I was 7 years old then. All I wanted was to buy a few tootsie rolls and a roll of gum that came with its own dispenser. I thought I had enough money but the cash register lady said a number much larger than the coins I clutched in my hand. In a panic, I counted my coins again. I didn’t have enough. As I painfully chose a few pieces of candy to give up, the man waiting in line behind me reached into his pocket and handed me a quarter. “Don’t even think about putting those tootsie rolls back. They’re delicious.” He said. Well, I think that’s what he said. I was overcome with shame at my mistake and joy at a stranger’s kindness. He was right about those tootsie rolls though. They were delicious.

With a story you can share ideas, conjure emotions, and explain how a particular product or service offers a certain value.

I’ve told you a story. Now it’s your turn.

In the words of a 1st century new media evangelist,

“For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known.”

After much thought and perusal of the interwebs to observe how trusted friends use the site, I cancelled my Facebook account for 3 reasons:

1. Too many phone lines, not enough calls.

If it’s your birthday, I want to remember because I once cared enough to ask you, took note of the date, then acted in a real way to help you celebrate your life. I don’t want to be one of the drones that starts each morning with a wall-plastering exercise of birthday cheer to random strangers. When I look back through the Facebook page of a friend who passed at his own beckoning, I see signals–like the bobbing flag of a diver–that alluded to his impending dive. But his remarks were just a few drops in the stream and I missed them. I missed him.

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One of the things I like best about social media is the way it helps me discover talented writers. They remind me a lot of distance athletes with their deep conversations about seemingly minor details and long periods of time spent practicing alone.

The web also has a downside. There seems to be a growing belief that having mobile access to information negates any need to regularly consume quality writing.

Some writers point to the popularity of the Twilight series and say it’s a sign the general population no longer cares about quality. In my reply

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Tell me what you think of Gaga. What do you think her success says about the music industry right now? Are we fed up with the Mickey Mouse club and desirous of darker musical fare? Does the complexity and artwork of Gaga’s videos (and live shows) signal a change in consumer desires or is Gaga just a classed-up freak show?

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Are you conscious of the way you behave around new people?

Since moving to Mississippi, I have developed a fascination with the way people react to each other within the first few moments of meeting.

In New England, the typical first interaction between strangers involves contact of some sort and the trading of names. Shaking hands and giving at least a first name is par for the course.

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It’s a safe bet that people will say some really nice things about you at your funeral. Even if they feel compelled to honesty and are forced to really dig for something nice, people will typically find a way to butter up your corpse.

But then what? What will they say when you’ve been gone for five years?

What will you have said or done that will cause people five years away from your living influence to speak of you and what will they say?

I don’t have a top 10 list of tricks you can implement to build community, create timeless content, and other outcomes promised by social media hucksters to lube up your wallet. I do have a few thoughts though.

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