Remember when your Dad went to a convention and came home all excited about meeting some inspirational folks?  He was already making plans for next year when he could see them all again.  Even though they could call each other, it just wasn’t the same.  Well times have changed.

Now with social media you can find out what the new friend you just met at a conference is up to with a variety of social networks like Facebook, Linked In, Twitter, and Friend Feed.  There are many more – but these are the most widely used.

While the older generations are still searching for high school friends online – the new social world has made the current generation the most connected – so much so, they may never loose contact with their friends – now that’s powerful!   Because who will they want to do business with in the future?

I run into so many people who are anti-social – people who don’t seem to understand the social media networks and to be honest, don’t want to understand.  Many think it’s a violation of personal space and privacy.  Others don’t want to know who just went out for an ice cream or hear about people bragging about their recent trip to Hawaii.

I have to remind myself that not everyone will keep up with all the technology available, and I’m afraid some will be left behind if they are not willing to try new things.  On the bright side, my 82-year-old father-in-law has joined the rest of the family on Facebook so we can all share photos and updates – even though we are miles away.

Think about social media and how it can help navigate your business to the next level.  Ask yourself who you want to do business with and how do they communicate in the online world?