Social Networking Turned Personal

We here at NFi often sing the praises of social networking. Usually this means socializing through non-personal communication, i.e. you don’t actually see and talk to each other. There is a different type of social networking out there, which dates much further back than the internet, actually networking.

For many millenia, like-minded people have come together to promote ideas and share thoughts. Think about the first Greek philosophers discussing democracy, Renaissance artists meeting to discuss ideas, or this country’s founding fathers meeting over coffee to promote independence. Social networking has, through out the ages, been a catalyst of change.

People still come together for the same fundamental reasons as they always have. Those reasons are varied, but generally are: discussion, learning, relationships, business, politics, and activism. Each usually as it’s own venue best suited to promote it’s particular goals.

The current age we live in only serves more opportunity for this very idea. The Orlando area has a number of groups with event websites that discuss ideas online, and in person. Great examples include, likemind.us, floridacreatives.com, and meetup.com. There are many others, with a similar premise. People with similar thoughts meet each other online, and the congregate at some public area to promote their cause / effort. It takes a certain amount of successful internet marketing to get these groups off the ground.

People are social beings by nature. Our tech-driven culture has taken some of the social interaction that we need and deserve away from us. The amount of personal satisfaction and enlightenment that comes from other sources than books and the internet is well worth the time it takes to coordinate and attend these events.

Business networks are starting to see the benefits of networking technology like event information websites. The opportunity gained at networking events and by following up after a conference is invaluable to the continued success of their firms.

People share ideas. Technology brings those people together.