A few months ago, I stumbled on a 12 minute tip called Finding New Connections. The topic is ironic really, because commenting on that blog post resulted in making one of the most encouraging and influential connections I've made on the Internet to date.
Because its author, Becky Robinson, is all about fostering relationships, she responded to my comment. I followed her on Twitter (probably retweeted everything she said) and our relationship began to develop. Becky and her family used to live Chicago and so we started there. She shared tips on where to eat and what to see. I put every tip on my to do list.
Next we found each other on Facebook. We each "liked" each other's perspective pages and even became Facebook friends. The connection deepened.
Because Becky has a significant social media presence, her smiling avatar began to pop up all over in my life. I'd read her tweets, pop over to her blog, or like/respond to a comment on Facebook. We developed a genuine online friendship.
I was immediately impressed that someone with 15K twitter followers, a family and a career was taking time to personally respond to comments or tweets that I sent her. I've come to know that that is who Becky is. She is personable. She is real. She values real conversation and personal interaction. But at first, I was utterly shocked that I had even caught her attention or made a blip on her radar.
It was Becky who suggested we connect on the phone the first time. But for whatever reason, for weeks we missed each other. Our suggested times would come and go and we would set a new date. I was in the middle of a move - I know now - she was in the midst of job change and for each of us finding time to connect was a challenge. So when we finally spoke I felt an air of excitement that the stars were finally aligning. The timing was perfect.
A few weeks earlier she had offered to send me a copy of a book she was helping to promote. The book was Dare, Dream, Do. I had started reading it a few days before we spoke. So our first conversation was much, much deeper than a typical first-time, get to know you chat. Becky listened, encouraged and helped me process things that the book was stirring in me. She shared parts of her own story and told me about Weaving Influence. I can't speak for Becky, but I liked her from the start. She was - she is - bright, funny, positive and deeply spiritual. That phone call proved that the encouraging presence I met online was real. @Beckyrbnsn = Becky Robinson.
...to be continued
Have you taken the plunge and met an online friend in the real world?
How did it turn out?
This post is Part 3 in what is turning into a series on my new jobby job.
Here are the first installments in case you need to catch up.
Here are the first installments in case you need to catch up.
