I work at a very globally dispersed company (IBM), on very globally dispersed teams (often with no two people in the same country, let alone city), so social activity is simply not feasible in a lot of cases – and technology is precisely what has enabled me to build many valuable relationships and get a sense of community. Blogging and micro-blogging on our internal social platform (Lotus Connections) fill the role of the water cooler for me and are in some ways better than a water cooler in that they help me to find people with the same interests regardless of where they sit.
I’ve had a few chances over the years to meet people face-to-face who I formed friendships with exclusively through technology, and in every instance it has felt no different than meeting an old friend from my days spent loitering around water coolers.
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I work at a very globally dispersed company (IBM), on very globally dispersed teams (often with no two people in the same country, let alone city), so social activity is simply not feasible in a lot of cases – and technology is precisely what has enabled me to build many valuable relationships and get a sense of community. Blogging and micro-blogging on our internal social platform (Lotus Connections) fill the role of the water cooler for me and are in some ways better than a water cooler in that they help me to find people with the same interests regardless of where they sit. I’ve had a few chances over the years to meet people face-to-face who I formed friendships with exclusively through technology, and in every instance it has felt no different than meeting an old friend from my days spent loitering around water coolers.