Social Networking Really Works

I have a new friend—not only a Facebook friend but an actual, talk-to-on-the-phone friend. Her name is Grace Bower, and she lives in New Zealand. It's not every day that I answer the phone and hear a totally unfamiliar accent—a little like Australia or South Africa yet completely different.

Grace read a comment on Facebook that mentioned something I had written. She looked up my Website and called me. Amazing! I had written about a book called Life is a Verb by Patti Digh. Patti responded (who knew?), obviously having better Google Alerts than I do. So, now we are a circle, Grace, Patti, and I.

I have never actually talked to Patti, though I want to buy her book for everyone I know. But I have talked to Grace, who is caring, considerate, and compassionate. I have a feeling many people feel that way about her.

That's what social networking is all about: reaching out, connecting, engaging. It's not just a theory; it's the real thing. You never know when a new friend is going to show up.