“I think Facebook is a huge waste of time,” a relative remarked recently.  “I really don’t want anyone knowing what I’m up to and I don’t see the point in Facebook.”

I personally think my relative is missing out on some great stuff, because both Facebook and Twitter have enriched my life in different ways.  When I first joined Facebook, I thought it was a huge waste of time too.  I also felt that way about Twitter, and I couldn’t see the value in sending out 140-character “tweets” a couple times a day.  I have learned a lot in the three years that I’ve engaged in social media and social networking.  I’ve met some incredible people and social networking has also lead me to some wonderful opportunities. 

For example, this morning, I got up at five a.m. and I drove to Cedar Lake, Indiana to go barefoot water skiing with two guys that I had never met face-to-face.

I could almost hear my mother-in-law lecturing me in my head as I drove on 294.  “Karen, are you crazy?  Meeting two guys in a boat– what if they’re axe-murderers?”

Let me back up and explain how this came about.  Earlier this summer, I took photos at Footstock, a barefoot water ski tournament up in Wisconsin.  I posted the pictures on Facebook.  Dan Tanis, one of the competitors, sent me a message on Facebook.  “Footin fool female…” he began, and then he explained how he found me.  His cousin from Germany saw the picture, and contacted Dan.  Then Dan noticed a picture of me barefooting with Bud DeGraff– and told me that his father knew the DeGraff family.

Small world.  Made even smaller with Facebook.

“We barefoot twice a week on Cedar Lake,” Dan explained.  “We’re having a race this Sunday.”

Since the barefoot world is small, I called Keith St. Onge, the two-time World Champion who knew Dan and asked some questions.  “So, he’s not an axe-murderer?” I joked.  Keith laughed and said that Dan was a good guy to barefoot with.

And that’s how I ended up spending the morning on Cedar Lake with my feet skimming on the water with two guys that I just met.  And we had a blast.

Facebook and Twitter have brought many other opportunities and connections like that.  I’ve conversed with Alex Fayle from Spain, who ended up doing an interview with me.  I connected with Glenda Watson Hyatt from Canada and she introduced me to Twitter.  I met Liz Strauss and Chris Brogan both online and at a local conference. The two of them are the King and Queen of social networking and I often refer new folks to their Twitter and Facebook pages so they can learn the power of connecting with others.  There are many more stories of the amazing folks I’ve met online and the face-to-face opportunities that have resulted from social networking.

So if you’re leery of Facebook and don’t understand Twitter, take some time to learn how social networking can benefit you. I urge you to keep an open mind about the power of connecting with others– you never know what opportunities it will lead to.

As for me, I’m off to search my Facebook crowd for someone who is willing to teach me how to make a million bucks.