I’m a social media guy. I use it in business to educate my market place, to create awareness of what my business does, and to learn as much as I can. I primarily use LinkedIn and Twitter for business, and I admit that I’m more of a producer of content than consumer. I hope that reverses one day because there is such an enormous amount of material shared by people I respect, but for now I’ve got to keep writing and get back to work. On a personal level, I’m more of a reader than a poster, and I enjoy it. I usually will peruse Facebook and Instagram as I’m falling asleep, and play with Twitter (even though it’s my business account) in spurts. As I said, I’m a social media guy … and I like it.
However, lately it’s been tough to enjoy. I read your disdain, too. Especially on Facebook. So, I thought for my personal post this week, I’d share a really cool story about something that happened to me that would never have happened without Facebook.
About seven years ago, I was in Mumbai on business. I had been in the area for about a week, and for some reason the time difference waited that long to hit me. There I was, awake and alert as I’ve ever been – at 3:00 am. It’s rare that I can’t sleep, so I never understood those stories about people cooking or cleaning in the middle of the night because they can’t sleep. On the rare occasion, I wake up in the middle of the night, I just lay there for a few minutes and bam … I’m out. Not that night in Mumbai – I had been awake for 23 hours and felt like a million bucks.
When I finally gave up and got out of bed, I decided to open my laptop and try to get some work done. It was then that I saw that our class picture from sixth grade had been posted. Sixth grade was a memorable year for me. Nothing specific, but it was just a great school year. As I was checking out the picture and got past all the feathered hair, I noticed Stuart Tackett – a kid that moved to Merritt Island that year and moved away that summer. Stuart quickly became part of my group of friends… it was Jimmy, Scott, Stuart, me, and a few others. I only knew Stuart for about 10 months, but we were buddies. So, guess what I did next? Yep, searched for him on Facebook.
This was our conversation online:
Chris: “Stuart – did you live in Merritt Island, FL in sixth grade?”
Stuart: “Um, yes I did. Why?”
As I was feeling a bit like a stalker because he didn’t seem to remember me, I typed a message explaining who I was and that I just saw a picture of us on Facebook. As I was typing, the light went off above his head, and he remembered me and the other guys. So, we connected. Through Facebook posts, I’ve watched him get married and he’s watched me become a sappy dad. He commented once on a blog post about Mr. Young, our sixth grade teacher, but that’s about it.
Well, last Sunday Stuart came to Orlando for business and we saw each other for the first time since 1981. I reunite with college and high school friends all the time, but never with someone I hadn’t seen since before either of us hit puberty. We hung out for a few hours over a few beers, and had a very cool time (I’ve been searching for a better adjective, but “cool” fits the best).
That evening never would’ve been possible without Facebook. My Facebook story is nothing compared to others out there who have reunited relatives and friends from 50, 60, or more years. It’s been the tool to help many people make the first step in repairing lost relationships, and it’s allowed loved ones far away from each other stay somewhat connected.
Facebook is an amazing tool. It’s a fun tool. Try to make it fun again. Try not to notice the garbage and negativity regularly posted – especially since the last presidential election. Enjoy it for what it is – a very powerful and fun tool to help you stay connected to people.
