I just read an interesting post on Fast Company, which featured Joseph Garner, the director of Craigslist Joe, which is a documentary about his quest to see whether or not online communities could actually take care of people in real life. Here, Garner talks about how to get just about anything you need from social media, in this case – Craigslist.
I was wondering if the same could be said about Facebook. LinkedIn, or GovLoop. I also appreciate his 5 tips for living:
- Real Human Rapport is Still Key
- Safety First
- Drivers are Looking for Passengers
- Volunteering Leads to Food and Shelter
- There are Free Events Every Day Where You Can Meet People
Read the Fast Company blog article for the background. The goal of Joseph’s project was to see whether technology and social media could bring people closer together, especially in tough times.
What do you think? Do social networks like GovLoop bring people closer together or further isolate them?
I think it can be either or. Just like in person interaction you can isolate yourself or become part of the larger community based on actions. If you come online and want to criticize and heckle then you’ll isolate yourself but if you want to come online to be constructive and collaborate solutions than you’ll probably grow your network.
I agree with Stephen. Your connections on any social media will depend on your willingness to engage. I rarely initiate contact (I hardly ever post), but I don’t mind commenting or chiming in. And that reflects my offline life, too.
The question I have is how far from my comfort zone would I have to be pushed before I felt like engaging more on social media? Change doesn’t happen without something causing it, either an internal or external motivator.
My kid spend a week and a half couch-surfing in Israel before he found an apartment. He used Couchsurfing and Facebook to meet with strangers and friends of friends of friends and met a lot of interesting people. If I can get up the nerve, I’ll use Warmshowers to find places to stay on an upcoming bicycle ride.