The Social Network That is My Life

I absolutely love my job! This hasn't been the case for every job I've ever held, so I consider myself to be so very, very lucky. I think I've managed to find my niche although it is such a different path than the one I initially chose for myself. The work makes me happy and you can't put a value on that.

One of the best parts of the job is meeting new people. From the people involved in the organizations whose events that we cover to the musicians in the bands whose local gigs I help promote on Facebook, I get to know so many people that I might not otherwise meet. As the writer of a Spotlight column that features profiles of individuals, I am always on the look-out for people with something interesting to share and I have never been disappointed. Some of my closest friends today were once the subject of a Spotlight column or some other feature that I wrote in Coastal Illustrated.

I have interviewed some football greats, including one two-time Pro-Bowl player that sports a Super Bowl ring. I had a fascinating conversation with one of the men who helped save Lady Liberty as a founding board member of the Statute of Liberty-Ellis Island Foundation. I have spent hours with very talented artists, actors, writers, and some up-and-coming musicians. And, much to my surprise, I have found fellow Michigan State fans and alumni way down here in Coastal Georgia. The people I've featured in the Spotlight column have come from all different walks of life and such a variety of places.

I've been complimented on my ability to put people at ease and make the interview process a fun and painless one. I always think this is funny, because I don't do anything different than I do when I'm meeting someone new in a setting unrelated to the job. I told a person I sat down with recently that I don't consider these meetings "interviews" so much as an opportunity to sit down and make a new friend. And I really feel blessed to be surrounded with such talented, interesting, and generous people.

Facebook, of course, has added a whole new dimension to the social interaction in my job. Nearly 1000 people are "Fans" of Coastal Illustrated and have regular daily contact with our Facebook Fan Page. More than 400 people sign up to receive weekly messages as a member of the Friends of Coastal Illustrated group. Often I get feedback from fans and group members that I have never met. Some of these people who started out as people I only knew through Facebook have also become some of my closest friends in "real life." When I hear the argument that this social networking technology is detracting from real personal relationships, I have to laugh because I have found exactly the opposite to be true. I have been able to reach out to more people and have more interaction with those people than I would have without it -- and the Internet connections often become real connections and contacts in the Golden Isles.

In everyone's life, at some time, our inner fire goes out.  It is then burst into flame by an encounter with another human being.  We should all be thankful for those people who rekindle the inner spirit.  ~Albert Schweitzer

So, here's to a great week marked by making new friends. I appreciate all of the friends I have made here in the Golden Isles. And to my other friends who are not here but have touched my life throughout the years, know that I consider myself blessed to know you all and my inner spirit will always burn bright.