Decided that today instead of normal “Follow Friday” tweets that I’d hook you up with some of the incredible people I encountered this week so you can get connected with them. Each of these folks played a part in making my time at Catalyst West (#catwest) incredible. Incredible.

@sarahmarkley and @cmarkley -  At the suggestion of a friend, I sought Sarah out at Blissdom. Still a practical stranger I somehow convinced her to bail on the last session and join me and a few friends for dinner. I discovered that I loved her heart. When I decided about a month ago to try to pull off Catalyst West, Sarah direct messaged me and said “you are staying with us, right?” I took them up on their generous offer and I’m so glad I did. I love the Markleys. Love the Markleys. Hard to believe I didn’t know them a couple of months ago and now I consider them great friends.

Sarah’s blog: http://www.sarahmarkley.com

Chad’s blog: http://www.chadmarkley.com

@lvhanson – I started following LV when he ventured to Kenya with the Compassion bloggers earlier this year. I loved his posts and his heart for the children of Africa. And I was just a little envious of how wonderfully he uses his gifts of communication and connection. But it wasn’t until I sat down with LV last night that I realized that he has an uncanny ability to get straight to the core of someone by asking just the right questions. Plus, LV is from Dallas and an alum of the University of Colorado, what’s not to like?

LV’s blog: http://www.catalystspace.com/catablog/

@keelymarie and @flowerdust – Keely and Anne are incredibly gifted artists. Keely’s photography and Anne’s beautiful prose allow me to be transported on all their adventures.  I loved the time I got to spend with them in Orange County. And I love even more that they are permanent fixtures in Tennessee.

Keely’s blog: http://www.keelymariescott.com/

Anne’s blog: http://www.flowerdust.net/

@biancajuarez – Bianca’s smile will light up a room. She is beautiful inside and out. I could tell within minutes of talking with her that she’d rather skip all the pleasantries and get right down to business. My kind of girl.

Bianca’s blog: http://www.inthenameoflove.org/

@kylezimmerman – One of my concerns about going to Catalyst West was that without the Cross Point staff on hand, I wouldn’t have anyone to make fun of me. (And I am the sick kind of person who enjoys being made fun of.) So glad that I met Kyle Zimmerman so he could step right in to the rigorous role of calling attention to the stupid things I say and do. I appreciate more than Kyle’s sense of humor. I appreciate the way he invests in people. I didn’t have to be at Mariner’s long to know that he is well-loved and well-respected.

Kyle’s blog: http://kylezimmerman.net/

@ryanoquinn – Ryan O’Quinn makes me laugh, a lot. Just go here to see why. And I love the work he does for Compassion. Great guy.

Ryan’s blog: http://ryanoquinn.blogspot.com/

@b_rewster – Stephen Brewster is the real deal. He’s one of the best encouragers I’ve met. Over the last few months, he has done several little things to encourage me along the way. I so appreciate that about him. It’s hard to believe that yesterday was the first time we had met in real life, as I already have enormous respect for him.

Stephen’s blog: http://stephenbrewster.me/

@pastormark - Mark Driscoll is the pastor of Mars Hill Church in Seattle. Yesterday he shared some of the most powerful words I have heard in a long time. He spoke truth with the correct doses of transparency and humor.

Mark’s blog: http://theresurgence.com/md_blog

Who is one person that you have discovered lately that I should be following? What do you find engaging about them?

This spring when I started blogging, I had the simple goal of having a place to put my thoughts down in written form to make sense of them. (I discovered that sometimes in written form they still don’t make a lot of sense.)

Yet today I find myself completely immersed in this Web 2.0 world. Not because I am naive enough to think people care what I have to say or because I need to bring order to my random thoughts but because of something entirely different. Because of community.

I blog, I facebook, and I twitter as a way to interact with friends, old and new. I want to hear what they have to say, I want to find out what they think, I want to discover what they are doing (and sometimes eating), and I want to encourage them in their walk. Because they encourage me in mine.

If you are navigating this Web 2.0 world and you aren’t in it for the community, you are missing out, big time. If you are after followers or subscribers but not looking for friends, you will never fully embrace the power of social media.

This week, I would encourage you to take time out of your day to cultivate community online. Strive to be about something more than yourself, strive to be about engaging with and encouraging others. You will not regret it.

It is this easy:

1. Comment on a blog post. One thing I have learned since blogging is that comments mean everything. Everything. Comments mean that people are out there reading what I have to say. Let someone know you are out there listening and that you care what they have to say.
2. Retweet. If you read something you like and you think it will be helpful for someone else, take a minute to RT it. Use your influence to share links, blog posts, and thoughts that you found insightful. It will not go unnoticed.
3. Call out some of your favorite tweeps on #FollowFriday. I went through a long hiatus where I didn’t participate in #FollowFriday because I thought it was kind of stupid. But last week I realized that anytime someone included me in their #FollowFriday list it would put a little bounce in my step. Yep, it is that easy to brighten my day. And so from now on I am not going let a Friday pass without spreading some #FollowFriday love.

What are other easy and practical ways that you cultivate community online?

If you are not familiar with Brogan here’s what I can tell you about him, his blog is a must-read and his twitter feed is quirky, informative, and engaging. He is a master of social media, partly because he acknowledges that the game is constantly changing and that the only rules is that there are no rules.

Here are a couple of things that Chris Brogan reminded me that have stuck with me (like super glue):

1. Social Media is work.

It seems like daily, in meetings or impromptu conversations with co-workers, I hear “Social Media”, “blogging”, or “tweeting” mentioned as simple, cheap, and easy marketing solutions. And commonly the person expounding on the need to get our authors and brands engaged in these new mediums has no experience using them.

What they often neglect to understand is that using social media correctly as a business tool is work. It takes a lot of focus, time, and energy to build a strong and engaging online presence. (Case in point, Brogan revealed that it took him 8 years to secure his first 100 followers.)

To be successful at building a loyal and enthusiastic audience:

• You must create a platform being mindful of how you can stand out, how you are different.
• You must build an audience and make sure you are there “before the sale.”
• You must take time to get to know your audience – what they care about, how they talk, what they need, and how you can help them.
• You must live and die by your database understanding that the platforms are constantly changing but your “real” followers will follow you to the next technology.

Yep, social media is work. A lot of work. Fun work.

2. Social Media magnifies.

My impression is that there are two keys to Chris Brogan’s success. One, he works hard. Two, he is just plain likable.

Brogan is someone you want to know and interact with. He interacts daily with hundreds of thousands of people (no exaggeration). And his friends and followers love the exchange of knowledge, his blogging tips, and the random banter. His blog and his twitter feed are microphones, enhancing his collaborative spirit and his genuine nature.

Likewise, if you are not likable, if you self-obsessed, if you are boring, if you are a constant cynic, if you take and you don’t give back, Social Media will only amplify those shortcomings. And it certainly won’t help you sell anything!

These are just a couple of simple takeaways from Brogan. He has a lot more knowledge to share so I highly recommend you purchase a copy of his book, Trust Agents.

Do you follow @chrisbrogan on Twitter or read his blog? What has he taught you about social media?

PS -  I really enjoyed this smart summary of Brogan’s talk by Kyle Chowning. You should read it. I’m just saying.

Here’s a link to Part 1 (in case you missed it yesterday).

And without further ado, “Why I Love Social Media, Part 2.”

You can win free stuff. Checkout what I found in my Facebook inbox yesterday.

It was really fun. And informative. Here were my top 5 takeaways:

1. I reconnected with the reason why I started blogging. I started blogging because I wanted to create an online network and share my life and experiences with them. I wanted to keep record of my life and my growth.
2. I decided to move from a wordpress.com blog to a self-hosted blog. I actually decided this a long time ago but I have been dragging my feet. But now I am hungry for it. I want more design options and I want more back end analytics.
3. I need to do a better job of organizing my posts. Admittedly, I am terrible about this. I need to create a few categories that represent my passions – Books, Food, Social Media, Causes, Religion, Travel, Leadership, Relationships. Also, I need to be more intentional about my use of keywords.
4. I am going to be more intentional about what I write. (Intentional, that word keeps popping up. It is not just in this post but also in my life that it keeps appearing.) I need to write about things that I am enthusiastic about. Things that naturally fit into the categories above.
5. And most importantly, I need to write more. A lot more. I am committed to writing three posts a week. I know I can do it. If you start seeing a post that is just a sentence or two, you know I have gotten desperate, really desperate.

And that was just the beginning of what I learned and want to apply. To read what others thought about the seminar, check out the live Twitter feed.

Oh, and if Social Media interests you, don’t take my word for it. Watch for their next LifeWork 2.0 session and sign up here.

Any advice on blogging or Social Media in general for a girl who is still just getting started?

For instance, if someone’s tweets are constantly whines and complaints, I start to think they are negative. I start to change the way that I interact with them, in person and online.

And the reverse is true too. I feel myself drawn to friends on Twitter who are constantly encouraging and educating. I enjoy interacting with these tweeps. I am happy to pass along (RT) their tweets.

And I consciously think…I want to be more like those people.

And so Twitter has changed me. It has served as a daily gut-check. Am I being a person that people want to be around? Am I being the person that God created me to be?

If the answer is no (as it sometimes, alright often, is), I am taking time to try to get my head and my heart right.

This is just one more reason why I love Twitter…

How has Twitter changed you?

If you didn’t get a chance to watch, check it out here:

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8j_3WsBnZLQ]

Here is why I got frustrated watching the segment:

1.  Evan, Twitter’s co-founder, had a hard time getting a word in edgewise. I would love to have heard more about why and how Twitter got started, how they are managing their business, and what their plans are for the future. But unfortunately, we didn’t have the opportunity to hear much from him.

2. Only a small part of the Twitter story was told. They talked about how Twitter was a great vehicle for celebrities, and people who want to follow celebrities, but what about the rest of us?

I would have loved some Twitter success stories — stories about… how it is a tremendous networking tool, how businesses have used it to engage with their customers, how it has become THE source for breaking news, how it has united communities, and how it has created activists for global causes?

3. There were no helpful hints for beginners. I can imagine that this information would have been helpful to @oprah, the panelists, and the viewers who were learning about and engaging with Twitter for the first time. But unfortunately they didn’t leave people with simple instructions on how to get started. (Note: If you are thinking about Twittering and want to know where and how to start, don’t miss @michaelhyatt‘s post, The Beginner’s Guide to Twitter.)

But what do I know? With the @aplusk and @cnnbrk face-off and the Oprah piece, the site experienced tremendous growth last week. (Check out this TechCrunch article for more information.)

Did you watch? What did you think about Oprah’s segment on Twitter?

But, there is one aspect of Twitter that I really struggle with – the awkward introduction…

An Awkward Introduction

Let me explain, currently I am “following” 906 and have 848 “followers.” I would estimate that I only have had face-to-face interaction with 5% of each group. The other 95% are strangers in almost every sense of the word. But they are strangers who are constantly updating me on their day-to-day activities, their businesses, and their families. And conversely, they are strangers who know what I am reading and what I ate for dinner. They are strangers, yet both friends and confidantes.

So what happens when these strange friends walk into your life off-line? Earlier this week, I attended Catalyst One Day in Atlanta and met face-to-face several folks I follow on Twitter, including Tony Morgan, Kendra Fleming, and Ben Arment. And I was awkward!

I am not a shy person, but there is something just plain odd about meeting someone for the first time, when you already feel connected to them. What social rules apply in this situation?

So fellow-twitterers who have more social grace than I…how do you handle these awkward introductions?