Joining the Conversation

I am not a trendsetter. While I'm also not a complete follower, and I do credit myself with the occasional original idea, I will never be the first person to try something new. To a degree, I think it's because of the way I learn, which tends to be more visual and kinetic. If someone can show me the way, or tell me which buttons to push, I'll follow, then eventually make the new gadget or process my own and put my unique twist on it.

My forays into the world of social media have been no different. While lots of my friends were getting on MySpace, I was just figuring out how to Google. The thought of introducing myself to the on-line world seemed like the rough equivalent of placing a personal ad in the newspaper. Then two things happened this year that helped me change my mind. People I respect started paying attention to social media and sharing their experiences. They were the first to show me the way.

And then I met Staci Shelton.

Staci and I met in person for the first time in Tampa, FL this past October. We are both trainers at Progressive - Staci in Cleveland, OH and me in Los Angeles, CA. The meeting was an annual gathering for people associated with our Claims University to share ideas and plan for 2009. It also focused a lot on expanding the use of social media as a training tool. But the cool part is that we had already met weeks before this event. Staci was my first introduction into the concept of using social mediums to "join the conversation" that is happening in the world all around us.

I was working on developing a job aid for a project, and a co-worker asked if I was familiar with "mind mapping" tools that could be helpful to create visuals for our project. I wasn't, so my co-worker said, "Get in touch with Staci Shelton. She's doing a similar project and my be able to help you."

So I sent her an e-mail explaining who referred me and asking for help. She responded with some terrific sites I could explore, and a sample mind map she was creating for her project. I now had my visual example to help me learn, and I was off and running. And I discovered how much fun mind mapping is!

Soon after, I joined Facebook and saw Staci's face grinning at me frequently, so I added her as a friend. We began chatting every so often, and I learned more about her from reading her frequent status updates and posts. She got me interested in new things I would never have explored before. And an on-line friendship began. When I got to Tampa, I scanned the room and spotted her bright smile instantly. We waved and grinned from across the room before a break allowed us to meet "officially." And we haven't stopped talking since.

Unlike me, Staci is an adventurous information junkie. Through her, I've learned about Twitter, Delicious, Ping, Ming...I could go on for days. I value her knowledge and experience as a social media expert, coach and motivator. She is such a tremendous resource, she's probably the first person I would contact for advice to solve a problem.

More importantly, she's a great friend. We discuss our interests in music, photography, and philosophy, to name only a few. We both drive convertibles, adore bargain shopping, and love meeting new people. And she's a stellar example of how technology can bring people together, now matter what distances us. We only have to be brave enough to join the conversation.

So if you see Staci on-line somewhere (and she's lots of places) take the time to get to know her. She'll change your life! I know she changed mine.

And make sure to tell her I said hello...