The Age of Connection

I've been meaning to post about this for awhile.  This summer, I had an experience that really showed me the power of social media, and the interconnectedness we can all share if we choose to do so.

I had a Friday off from work, so I went into NYC to visit Eli at work, and to go to lunch together.  Because we're both nerds, we use Foursquare, and I checked in at the location where we were eating.  I didn't really think much about it, but then again, it was just a fun thing to do.  Gain a few points, see where I stack up against friends with the check-ins for the week, you know the score.

About ten minutes after I had checked in, who should show up at our booth but a friend of ours.  Let's call him Tom.  Eli and I were both pleasantly surprised, and we asked if he was at the restaurant on his own lunch hour.

He said, "I saw you check in on Foursquare on Facebook, and I work just a few blocks from here, so I thought I'd swing by."

Now, I know this isn't rocket science, but for me, it was a very quick realization how social media brought this connection together.  Granted, we're not curing cancer here, but still, we got to hang out with a friend who we otherwise wouldn't have seen that day.

For this child of the 70s/80s, it was a real thrill.