Late last night before bed I was reading the news and came across an interesting little piece about the new Dodge Viper. It was a short article with a couple awesome pictures about how Dodge is bringing the car back after a 2 year hibernation. 

I decided to post the link and a little comment on Google +. My comment was something to the effect that although the Viper is really cool (and I’d love to own one) it seems like a misdirection of resources for a company that filed bankruptcy and still seems to be on shaky legs. 

This morning I awoke to see that Chris Brogan, and fairly famous guy in internet and social media circles had left a comment about my post. To be honest I was shocked as I wouldn’t really expect anyone to comment on it. He wrote a couple sentences basically saying that the fancy cars help sell the less fancy cars, and saying that he owns a camero.

I’ve had a few comments and interactions on Facebook, Twitter and Google + from “famous” people but it never amazes me. It really highlights how incredible social media is. In real life I’d never talk to or interact with someone like Chris Brogan, but in the social media universe I guess my post caught his interest enough to leave a quick comment. 

More to the point, it’s interesting how I feel after interacting with people on social media (or live in person). Usually I feel a connection and that connection leads me to read more about that person or what they are saying. I may follow them on other social channels or go to their website or blog. 

The lesson here is that making a connection is powerful. I’m not a psychologist and I don’t really understand it, but I have felt it not only with famous people, but with anyone with whom I interact. We have been gaining followers on our workingmenshealthandfitness.com website and Facebook page and I’ve begun to feel a connection to those folks who interact with us, learning a little about them and feeling common interest around fitness and healthy living. 

I know lots of folks say social media is a waste of time or a silly hobby, but for making connections it’s really neither. It would be cool to be able to meet everyone in person and shake hands and have a drink, but this is the next best thing and it seems to be expanding every day. 

Businesses or people who overlook the power of 1 social interaction (or many) are really missing the chance to interact with customers and interested people like no other time in history.