I used to use AIM in high school and college. You know, the old AOL chat program.
Mostly for banter I’m sure, but in those times I could be online, and there was anywhere from 5-25 people to chat with that I saw in person regularly.
I am a talker, and often came away from conversations invigorated to do something, whether it was talking about relationships, school, working out, or fledgling business ideas, chatting with someone often fueled me to do something immediately or in the near future about my life. I also got to be there for people which fills a human desire for being needed.
Today, no one I know still uses AIM, and there’s a few people using Google Talk in my circles, or Facebook chat, but for the most part, the “I’m online, chat with me” era is dead for me. Likely because I’m not in school any more and my circle of friends now don’t spend most of there hours on public chat platforms or have time to simply talk about “what’s up”.
I get more newsletters, and marketing ploys to try something out, then I do friends, colleagues, peers, asking for opinions or “just saying hello”.
I miss this. Yes I know, there’s Twitter, and blog posts, and thousands more chat message type platforms than there was when I was 15, but at times I miss logging in, talking life with whoever was online, and coming away from the conversation with some sort of reflection, and/or new energy to do something.
Grinding away on your own ideas day after day is exhausting, stopping to talk now and then, not for marketing feedback, or targeted opinions, or a work request, but just to say “sup” actually drives life [and business] forward in this unexpected natural way.
Self note: Remember to reflect and really talk to people more.
It takes more work now that I’m an adult, and might take the form of masterminds, forums, reddit, asking people to hang out in person [just cause, not because we haven’t seen each other in a while, or it’s an event], Facebook groups, Google hangouts, Webex, and yes even chat…but the value of sharing, responding, and truly conveying thought is immeasurable, and increasingly lost with the ways we can communicate without really saying anything today.
Go ask someone “what’s up” and don’t forget to set your status message.