Community 2.0

The following is a guest blog from the incredible @Suzi_MN on Twitter.  She’s a talented writer, beautiful mother and wonderful friend.

Community 2.0 and how I became engaged

Could you have imagined that your inner circle would include people you know primarily by their Twitter name? Could you have imagined that you would be getting updates and pictures of your niece’s birthday party through Facebook and not over the phone? Could you have imagined asking complete and total strangers to follow you, read your most private thoughts and then INVITE them to comment on what you wrote? Could you have imagined that you would prefer to text or Tweet someone who lives next door, works across the aisle, or funny enough, lives in the same house as you?

Welcome to Community 2.0.

There are no geographical limitations, no physical limitations, and really, no limitations at all to who or how you communicate with others. This is both freeing and frightening to me. You see, I am by nature, a wallflower. I was not one to willingly reach out to someone new, offer advice or feedback, and I certainly didn’t try to make a name for myself. That was before I became engaged. And no, I am not getting married (I am happily married, thanks). I am engaged in a community of like minded, opposite minded, middle-of-the-road minded people who I value as trusted confidants, friends, and generally cool people.

It started slowly, half-haphazardly, weirdly. I started my blog, pink vanilla cupcakes, back in 2008. I am a writer by profession and read anything I can get my hands on. The first blog that I followed was Dooce (naturally). She is still in my Top 5 of all blogs that I read. Maybe Top 2. I continued to find more blogs and web sites and articles and really, anything I could find that spoke to me. The more I read, the more I knew I wanted to join the conversation. I was ready to plant my mailbox and start my blog. So I did.

I started off quietly with posts about simple subjects like my favorite TV shows and favorite web sites. The more comfortable I became, the bolder I got. I wrote about my weight struggles, my struggles with confidence, and my parenting dilemmas. I was honest, real, and ready to talk. People listened and left comments. It was amazing.

Nearly two years later and I can honestly say that I am a more confident, outgoing, and honest person. I owe it all to my blog and my engagement in social media. I use my blog to work out some tough issues in my life and find support whenever I hit “publish”. It’s gratifying that my voice is one that people listen to, are comfortable with, and like. Being liked is cool. Having complete strangers listen to me and then interact with me is pretty amazing. Virtual or not, I feel like my inner circle is huge. Awesome. I don’t see a distinction between my IRL friends (in real life friends) and my cyber friends (not cyborg friends, that would be weird). My community of friends has grown exponentially within the last two years and I know my experience is hardly unique. That’s the beauty of this new Community 2.0. Where before I had a small inner circle of friends, now I am rich. Rich beyond measure. My life is better because of technology and how it connects people and you will never convince me otherwise.

Suzi Magill is a Twin Cities mom and wife who blogs at pinkvanillacupcakes.com.  Suzi is also an official blogger for the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure Minnesota and will be walking in the 5k race with her daughter and blogging about it along the way.