Oh, so that's what networking is about

I guess I'm returning to the theme of celebration of "the internet" or rather communications technology.

Once again the other day I heard the accusation of people who surf the internet a lot are less well balanced than the rest of the population, suffering as they do from greater levels of depression.

It's entirely possible that the study to which the news was referring was perfectly well carried out and a proper causal analysis done but the bite sized media story was, once again that "the internet is a bad thing".

Actually looking at the story on an NHS website they are taking a more considered, complex view.

However, it does all bring a wry smile to my face. I can't say that the internet and associated technologies were exactly a lifesaver after "Idiot Boy" decided to take his leave of this world, but the people I met via various means on the internet since that time have very literally made my life worth living again.

The picture at the top here shows four of my very dear friends. Were it not for the internet, it is extremely unlikely I would have met any of them. What a shame that would be.

But this is a vague point that I've made before. However, this week has been the epitome of seamless integration of my "real" life with my life on line...and the gossamer thin veil that separates them.

So let me examine the three weekdays this week so far:

Monday: I wake late and check my email on my iPhone. I reply to a couple of the mails - they're mostly catching up kind of things but one is important. It's from my business partner, TD.
He's telling me that his internet connection has been on the blink but he's back on line now and if there is any rework to do on the handouts we're giving to potential clients at a meeting in the afternoon he's now awake, connected and good to go.

I met TD via the photo-sharing website Flickr. We commented on photographs, chatted by email and eventually met for lunch because at the time we were working at nearby offices.

We have been pals for a while and last year we decided to set up a business together. That business is mostly done electronically - from geographical information on maps, to technical research to information about planning regulations. We work in our respective homes mostly keeping in touch by email...although there is the occasional phone call.

We're sharing files via an internet filesharing and synching service. It makes collaboration relatively pain free without having to invest in an office to share and dedicated hardware for the job.

We complete our papers and I do a rare print job so we have something to present to our prospective clients.

We agree to meet in Bath and both have mobile phones to contact each other if there are problems.

I pick up further emails on my train journey and read up on some aspects of our work by using my mobile's RSS feed reader.

I also "tweet" and read people's tweets to me wishing us luck for our meeting.

On my journey home I read and send more emails.

My evening was a typical one of some surfing - work related and other things - some chatting to a friend on Facebook and reassuring her I'll meet her to go and fix her computer and set up a network in her house.

I read the comments friends and family have made on photographs of my niece's wedding at the weekend.

There is a lot of general "keeping in touch".

Tuesday: I wake up late again. Check my emails and find that TD has done the job he promised and the file is waiting in our shared space ready for me to email to yesterday's meeting attenders.

This spurs me to get up and start work.

All morning I'm keeping in touch with a number of people - by text, email, twitter, and various networking sites.

In the afternoon I go to Keynsham to meet up (separately) with two friends. I check the bus times on the web.

Both these friends are people I met in real life - one a school friend, the other a work friend.

On my walk to the bus station, I see a site we'd been interested in and see that it is being built upon. I take a picture and email it to TD. We can cross this off our lists.

I use the GPS and mapping facility on my phone to guide me to get off at the appropriate bus stop - I don't know that side of Keynsham very well.

Again, I read my RSS feed on the bus and find some useful articles that I email directly to TD to take a look at.

I have a pleasant, largely technology-free, couple of hours with my friend and we catch up. When it's time to leave she offers me a lift to my rendezvous with my other friend. She fears I can't find my way there unaided.

But I am aided - my phone guides me easily to my destination.

I then spend the afternoon an evening installing stuff, setting up networks etc, mostly so my "non geeky" friend, M, can do her social networking in her lounge of an evening.

When I fail to get her PC working I check the internet on my phone to find some technical fact out...then I work on plan B.

A couple of times, a friend had phoned but I was tied up so vowed to contact him later.

After a lift home I catch up with firends (all met via the internet) by email, text, twitter and facebook. Some of the catching up involves gently affectionate mockery...much as you get when you know a group of friends quite well.

I text the friend, MR, who'd been tryiung to get hold of me, apologising for my lack of availability.

Wednesday: I am woken by the arrival of a text message. It tells me the BBC has a news story that should be of interest to me, professionally. It's from DM - I'm planning to meet him for lunch, later.

Ten minutes later another text arrives - from my cousin - she's seen the same news report and thinks I'll be interested in it.

I email TD and ask him to investigate whilst I prepare an email approach to another potential client.

Then I get up and dressed, make my coffee and start work.

More emails, lots of research (on the internet), some sleuthing (by TD, not me).

Then I leave to meet DM. Before he arrives MR phones me to tell me that the evening before he'd attended a meeting that might well be of interest to me. He's right - it is. We vow to meet and have coffee and a catch up later in the week.

I lunch with DM and he gives me some information and we chat about stuff in his professional capacity which is related to mine - and we talk about an exhibition we're putting on.

All the time I'm out emails are arriving including one from another old friend who passes on a mail for something that I ought to investigate for work.

I'm amazed that so many leads have come through today. I'm also touched that my friends think to pass on this information to me - and persist so much to do so.

This evening I've been maintaining friendships by email, comments, Twitter, Flickr and text message. It's all really low effort stuff but enough to maintain the bonds and to know the stuff that's going on with people.

So - there's my week so far.

Dominated by the internet and associated technology.

I'll come back to an earlier point. I would never consider myself to be a "people person". I don't natually seek people out or engage in Networking activities and yet my life is full of people of people I have met by that very means. Not only that - I actively seek their company.

I'm even considering going to networking breakfasts to extend that.

The world at large can conclude nothing from one woman's steady change from inward looking, isolated geek to willing Social Networker and entrepreneur.

Idiot Boy would not recognise this woman - after all, with him around I really didn't want or need anyone else, for the most part.

Yes I made all this happen by "putting myself out there" but it is the internet as medium for communication that has been the means to make all this happen.

So I say "Yay" for people
I say "Yay" for the internet
and I say "Boo" to people who don't understand the medium properly who blame it for everything.



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