Socially Speaking

I recently went to the SoMeBizLife conference at Delaware Valley College. My place of employment encouraged several of us to partake, not only because the social media side of business continues to grow, but our CFO presented. Yay, a chance to get out of my cubicle (which almost never happens, unless you count working out over lunches and the Yoga that’s brought in once a week…did I mention how lucky I am to work where I do?)

A large room full of all walks of business life gathered to hear key-note speakers talk about the social world. Some would find the sheer act of this gathering ironic; in the land of social, sharing, tweeting, tagging, Facebooking all takes place with your head down, typing frantically on your iPhone, blackberry or other smartphone. But this face-to-face interaction? We’ve become a culture of socially distracted, so much that it begs the question: Are we missing out on The Now?

Hey, I’m not one to judge or claim to not be guilty of the Facebook-FacePlant. My girlfriend, at a concert last night, asked me to, “take a picture of us and post it; you’re the Facebook Queen!” Proud or embarrassed? Not quite sure…I’m one of the most social people I know; love to entertain, travel, plan fun things...I'm constantly on the go, socially speaking. But as I looked down from the balcony at Johnny Brenda’s, I noticed that in-between sets of the three amazing bands (one being Cults, a killer band that just released a new album), 1 out of every 4 people, give or take, had their head down, thumbs frantic, screens ablaze. Pretty amusing and completely intriguing, getting me thinking about my own socialness. Am I social enough or impaired socially?

Back to the biz conference, the speakers were diverse in background and industry, which always fascinates me. I love being surrounded by intelligent people with a common interest, even if it doesn’t directly correlate with my background, the overlap intrigues. After a day of listening to the wide range of social-savvys, I took away pages of good information, useful sites and blogs that will delve even deeper into the social realm, and also, the idea that inspiration lies in social. The last speaker I attended actually hadn’t entered the official business world yet, but still remained at Temple, finishing his degree. The points and tips he gave during his presentation were poignant, well-thought out and well-spoken. His age alone motivated me; I vowed then and there I would become more involved, more active in my own success. He had already accomplished so much, been invited to national conferences by major players, and contributed to several well-read blogs and forums; he hadn’t even graduated! It was truly inspiring and lit a fire under my aspirations.

Having already achieved a certain level of social success, I’ve been contemplating the other realms of my life. The weight and balance of each sector as it relates to my over-all happiness, contentment, sense of accomplishment, sense-of self. Is what I’m doing enough to make a dent in the world? Not an easy question to ask myself. So I’ve had a lot to think about over the past week while gallivanting in New York, dinning at Black Fish, bending and stretching at Yoga and entertaining over the grill.

I realize I am biased and perhaps living in my own social bubble, but socially speaking, I’m all-in for what’s next.