The web is finally an acceptable place to establish relationships

May 29, 2009 / Filed under: Social Networks, Life, Trends

It wasn't long ago that people considered dating sites like Match.com to be a joke - something that only truly desperate people would use to establish a relationship. Such sites, and the entire concept of meeting somebody through a computer screen was simply not taken seriously.

Well, times have changed. With the popularity of services like Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn - the web is finally an acceptable avenue to establish relationships.

Those that are fully utilizing such services are truly getting more from life. They're constantly networking, meeting new friends, and learning to communicate effectively. The rate of meeting new people for online users must surely surpass those who choose to remain offline.

Choosing to involve yourself in social networks has both personal and career benefits. It is also the easiest and most convenient place to share thoughts, promote your brand or product, or stay in touch with family and friends.

Those that choose to remain offline are only doing themselves a disservice. They're making themselves harder to reach; less marketable; and less likely to know what's going on with the people in their world. Staying offline is inconvenient for others, as it makes connecting with you more difficult, and learning about you (for jobs, or connecting with like-minded friends) next to impossible. By staying offline, you're only distancing yourself from the world.

For these reasons, offline is becoming unacceptable.

There are those that poke fun at sites like Twitter - and they're of the same mindset as those who picked on Match.com years ago. Ironically, these are also the same people who end up benefiting from a relationship formed on Match.com, or a random tweet that "saved the day." Their jokes are short-sighted, until the service actually proves useful to them.

Eventually, "newer" networking services like Twitter will become just as acceptable as a site like Match.com has.

And maybe even further down the line, new social networks won't have to experience the brief period of not being taken seriously, like Twitter is experiencing now. Pretty soon, hopefully, the world will understand that social networks are the only networks.

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