I wouldn’t say that I was an early adopter or a revolutionary, but my presence in social media has certainly changed my life. The idea of socializing online fascinates me greatly; there is a piece of me that wishes this revolution had evolved in the 80s. Could you imagine…everyone toting their 80lb Commodore64 to the coffee shop just to “check in” and have conversation with their pals. Yes, I realize there were other methods in the 80s and I realize someone is going to stand up and say “I was using BBS long before Facebook” but the refinement of modern day social media is much more civilized than BBS (to a degree).

This past Friday night, I was fortunate enough to see a close friend of mine, Melissa Gilliam, before she moved on to a new chapter in her life. Melissa, passionately known as @MilliGFunk in the Twitterz, has been a friend for several years now. We met through Twitter, we became buddies, we hung out, we conversed, we chatted, we ranted, we shared emotions…we even walked in a parade together. I’m gonna miss this girl. She is going to change the lives of many in the Colorado Springs area. They don’t know it yet, but they’re about to get FUNKY.

As I sat among friends Friday night, we discussed our friendships and how they formed. I looked around the circle of companions. People like Karen Goodman and Bridget Frischer. People like Angela Vogel and Don Head. People like Tabitha Meyer and Michael Tomko. These were the people that made up a small portion of my circle of trust. In case you’re missing the point here, every single one of my friends that I was with on Friday night (with the exception of Don Head), I met through an online channel of sorts, whether it be Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, blogging or whatever other source you want to consider. This is HUGE! This is sort of mind blowing if you think about it. There has been a paradigm shift (like my use of business savvy terminology?) in my friend creating machine. I no longer have to stand on the loser wall in the school gym, hoping some girl is going to come by and choose me like I’m a ’78 Duster, “Ehh, this will do”. You know why I was on that loser wall to begin with? Because I, like so many others, have fears. We are genetically predisposed to have fears and social anxiety. Ok, maybe not all of us, but a lot of us.

It’s really difficult to put yourself out there and meet people face to face. The fear of rejection in person is enough to force folks to stay home and watch Dexter. Social Media has changed my life in this regard. Did you know that I’m 10x funnier online than I am IRL (that’s In Real Life for you n00bs)? Did you know that I’m ‘nearly’ 6’3″ and 240lbs? Of course you didn’t know that because pictures are not completely accurate in their projection of girth. Did you know that when I write or blog or tweet, I feel empowered? Did you know that when I speak IRL for the first time to a person, I’m often shaking so bad I have to clench my teeth? Of course you don’t know that because more than half, and maybe even as high as 70% of my circle of trust (or friends) evolved from online relationships. When I meet a person online and build that connection, meeting them in person is like shootin’ ducks in a barrel. I love it!! All of the anxiety and concern is magically dissipated. I feel at ease. And just in case you’re wondering…yes, I’ve been rejected online…it doesn’t hurt nearly as bad.

I don’t discriminate based on origin. Whether I met you at a coffee shop on a Saturday afternoon, or you started following me on Twitter, we’re friends. I like that when I tell my girls we’re going to meet friends for lunch, they say “Are these your Twitter friends?” because it gives me an opportunity to tell them that my Twitter friends ARE my friends. There is no distinction anymore. The transformation is complete.

A group of friends (all of whom I met online) circa 2009