Call or Meet Face to Face

With the popularity of social media, we are a lot more connected than ten years ago. Many business and professionals have relied on social media and the internet to connect with friends and clients. I confess that I am a Facebook addict where I have to check my accounts at least once a day.

Relying on Facebook and Linkedin, I thought I am well connected and I have made sure I stayed in touch with my fellow friends and potential clients. Oh, was I wrong. I have neglected the ever importance of phone calls and face to face meetings.

I have a friend of 12 years and we would exchange e-mails and update each other through Facebook. Over the weekend, we have finally caught up for a quick dinner. Despite the e-mails and Facebook updates, I noticed that I really do not know much about this person. During the dinner, he shared his aspirations and ideas. It was only dawn to us that we may be able to strike something up and work on some opportunities. Without the dinner, nothing would have happened.

Many of us have fallen to the false sense of security that we are well connected and networked through social media. In a way, these tools has allowed us to stay in touch. To make our network works, we would still need to spent effort on it.

Here is what I am going to do, and maybe you too can draw some ideas from it.

1. Go through your friend list, look for the ones whom you have not talked to for more than three months. 
2. Compile those names into a list. 
3. Dedicate five minutes a day, by calling someone on that list. You just need to call one person a day.

What can you discuss? Anything! Be bold and direct, just tell the person that you called to catch up and see how are things going for them.  Remember, the call is not to make a sales pitch or asking for favors but genuinely wanting to connect with the person.

If you can keep it up for two weeks, you would have gained fourteen more friends! Besides just calling, other forms of communication may work too. Just use your imagination.