LibraryTechtonics

I want to see this happen at more conferences.

Step 1:  Make everyone stand up and find a spot along the wall.

Step 2:  Now having everyone stand in front of another person.

Step 3:  Have everyone talk to the person in front of them for about 1 minute.

Step 4:  Announce a “shift!” and have everyone take a step to their right.

Step 5: Rinse and repeat as long as time will allow.

I came in a little late in the game, since I was at the registration desk when this networking two-step began.  But I was encouraged to jump into the fray, and quickly found myself chatting with Colleen Kaman, who ended up being one of the speakers in the first session I attended today.  In the few minutes of hopping to my right, I picked up 5 business cards, made 5 connections, and ended up talking to Lilly J., author of Consuming Lilly for an extra 10 minutes.

Utter chaos?  Kinda, yeah.  A minute is not nearly long enough, especially given that every “shift!” had to be announced repeatedly for another *minute* before it actually happened in the line.  Totally worth the chaos? Absolutely.  It’s one of those things about social networking:  whether you do it online or in meatspace, a little chaos goes a long way to community growth.  Added bonus: there’s no time to be scared or nervous, you just gotta do it.  Talk about personal growth.

Idea for you: try a little “speed dating” in your online social networking.

Step 1: “Walk up to” a Twitter feed that looks kinda interesting, or happens to be using the hashtag #blogherboston.

Step 2: Send the equivalent of a 1 minute chat in the form of 140 characters.  Tell them why you follow them, or something interesting that might be interesting to them.

Step 3:  See what happens.

You know, just for kicks. Not on Twitter?  No worries.  Try leaving a brief comment on a blog, something really simple.

I’d love to know hwat happens, so drop me a comment and lemme know how it goes.

Thanks to @Alexa for tweeting this:

Takeaway summary:

1. This is s’posed to be funny. It’s more funny uh-oh than funny ha-ha, if you ask me, but it’s still a hoot of the comedy persuasion. If you don’t get why it’s funny, post a comment, and we’ll talk about it.
2. Don’t come away from this video thinking the blame is on services and vendors. If you use it, it’s on you to use it responsibly.

So remember kids, not everything from a blender is tasty goodness. Pick a clear objective, instead of just implementing “because it’s cool.”

My husband just shared this with me, so I, naturally, had to share with you.

Dear Reader Takeaways:

1. Don’t treat social networking like collecting business cards. Seriously, Social != (does not equal) Business [sometimes, maybe, but certainly not all the time].
2. Social networking is a [slightly] obnoxious term. Most hoity toity terms for things are, indeed, hoity toity. Not taking them so seriously is healthier.
3. LJ is full of “self-indulgent maxi-musings.” I agree, and it’s just not my scene, which is a big part of why I’ve all but abandoned it. It’s got it’s own culture, see?
4. Sometimes it’s better to be out rescuing a baby from a burning submarine than being online all the freakin’ time (I say, typing away at midnight on a Saturday… hey! Whatever, see, cuz I was out last night for shabu shabu then 2 hours of mead sampling, at work all day today, and I’m going to a craft/artist market tomorrow with Yelpers and then craft night with a whole other set of friends, so it’s my social night off this weekend!). Go out, get some sun, and talk to real people.
5. Random hash brown batches make interesting tweets. Especially to nomPr0n freaks like me.