Find your people

Photo c/o: Julia Gaynor (front row, center)

Social media isn't a way to get ahead, to get rich or famous. It's a way to share your talents and expertise with the world. A way to find your people; to connect with folks who love the same things you do -- whether that's running marathons, raising Swissies, collecting vinyl, woodworking, or parenting.

You've probably been doing this in one form or another almost since the day you were born. I know I have.

Here's just one example. When I was in 5th grade, there was a girl in my homeroom class who I thought was the coolest. Her name was Christina Stovall and like me, she played kickball with abandon. We were teammates. But not officially friends.

One day Christina brought her favorite book, Little Women, to school and offered to lend it to me. I was honored. In return, I let her borrow the book I treasured most, Harriet the Spy. Long story short, we bonded by sharing books that revealed who we were. And we became BFFs.

So when you think of social, don't think of it as smarmy career-ism. Think of it as a chance to come as you are; to find your people; to share your talents and pool your resources with those most likely to appreciate them.