A Good Friend of Mine I Never Met—The True Value of Social Media
by Edie Melson
A casual remark caused me to stop and think.I was chatting with a group of writers at a recent meeting and a random comment stopped me in my tracks.
“I learned that from a good friend of mine I never met.”
I held up my hand for everyone’s attention and asked the speaker to repeat what she’d just said. She gave me an odd look, but complied. The rest of the group mirrored her puzzled expression. I had to laugh before I explained.
“That statement is so commonplace we don’t even register the paradox within it.” As I continued to explain they began to see the irony.
Part of the My Book Therapy Core Team - representing
four different states, SC, MN, IA, COIt really wasn’t so long ago that a close friend was defined as someone we’d spent actual, physical time with. As a society, we bonded person to person.
Now we still spend actual time with people, but we don’t have to be in the physical proximity of someone to become close friends.
That odd statement is at the core of what makes social media valuable. It gives us the opportunity to connect—on a meaningful level—with people that may never sit in the same room as us.
I’m in no way advocating we forego gathering together, but I do think it’s good to broaden our horizons and reach out online.
More of the MBT Team, 3 more states
PA, FL, IARight now I can name at least six people that I consider close friends and I’ve never even been in the same state with them, much less the same room. These are people I pray for regularly and who pray for me. We exchange regular texts, instant messages and social media messages.
More than that, many of my online friends have become advocates for the things I write. They share notices about my books and articles, and I do the same for them. We do it because we’re friends and because we believe in each other’s work.
So I’m curious, how many of you have good friends that you’ve never met? I’d love to hear your stories of how you met and how you’ve contributed to each other’s lives.
Don’t forget to join the conversation!Blessings,
Edie
TweetablesA good friend of mine I've never met - the true value of social media. (Click to Tweet)
I love social media because of the relationships it brings. (Click to Tweet)
A casual remark caused me to stop and think.I was chatting with a group of writers at a recent meeting and a random comment stopped me in my tracks.“I learned that from a good friend of mine I never met.”
I held up my hand for everyone’s attention and asked the speaker to repeat what she’d just said. She gave me an odd look, but complied. The rest of the group mirrored her puzzled expression. I had to laugh before I explained.
“That statement is so commonplace we don’t even register the paradox within it.” As I continued to explain they began to see the irony.
Part of the My Book Therapy Core Team - representingfour different states, SC, MN, IA, COIt really wasn’t so long ago that a close friend was defined as someone we’d spent actual, physical time with. As a society, we bonded person to person.
Now we still spend actual time with people, but we don’t have to be in the physical proximity of someone to become close friends.
That odd statement is at the core of what makes social media valuable. It gives us the opportunity to connect—on a meaningful level—with people that may never sit in the same room as us.
I’m in no way advocating we forego gathering together, but I do think it’s good to broaden our horizons and reach out online.
More of the MBT Team, 3 more statesPA, FL, IARight now I can name at least six people that I consider close friends and I’ve never even been in the same state with them, much less the same room. These are people I pray for regularly and who pray for me. We exchange regular texts, instant messages and social media messages.
More than that, many of my online friends have become advocates for the things I write. They share notices about my books and articles, and I do the same for them. We do it because we’re friends and because we believe in each other’s work.
So I’m curious, how many of you have good friends that you’ve never met? I’d love to hear your stories of how you met and how you’ve contributed to each other’s lives.
Don’t forget to join the conversation!Blessings,
Edie
TweetablesA good friend of mine I've never met - the true value of social media. (Click to Tweet)
I love social media because of the relationships it brings. (Click to Tweet)
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