Social Media is a very interesting medium to me. Growing up
we just had regular telephones, mail and face to face social gathering to keep
you in touch, in tuned and involved. Today, you never ever have to see or hear
a person if you don’t want to. Or if you do, you don’t ever have to come in
physical contact with the people, yet know everything about them.
So for me, I didn’t know if I liked social media. I want to see, touch, feel and smell people
(hope they smell good). I need physical interaction, as I spend enough time
alone writing, planning, art or whatever I feel I need to be completely in sync
with.
I felt like social media was more of barrier rather than a
connector for me. Sure there is online dating, but that’s not my speed. While you
can Skype, I like to see my people face to face. And there’s Facebook where
most people are voyeurs into other people’s life, I’d rather talk to you on the
phone to find out what’s happening with you.
My perception of
social media has changed from one small event that took place and made my yoga program a success.
Social Event:
Being new to the Phoenix Metropolitan area, I decided I would go on a food
tour. I could hang out with some new people for a few hours. If I made a
connection with one or none past the social event, it was a way to have some
physical interaction.
Connection:
I overheard a conversation had by a young lady, Jordan Johnson, regarding her
social media expertise. For some reason I knew in that exact moment that
conversation was meant for me, so I asked for her card. Jordan is also the daughter
of the owner of the first restaurant on the food tour, Squash Blossom.
I called Jordan regarding web design and social media
assistance for my business and upcoming yoga program I was introducing at a
yoga studio. However, by the time we met, the yoga studio unfortunately had to
close. No studio to host my yoga program, but I believe that one should always
keep moving forward with the plan because you never know what’s around the corner.
So I met with Jordan anyway.
Well the meeting was just the thing around the corner. Not
only did the beginnings of a web design & social media assistance take
place, but a space to host my yoga program was created. That’s right my program
would be delayed a month, but had a new home, Squash Blossom.
Now I had to find an audience. I was going to use the yoga
studio’s members as the people I marketed the program to. No one else, well the
social media circle of life had other plans.
After much effort of face to face passing out flyers,
setting flyers in businesses, I turned to social media since I hadn’t gotten
any face to face responses. I signed up for Meetup.com, which I got registrants
from. But it was a connection made on Twitter that created the most unusual and
interesting relationship for me and my yoga program.
Social Media:
Anel Arriola decided she would take a break from Facebook’s social media scene.
She didn’t feel like she was utilizing and connecting with people the way she
wanted. So Anel turned to Twitter to see if she would have better luck there.
A resident of downtown Phoenix, she became a follower of
Squash Blossom. Unaware of my social
media actions, I somehow followed Anel on Twitter. She looked more into my
program and thought it would be a great fit for achieving the goals and dreams
she has in her life.
Having been away from Facebook for over a month, she got
back on and connected with her friend that she hadn’t seen in two years. While
they had not seen each other, Facebook had been their way of keeping in touch.
But since Anel had been gone for so long, the friends decided to meet in
person.
During their face to face meeting, Anel told her friend of
the program she had planned to register for. The friend thought it would be
fitting for her life and decided that it would be great for her boyfriend to
attend as well. So they all signed up and the program began.
Yoga:
While in a yoga class, in which we were supposed to be practicing yoga, somehow
it took a turn and we decided to talk about other aspects of yoga, not just
practicing asanas (poses). Our conversation revealed the synchronicity of the
universe and how it assist you in fulfilling your goals, dreams and desires if
you allow it. We went on to discuss how we are each a universe of our own and
we each affect one another’s universe by drawing people, places or things to
support our goals and dreams.
I shared with them my story of how I came to Squash Blossom.
And my belief that I had drawn this place into my universe to support me in
allowing my yoga program to be introduced to other people to benefit from. Anel
saw the connection of how I also drew her into my universe and told the above
mentioned story.
Needless to say, I was amazed at this social media circle of
life. This made me a believer that social media was a great tool to connect
people face to face, a capability I didn’t see before. I thought it was just
one more way to disconnect.
Social Media, like yoga is a tool meant to unit and bring
together. To have a oneness, holistic approach to living. There was a lesson
taught for me that social media is meant to bring us together in every aspect
of our life.
Liv your truth!
