The ROI of an Email

These days, everyone talks about the power of Twitter or Facebook, the wonders of Web 2.0 and its ability to connect the masses.  However, what most people don’t realize is that the tools don’t do anything unless people have the guts to use them.  More importantly, connections mean nothing unless you have the heart to cultivate them into relationships.  For me, the real challenge is taking relationships and transforming them into community.

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Here’s an email that means more to me than any wall post, tweet, digg, or LinkedIn connection ever could or would (click to see it larger).

Exactly one year ago from today, I met Maria Thurrell on the 66 bus going to Innman Square. I emailed her the night before on a whim, because something in me said I should find a new friend (not a Facebook friend, not a meet you once and never keep in touch friend, but a real friend, someone with an open heart, an active mind, and a compassionate ear).

Lucky for me, Maria is a compulsive email checker, and at 12:53 AM, the night before my first ever Social Media Breakfast, she agreed to meet me.

In a year, Maria has become one of my best friends.  She’s a wonderful roommate, a loyal confidante, a fantastic shopping partner, an honest adviser, and a great source of support when I need it.

Looking back at the photos, check out the speakers I met for the first time that day: Laura Fitton, Doug Haslam, Jim Storer, and Scott Monty.  Even better, check out who the sponsor was.

I’m sharing this anecdote not only because it happened a year ago from today, but because it actually demonstrates the real ROI of being social (yes, just social, no media).

On February 13, 2008, I met Maria, Laura, Doug, Jim, Scott, Aaron Strout, Bryan Person, Steve Garfield, Sandy Kalik, Shannon DiGregorio, Dave Fisher, Colin Browning, Susan Piver, Matt Searles, Andrea Mercado, and a whole slew of others that I don’t see in these photos.  While they might not remember meeting me that day, I certainly remember meeting them all.

It should be noted that combined, @mathurrell (1,185) @pistachio (18,624), @dough (8,995), @jstorerj (2,323), @scottmonty (11,396), @aaronstrout (4,661), @bryanperson (4,812), @stevegarfield (8,927), @skalik (843), @sdigregorio (110), @tibbon (1,265), @crbrowning (1,620), @spiver (1,023), @mattsearles (854), and @andreamercado (1,057) have a combined Twitter following of 67,695. This means that I have the opportunity to reach out to each of these folks and ask them to retweet something I say or share.  If all 15 retweet what I say, I just reached 67,695 people.

• Thought #1:  Do we need to start measuring the value of our offline friendships if we consider them professional colleagues in the online space?

• Thought #2:  Will businesses ever start taking into account the power of their employees’ networks?

• Thought #3:  If we went into every social setting, looking to measure the online value of people we’re interacting with, wouldn’t we all just be assholes? (I’ve seen people do this at events and conferences was they approach “rock stars” in the industry.  It’s actually nauseating.  Lack of authenticity is always opaque in my eyes.)

As one lasting thought, as much as we can praise new technologies for their pretty UI’s and ability to scale our relationships, there are still some things like personal emails at 12 AM that do more for individuals than anyone could ever imagine. These things will never be measurable and they will never have a place in business.  However, it doesn’t mean that they don’t matter. It’s these quiet moments, the ones that no one ever sees that I’ve concluded, are the real building blocks to creating community.