DaveOlson.ca

You’re enjoying a friendly conversation with two friends at work, when someone you have never met before walks up and butts in on the conversation. You are all aghast at the impropriety of this intruder. Social faux paux!

So you moved to a new community or job and you’re stuggling to make new friends. You try to connect but office politics and unspoken rules defy your every effort. It’s difficult in your new environment unless you already have a social network. It can be lonely and frustrating trying to make new friends. However the blogosphere is different and breaks a lot of the social taboos that govern face to face relationships.

It’s easy to build relationships in the brave new Web 2.0 world.

Here are some things that are allowed in the blogosphere when you couldn’t do this in face to face relationships. As a result, things are easier in here.

• You can join any discussion without being considered rude. It’s like being able to walk up to a group of people standing at a party and join the conversation. Even if no-one has ever met you before.. Go ahead.. leave a comment!
• It’s okay to eavesdrop. You can stand at the edge of the group and listen to what everyone is saying. No-one will look at you funny or wonder what you’re doing there. Then when you feel comfortable, you can join in the conversation too.
• Whispering isn’t bad. Sometimes there are things that you just don’t want to share with the group. I had a question about blog carnivals recently that I didn’t feel comfortable adding to the comments of the blog I was reading so I whispered (sent an email) to the owner of the blog. He got right back to me with the information I was looking for. No-one got offended and I didn’t break any social taboos.
• Name-dropping is actually encouraged (within reason). Promoting other people, linking out and talking about who you’re connecting with is encouraged. I would have never known about Liz Strauss if I hadn’t heard about her from Rory. I would never have found Ben’s great blog if I someone hadn’t dropped his name while I was listening.
• There’s time to think before you speak. Ever been in one of those conversations where someone says something and everyone gasps… Well it can happen in the blogosphere as well but it doesn’t nearly as often as face-to-face. That’s because you can think through what you are writing before you hit the submit button.
• Everyone can talk at once. One of the most intriguing experiences I have had yet is joining in on an open mic night at successful-blog.com. Everyone is talking at the same time and you just jump in where you can. It’s exhilarating and mind-boggling
• It doesn’t matter what you wear (or if you wear anything) Nobody notices your fashion statement. You don’t even have to have fashion sense to get connected. There’s no dress for success or power outfits here. The emperor has no clothes.
• Your race, culture and accent don’t matter. No-one sees or cares about the colour of your skin or your funny accent. (I don’t have an accent, it’s everyone else) This is really net neutrality. You can be white collar, blue collar or no collar and you fit!

Do you find it easier to network in the blogosphere? How does the real world compare with the blogosphere in your experience? I’d love to find out what you think. Join the conversation.