Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of the American Dream

I just read this article:

Hargadon… is devoted to figuring out not only how companies and universities can continue to make more things possible through their research, but also, and just as important, how they can capitalize and bring to life innovations they’ve already come up with, by connecting up the realms of science, engineering and business.

The key, he says, lies in harnessing social networks to bring innovators and thinkers together with venture capitalists, angel investors, entrepreneurs, intellectual property lawyers and others who can help commercialize great ideas so they can change lives.

via Networks Are What Make Real Innovation Possible – Forbes.com.

…and it got me thinking about how much our ability to connect with other people affects the success we can achieve.  Sure the article talks about grandiose ideas, venture capitalists, universities and “commercializing”, but it applies to our everyday lives just as much, if not more so.

What can any of us really achieve alone? Last week I went to The Capital Area Real Estate Investors Association meeting and this made me think about just how much gets done at these networking groups. Social Media takes this idea to a whole new level by increasing exponentially our ability to meet other people… all sorts of people. You never know how someone might be about to help you, or who they know that might be able to help you.

Of course, you’ll never make many friends or get much done if you don’t go about using social media the right way.  There’s a whole new set of skills you need to learn to succeed. For example, you don’t go around asking other people to help you right off the bat. FIRST, you need to become their friend, maybe even do something helpful for them.

How do you go about making new friends online? Are you on Twitter yet? If not, why not?

P.S. – If you are on Twitter, follow me at twitter.com/marcblackwood