Tamara Schilling

You read a few posts, you check out a couple of sites, the new “friend” looks great on paper…should you meet?

No

I have found Social Media to be a powerful tool yet discernment and wisdom is called for when considering to meet in-person with a new contact.

I am positively in favor of group meetings such as many Twitter followers do with local group Tweet-ups. To meet someone one-on-one I feel some caution should be observed to make sure you are being safe with the power of the internet to meet anyone in the world. Especially as a woman, it is essential to not make one-on-one connections before taking the time to get to know someone or meet up socially in a group setting first.

I have met the most amazing connection in a wonderful woman named, Lori Moreno. Lori and her husband were out vacationing in Arizona where I lived so we got together for a most enjoyable afternoon of sharing. Here’s our little adventure out while in Scottsdale, Arizona at Cafe Carumba. And if any of you “catch” my Seinfeld reference here….remember the episode where Elaine tries to find out for Jerry if his girlfriend’s ______ are “real” or fake? Well…uh in the making of the following video…let’s just say an “accident” happened and well….uh…. ask Lori if they’re real or not! AHAHAHA! Hey! She’s married and well… like I tell my son, accidents happen and we just move on with life…or the video!

Actually, Lori Moreno and I have been communicating via Twitter since May of last year, so we’ve been “chatting” on and off for the past 10 months. Meeting at Cafe Carumba was fantastic, and I am very grateful for the power of social media to deliver into my life such an extraordinary woman and now what I consider to be a developing friendship that may last a lifetime.

Prior to Twitter would I have met Lori? Probably not. So the power of the vehicle we call Facebook, Twitter or any social media vehicle is enormous. But with power comes responsibility and the use of wisdom.

Much love to all of you and may your connections be as rich and fulfilling as the new depth of friendships I have begun creating with Lori Moreno and many of you on both Facebook and Twitter.

Love to hear your comments and what you think! XOXO!