Virtual Versus Real Time

As I reflect a bit on the events of the last few days here in St Pete Beach I sigh a bit of relief that the 2012 Conference and Vendor Forum is over, but at the same time feel a sense of loss.

Over the last several years I have seen diminishing “face to face” interactions, with trends favoring webinars for education, web meetings, tweets, SMS and other “non-personal” forms of communications.

Facebook is great, particularly connecting with people you have not heard from in years, but when is the last time you picked up a phone and called one of these so called “friends”.

Spending the last three days at the conference has re-enforced my belief that there is absolutely no substitute for personal interactions and networking. While here I was able to catch up with old friends, meet new ones and particularly I was afforded the luxury of really spending quality time getting to know people from both a business and personal perspective.

You can’t get that in an email (and if you do it is either too long or you are disconnected), SMS, tweet, facebook, etc. There is no voice inflection, no locking eyes, no handshakes and no hugs.

So, what is the answer? Technology advances will continue. People will adapt and embrace new means of communications. But long lasting and enduring relationships will be that delicate balance between virtual and real time interactions.

Come to the 2013 Xplor conference in St. Pete Beach, April 16-18, 2013 and connect “real time”.