Families Keeping Up with the Speed of Technology

Today my 83-year-old cousin and his wife visited my 94-year-old mother in her retirement complex outside of Chicago.  Mom lives in a gated community and my cousin had not been in this area for more than seven years.  We spoke cell-phone to cell-phone to "guide them in" to the parking lot and up the stairs to Mom's apartment.  

They brought with them a scrapbook of my cousin-in-law's artwork spanning a 30-year career.  During our time together we spoke of an unpublished children's book that my cousin-in-law wrote and illustrated.  I am a registered electronic publisher even though I'm not presently publishing books.  They told me that they still have an electronic version of the book that we can probably bring up-to-date with technology, then submit for electronic publishing.  It would be great to give the public access to a book that has been waiting for publication for more than 20 years.

When they left to drive to their home several hours away, they left an important piece of paper that had been in the scrapbook.  Within 30 minutes of their leaving--long before they will have realized that the piece of paper had been left behind--I had scanned the paper and sent it off to them via e-mail, including links to several of the things we had talked about during the visit.

They'll get the e-mail when they get home, have the links to follow-up on our conversation, and can print a new copy of the important paper before they miss a beat.

The good news is that my 83-year-old cousin is active on e-mail and is staying up with all the technology.  That certainly makes communication at the speed of technology much more achievable.

Facebook is the social networking site used by many of my family members.  It's another way for us to keep in touch.

Connections--Staying Connected--Friendships--Colleagues--Names and e-mail

Earlier this summer I started upgrading my Yahoo Contact List (started in 2002),  using it to invite people to my LinkedIn Network.  (See an earlier post about this.)

I found out during this "exercise" that many of my e-mails on my old Yahoo Contact List were out of date.  I was able to reconnect with some friends and have lost touch with others.  Telephones and addresses often change more frequently than e-mails.

LinkedIn offered a new feature, putting some names on the upper right of the "home page" that may be someone I might know.  One of the names was of a friend I worked with closely in the years 1999 and 2000 and whom I haven't seen since.  I was delighted to find a new e-mail and quickly invited him to my "network."

The e-mail "bounced" (the same experience I had been having with my Yahoo Contact list e-mail for this friend).  I then did a "search" on LinkedIn for my friend and found that there are at least two or three people (six entries) with the same name.  Which of these is my friend?  I don't really know--the names are identical and there is a logical reason why either of two addresses could be the right ones.
When I joined Facebook this summer I found many of my more "Internet savy" family members on Facebook.  LinkedIn seems to be more for friends and professional colleagues.  They are still close and also have at least one foot in the "business" world.

I know that, while I regard my own name as unique, at one time there were 12 people with my name with accounts at a bank I was using in the Chicago area.  A Google search on my name reveals lots of people I don't know and may rarely show anything connected with me.  While I don't have my home address widely around on the Internet, the contact page on my website offers several good ways to contact me.

Friendships and connections are important--to all of us.  If someone I have lost touch with happens upon this post, please use the contact information and send me an e-mail.  We often work closely with business colleagues and build friendships--then move to different activities and different people as we change what we do and where we do it.  For example, many of the people I knew in Action Learning or consulting I lost touch with in my six years of K-12 teaching.  Some of the colleagues I met in one school district I may lose touch with when I change buildings or districts.

Long ago (and, for some, still today) Christmas card lists were important ways to stay in touch.  For more and more of us--including myself--e-mail is my first channel for communication, including for cards.  Telephones are next, followed by "snail mail."

Staying connected really does require some work--on everyone's part.  There was something about a person I came to regard as a colleague or a friend that is an essential part of that person and I wouldn't want to lose touch with that person or that essential part.  I have some friendships that seem as close as yesterday, even if there have been years between our face-to-face meetings.

I'd also like to be able to bring talents and resources of some friends and colleagues to new projects I may encounter.  Hopefully more current contact lists and e-mails will allow me to do that.