How did people branch outside their social circle before the internet

With today’s public offering of Twitter, I found myself wondering how people branched out of their nearby social circle before the arrival of the internet. I have been invited to attend a networking event for working mother’s in my local area sponsored by the Chamber of Commerce and supported by a LinkedIn group later this year. I might not have even know this group existed before email, and I probably wouldn’t have been comfortable with interacting with them if I didn’t have the option of quickly researching who and what the group was all about, but here I find myself even more connected to my community at a time when there are those who believe the internet and social media may be eroding in person connections.

I remember thinking the same when my first son was born. I had signed up with Facebook purely to gain access to photos my friends and family were posting of him. What I didn’t expect was to reconnect with childhood friends who were sharing a number of experiences with me. It was almost as if I had joined a support group without the plastic chairs and better coffee.

Has social media had a positive or negative affect on you?