Who knew? Blogging can be more than writing about your latest project or the newest gadget. As I have mentioned before, I learn something new every day through this blog. Even before the inception of Blogging Painters, I had created my own, some for the business, some for school and some for personal use. The first ones were pretty basic, and I changed platforms several times. The whole time I was always on the lookout for blogs I liked, copying ideas and amassing a huge collection of bookmarks. Now most of them reside on the Blogroll to the right.
In my travels through Bloggerland, I meet a lot of great people and we connect by commenting on each others blogs, or exchanging ideas on the various forums, Facebook and Twitter. One of my favorite bloggers is Darren Slaughter, his blog is a fast paced, informational mix of marketing strategies, website ideas and advertising tips. And this is where it turns into the blogging version of “Six Degrees of Separation”!
Although I had been a follower of Darren’s for quite some time, I really never had any interaction with him until several recent events.
- He judged the Shootout Contest after Scott Burt read his blog and asked him to be a judge in a contest that I entered.
- I saw a Tweet and read about how impressed a painter in the UK was. Andy said, “I saw him on paint talk and PPS, and liked his straight talking and subscribed to his blog and then had a website review done when he was promoting that particular service. ” (Andy is now blogging here)
- A painter I knew on a forum was asking for help creating a website, I gave him Darren’s name and the result was this site, Ewing Painting.
- I asked a question on his blog and he answered here, and now here we are full circle!
It is fascinating to me how it is all connected! I found a quote from the play that sums it up.
I read somewhere that everybody on this planet is separated by only six other people. Six degrees of separation. Between us and everybody else on this planet. The president of the United States. A gondolier in Venice. fill in the names. I find that ,A, tremendously comforting that we’re so close and ,B, like Chinese water torture that we’re so close. Because you have to find the right six people to make the connection. It’s not just big names. It’s anyone. A native in a rain forest. A Tierra del Fuegan. An Eskimo. I am bound to everyone on this planet by a trail of six people. It’s a profound thought. How Paul found us. How to find the man whose son he pretends to be. Or perhaps is his son, although I doubt it. How every person is a new door, opening up into other worlds. Six degrees of separation between me and everyone else on this planet. But to find the right six people. (Source)
I think the point most people miss in all the Facebooking, Tweeting and Linking is the connections we can make, the online friendships we create. We are so busy blasting out our own messages that we may forget to stop and listen, to connect. Don’t just hit the share, like or +1 button, stop and comment, ask a question, thank them or just say hello.
So my challenge to you this week is to start looking for your six people, you never know where you might find them.
Chris, You are a perfect example of how social media can create business relationships and friendships. I look forward to one day meeting you in person at a PDCA event.
Cheers, Heidi
PDCA in Las Vegas February 2012?! I would enjoy that too! Thanks Heidi.
I have just recently gotten a further understanding of just how important networking can be. FB, twitter, linkedin, and now g+, are all important parts of my life in many ways.
The wealth of knowledge out there is staggering, and with enough people sharing it daily you never stop learning.
The old adage of its not what you know but who you know..
“The art of good business is being a good middleman, putting people together..” -From the movie, Layer Cake
Well said Tommy!
Chris,
It is very flattering that you would write about little old me. I appreciate it and thank you very much. The work you have already done here at Blogging Painters is really incredible. Keep up the great work!
Thank you Darren, creating this blog has opened a whole new world for me and I have “met” some great folks in the process. It would not be the same without the bloggers who have contributed so much of their time writing articles. I feel like a conductor with a great group of musicians!
That is awesome! I like his tips and it’s always good to get shout outs from people you trust/admire.
Great piece Chris. Lately, I have been seeing as few as 3 degrees of separation. It is intense when connections are made. Its just so easy to network and connect and I appreciate what you do to keep us all on the cutting edge.