Friendships are continuing to transcending countries, time zones, races, and physical circumstances. The internet and social media has created opportunities for people who would potentially never see each other to develop, grow and nurture friendships that would have been almost impossible before. There are so many negative and positive things that the internet has facilitated. Friendships, by far is one of the best positives.
Just recently, I shared with a colleague I met, via social media, about how my friendships and relationships had grown simply because of reaching out and connecting with people on LinkedIn. LinkedIn has been a great platform to meet, connect and build friendships and business relationships. I shared with my colleague and new friend, a story of how I met another friend and business partners, Donna.
It all began when I engaged Donna via LinkedIn to get some help on a situation I was dealing with at work. Donna and I have engaged on each other’s posts, exchanged a few messages, but we were at the time, at most, acquaintances. That all changed when I connected with her regarding a situation at work.
I initially reached out asking her if she could assist or knew anyone who could assist with a situation I was dealing with. Almost instantly she responded and we set up a time to connect via phone. What should have been a twenty minute exploratory conversation turned into a two hour conversation. Not only did I get information to help me with what I was looking for, but we realized that we shared a passion for people, well-being and making a change in the world, starting with our own communities and networks. That initial conversation created a friendship that led to the creation of a business relationship that is taking our passions and converting that into ways to serve people.
Had it not been for social media, Donna, my colleague and I perhaps would have never crossed paths, met, connected and created a beautiful friendship. With advanced matching and search features, a variety of platforms, purposes and functionalities, people can find, connect and build friendships globally with people who share similar interests and goals. While I continue to meet people in-person and organically, social media has truly created a unique opportunity to expand my network, knowledge and reach through the people I have met and continue to meet.