individuals who share this vision. To make sure that they find ways to reach the right people with their ideas, and solve real problems that aren’t being addressed today.
Have you tasted the local flavor in your community? I urge you to get involved. Find a way to get yourself in the process, find how you can bring value and help build something for your community or customers. How are you getting things started in your community?
Photo credit: strange librarian
