I'm more self-aware. I was an official social media junkie the moment my internal monologue switched into the third person: "Monica is contemplating her internal monologue." By trying to formulate tweets and status updates from my thoughts, I've gotten better at listening to myself, moment to moment.
I'm a better writer. I love writing for an audience, and social media makes it easy to practice and improve. Less time-consuming than a writers' workshop, online comments provide instant feedback. Trying to fit my thoughts into a 140-character headline reinforces clarity and conciseness.
I'm a better friend. In the past, I lost wonderful relationships because we simply lost touch. Maybe one of us moved, had children, or life got too busy. Thanks to Facebook, I can wish my friends a happy birthday, chat about TV shows, and even play Scrabble with them, without travel or rearranging of schedules. If I'm thinking of someone, I can tell them instantly. While there's still value in a handwritten card or a phone call, an online conversation is no less meaningful just because it's easy.
I archive my memories. Some people scrapbook; I write. The nurses laughed at me when I blogged in the delivery room the day my daughter was born, but not only did it keep my family and friends apprised in real-time, I'll always love re-reading that blog.
I'm more effective. This summer, I coordinated a cross-country move for two adults, a toddler, and an ill-tempered cat. It was a big project, with a cast of family and friends who lived in Minnesota and all along the way. Once I got the schedule planned out, I posted this Facebook note: Monica's Note and didn't have to worry about keeping track of who knew what, and who I needed to call. Everyone had the same information, and I knew it was accurate.
I'm a better parent. If you read my FB note, you'll see that I mention camping with Internet friends. Some of my closest friends are parents, mostly mothers, whom I met on a public website nearly 3 years ago, when we were all pregnant. Now that we have toddlers, we share parenting tips, philosophies, personal stories and jokes on a daily basis. We meet for camping trips, exchange Christmas gifts, and call each other on the phone. But most of our interactions are online, and we learn from each other constantly. It takes a village to raise a child, and my village is virtual.
I'm smarter. With over 300 Facebook friends, I hear a variety of perspectives and learn from each of them. My friends are diverse in age, background, and world view. I often "crowdsource" questions: Which movie should I see? What skills help a person be successful in social networking? I posted the second question as my status a couple months ago, and got a reply from a consultant on my friends list. We had attended the same webinar and "friended" each other after. We exchanged a few messages, learned we were working on similar things, and she shared a wealth of knowledge from her own projects. Although we barely knew each other, we connected and learned from one another.
I'm better at my job. I may be the only person in my department who's trying to roll out internal social media, but I'm not an island. All over the world, people are solving the same problems I am, facing the same challenges, using the same technology. We talk to each other on Linked In, on vendor websites, and anywhere we choose to create a community. I follow social media experts on Twitter, I subscribe to blogs, and I follow the trends in my favorite topics on del.icio.us. I don't have to wait or pay for conferences to find out what's happening in my industry; I just launch a browser window.
I'm happier. Social interaction is a basic human need, and it feels great to know that when I turn on my computer, there are dozens of people who would love to hear from me, and I have the time and ability to talk to all of them if I so choose. My life is richer thanks to the friends I have met online and those who I met in the "real" world but live only a click away.
