Click, flick, scroll, click.
I see you – clicking and peering through your screen, hoping to happen upon a tasty morsel on the interwebs. Well, let me tell you about my friend Kieran.
Kieran and I first met in 2007. I was wearing some kind of fancy frock thanks to some alien-like amazon woman dressed in a hideous ballgown. You seem to be new here. Look behind the orange crates over there. You’ll find some free dresses that look a little more….3D, she said, looking me up and down in one awkward jilted motion.
Equipped and fully rezzed in a new foofy cocktail dress and shoes, feeling rather gauche – and having fed my baby late at night – I teleported to my corporate playground to do some research.
Oh Jazzydee! I’m so glad you’re around! Gizzy Electriteeth whispered to me, I want to introduce you to my friend Kieran.
This is how we met. In a virtual world, exploring new ways people could learn and engage. We chatted on an ambient dance space platform about life, work and serendipity. She had four kids. I had three. We both worked from home for the same company, but on different sides of the world. She wanted to use technology for social good. So did I. She would post Girl Scout peanut butter cookies to me. I would send her some Furry Friends.
Image by Amber Rhea
Later, Kieran and I would apply for the same exciting job. She got the gig. I And you know what? I was happy for her, because I knew she deserved it. She cheered me on and eventually I would find an equally exciting role. We Twittered. We Facebooked. We Slideshared. We chatted. She encouraged me. And still does.
This is what I like about online social networks. The people. We discover people who share their dreams, adventures hopes and ideas. We connect with new friends who live in different cities and continents. People like Kieran. Like Gizzy. Like you. And our brief conversations inspire big dreams.
One day, we might just meet. But – you know what? I feel like we’ve met already.
This is a post for SOBCon10 BlogIt, Earn It “The Virtual Meets the Concrete”. You can enter too. “Write a blog post about a person (or people) online who has (or have) made a difference in your life. Celebrate how they have made your life easier, better, smarter, more productive, more meaningful.”
Here is a black and white abstract version of the discarded carrot peel I created using the
wonderchatter