I have heard many times how bad social media is for society. The anonymity can allow people to put others down without repercussions or make wild claims that may not be true. But there are plenty of good things that social media has brought into our lives.
I am in my third year of being a Cisco Champion. This is a group of people that Cisco has identified as technical influencers. Cisco offers some really nice perks to the group but one thing they do not control is the comradery within the group. I feel like I have made all these friends that happen to be from all over the world. There are plenty here in the United States but also from Europe, South America, Middle East, and a few in Australia. Of course, Champions are all over Social Media because that is what it means to be an influencer.
I have been using Social Media for many years. I started using Social Media as an alternative way to get news from around the world. It is a great way to find details from people that I may not hear from on the evening news. I really enjoy seeing the videos that people have made although I will admit that the videos where people fail are fun to watch. But, my favorite use of Social Media is the ability to communicate with others across the globe. I can hear the viewpoints from people that live in other locations. It is really great to read the posts or see videos from people that have different viewpoints which is partly because of where they live. They have a different foods, different holidays, different celebrations, even different governments. Getting these viewpoints is great because it can open my mind up to what other people see and think.
The Champions are no different as they are all over the world. I have gotten to meet some of them but a good number are just too far away for me to visit. But I can see them online and can have conversations across time zones. This is when Social Media is really awesome. But it is not just about technical discussions. Some of them are great cooks and seeing their creations gets me hungry. I was able to see videos when some of them took to the skies, including one flying a plane for the first time all by himself. Of course, the best are the Champion animals. It’s great to see the pictures and videos of Athena, Aurora, Noodles, Bit, and Byte – they know who they are.
Unfortunately, I have not been able to make any major conferences since becoming a Cisco Champion but I am planning to make CiscoLive this year. I am really looking forward to meeting more of my friends in person and I have been told that at least a couple are looking forward to meeting me. Social Media is great as it allows me to stay in touch from far away but meeting people in person is even better.
In the meantime, I will continue to use Social Media to reach out to people all over the globe. Social Media does have its bad parts as that is the way with a lot of technologies. But it is how people use Social Media that can make it great. So, just like I plan on continue doing, please use Social Media for the good that it can give to this world. Feel free to reach out to me on Twitter using @EvanMintzer – I love hearing the good stories and having conversations.