After I got that reader email in December, we continued to write long emails back and forth, about job ideas, about vegetarian cooking, about living a life with passion.
At some point in our writing, I stopped and thought – this would be much more effective on the phone. We can talk about all kinds of things, she can get the advice she needs uninterrupted, and we can connect.
The same kind of thing happened with Ann. We’ve been reading each other blogs for many, many months, and when she found out I’d be in her home state of Florida for the Disney Half Marathon, we decided to meet for breakfast and go to the parks for half a day.
Our connection grew stronger, we now have some fun inside jokes, and we know each other as real people.
GET OFF THE INTERNET
Sometimes – maybe I should say most of the time – it’s the real deal that’s important. The handshake you make with someone you’ve just met. Hearing a person’s laughter. Giving them a hug after you’ve spent an hour over coffee.
Sometimes – it’s best to just get off the time-sucking internet. And have real interactions with the people you want to meet, and the people you care about.
You could call it networking, or building friendships, or building community. But whatever you call it, the internet is just a small part of this thing called life.
The internet is not the end all or be all. It is not life.
NETWORKING (OR BUILDING COMMUNITY, AS I LIKE TO CALL IT)
For blogging, and job-related stuff, I’ve been spending a great deal of my time networking. I feel like over the last six months I have made lots of new blogging and Disney friends, and have connected with people in the local/organic/natural foods movement, and environmentalism, and other paths.
I love it.
Often, when people ask what the greatest reward is from blogging, I answer: the community.
Yes, I love to write and I like to take photos, and I love that I’ve learned more about web design and hosting and all of the technical things than I ever imagined. But by far, the most fulfilling part of blogging, and just about all parts of my life right now, is building my community.
Meeting new people, talking to them, hearing their stories, and sharing ideas.
In the same nature as the Year of Happiness and getting up and doing projects first thing, I also am getting more out of meeting new people. It’s what brought me to Walt Disney World twice in the last six months, and to two blogging conferences in the fall.
And the same kinds of community building are all happening again this year.
To grow and learn and live, get off the internet. Build your (real life) community.
If you’d like to chat sometime on Skype, email me at lisasfoods[at]gmail.com, and we’ll set something up.
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I’m so glad we “got off the internet” last year and met up in NYC. I hope to do that more often!
Great post.
Yes! Me too. I feel like meeting people in person means so much more than doing everything over email. I hope we can do it more often too.
I’ve met a couple other food bloggers in town through the Austin Food Bloggers Alliance, they also organize social events and philantropy for the members. If only I could get to the events more often! Last year they hosted a food photography workshop at a local restaurant, it was right when I found them and joined but I missed the workshop! Hope they do it again this year. And I hope I can meet you in person at some point!
That alliance sounds very cool. I’m hoping to get more involved with NYC bloggers once I move there – it seems like there are always classes and meet-ups going on.
And yes, hopefully we will meet in person one day too!
HI Lisa! I love being on the internet – but NOTHING beats a personal connection….and it was GREAT meeting you in Florida! I can’t wait for the next time!
I agree! I still love reading blogs and connecting with people online, but it’s so different to meet people in person. And yes, we definitely need to meet up the next time I’m in Florida (or when you’re in the northeast).
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