Seth Godin’s ability to articulate thoughts and feelings makes him one of my frequent reads, and some time ago one of his blog posts really struck a chord. I am reminded we should always associate ourselves with people who bring us up and not pull us down – in the real world AND in the online world! There are so many books, blogs, articles, etc dedicated to the idea of surrounding yourself with people of quality, but more often than not we associate that with the real world and forget it applies to the internet as well. With the impact of the internet on our lives continuing to grow with no signs of slowing, we should take time to evaluate our online friendships. So many of us spend the majority of our work days on blogs, emailing, tweeting, Facebooking, etc and we may not realize how influential our interactions with online friends can be. I think we tend to see the positive benefits of our online friends because it impacts our businesses almost immediately. However, if we take a closer look we may realize that some of our “online friends” aren’t really doing us any favors.
We’re spread out across the nation, so many of us wedding professionals have cultivated friendships online and maintain those friendships the same way, but it time to reevaluate some of our online relationships? Are there people online who aren’t impacting you and your business in a positive way? The negative tweeting rants and passive aggressive comments you engage in with others-if you wouldn’t put up with what how they’re behaving in the real world why put up with it online?! With so much of our work lives spent behind the screen, I think friendship expectations should mirror those found offline. I know Seth’s post has caused me to rethink some online relationships. Let’s remember to surround ourselves with friends of quality, on and off line.
Photo by Elizabeth Mesina
