Monday, February 26, 2007
It's a small world after all
I love how small the world has gotten here in the internet age (or should we start calling it the communications age?). Friday night I'm watching an episode of NUMBERS on television, and one of the main plot points centers around voice over IP. Earlier that day I was exchanging PodCamp-related emails with my friend Chris Brogan, who works with Jeff Pulver, who created voice over IP.
It seems like these days, everyone and everything is just a shout or two away. The beautiful thing about the communications age is that it allows you to develop (and maintain) friendships, connections, and relationships without being limited by, well, anything. The only limitation is you.
I think the real challenge now lies in not who you know, but knowing who they know. Last week I set out to set up an interview with a certain famous individual whom I've never had any contact with, but after quite a bit of research I found out in a roundabout manner that she's essentially a friend of a friend. Who knew?
Truth be told, as seemingly unlikely of a connection as it is, I probably should have. No one's going to connect the dots for you. And truth be told, not everyone out there is going to be as altruistic as the podcasters and bloggers who like to lay their connections bare for all the world to reap. But still, in a time when there are fewer limitations than ever when it comes to amassing your connections arsenal, you've got to know what all you've already got in that arsenal before you go looking to make things happen the hard way.
I love how small the world has gotten here in the internet age (or should we start calling it the communications age?). Friday night I'm watching an episode of NUMBERS on television, and one of the main plot points centers around voice over IP. Earlier that day I was exchanging PodCamp-related emails with my friend Chris Brogan, who works with Jeff Pulver, who created voice over IP.
It seems like these days, everyone and everything is just a shout or two away. The beautiful thing about the communications age is that it allows you to develop (and maintain) friendships, connections, and relationships without being limited by, well, anything. The only limitation is you.
I think the real challenge now lies in not who you know, but knowing who they know. Last week I set out to set up an interview with a certain famous individual whom I've never had any contact with, but after quite a bit of research I found out in a roundabout manner that she's essentially a friend of a friend. Who knew?
Truth be told, as seemingly unlikely of a connection as it is, I probably should have. No one's going to connect the dots for you. And truth be told, not everyone out there is going to be as altruistic as the podcasters and bloggers who like to lay their connections bare for all the world to reap. But still, in a time when there are fewer limitations than ever when it comes to amassing your connections arsenal, you've got to know what all you've already got in that arsenal before you go looking to make things happen the hard way.
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