Of the “Social” in “Social Media”

I was the instigator in a pretty cool scenario last week in social media.

[As an aside, I must say: I’ve been a Facebook guy for several years now, and just recently started to dive into Twitter feet first, and this scenario would only have been possible on Twitter, as @jimmaiella noted today in “Thoughts on Twitter“.]

Here’s the story:

A few weeks ago, I was fortunate to take part in “The Engagement Metric“, a fantastic one-day forum on Engagement in the Media with journalists & other interested parties from around the country and world. It was hosted by the University of Missouri Columbia (“Mizzou”) and the Reynolds Journalism Institute, by RJI Fellow Joy Mayer (Twitter @mayerjoy). I had been introduced to Joy by my friend and former coworker Nicole Hollway, GM of the St. Louis Beacon (Twitter @nicolehollway).

While “The Engagement Metric” was a fantastic event that’ll warrant its own post sometime soon (although already well-documented by James Janega (@JamesJanega) of the Chicago Tribune’s Trib Nation in his “Smart People on the Prairie: Musing on a Future for Journalism“, that’s not what I want to share here.

I’d like to share a story about last week, after #RJIengage was over.

I really like Seth Godin’s May 16 post “The Future of the Library“. Enough to share it on Twitter. Joy replied that she like the read, and linked to a write-up she had produced regarding a conference she had attended about the journalist+library crossover:

It immediately made me think of a blog that I have followed and been fascinated by for years – David Lee King’s space on the Social Web & Emerging Trends in Libraries. (@DavidLeeKing).

What happened next was something akin to planting a seed in the spring, watering it, and watching it spring to life before your eyes:

Having helped make that connection between two Big Thinkers in the realm of media, journalism, libraries, and our communities was pretty awesome and humbling.

That was last Monday.

But it gets crazier – and better. Really.

Last Wednesday, David Tweeted that he was in Columbia, MO checking out the Daniel Boone Regional Library. Joy noticed – and mentioned that she was heading there too. Check this out:

That, I think, truly puts the “Social” into the “Social Media”.

It also speaks volumes to what a Small World this really is. Monday = introduction of two great minds in a similar space of work and thought. Wednesday = chance in-person meeting, facilitated by this thing called Twitter.

What do you think about that?