NEW YORK - JANUARY 9: (FILE PHOTO) Gold bulli...Image by Getty Images via Daylife

To celebrate her 4 Year Blogiversary, Alina Popescu launched a group project called Blogging and Relationships.

When I started blogging in 2005, I never dreamed how many wonderful people I’d meet and how much I’d learn from them. It would be impossible to remember all of it, but here are some that stand out …

Robyn McMaster, I think, was my first blogging friend. Every time I read her blog I gain a fresh perspective on human behavior. Her blog and even her casual conversation are full of “aha” moments.

Joanna Young is another old friend. One of the most caring people I know, virtually or otherwise. Actually we met and I was finally able to teach her something – how to eat a slice of pizza!

Robert Hruzek may wear a black hat, but he’s definitely one of the good guys. He can’t write a sentence without bringing a smile to my face. We even teamed up, along with George Angus, on my Scrambled Toast humor blog. It’s helping us get to know each other on a new level.

And how about Alina? Having a friend in Romania who can share her history and holidays and travels … I always look forward to seeing her on Twitter.

Jeanne Dininni … Thanks to blogging, we found an opportunity to work together. How cool is that?

Luke Gedeon is a new relationship. He was instrumental in helping me put together a 100-comment post, and then I returned the favor a few weeks later.

Andrew and I go way back – he is now on his second blog, which is marvelous. We’ve been loyal readers of each other’s blogs for years. There must be a reason!

Unlike Andrew, who lives in South Korea, Alina, and Joanna, Barbara Rozgonyi is practically a next door neighbor. We’ve had several little projects together and are sharing the joy of diving into social media.

I could go on and on talking about people like Vicky and Ulla and Karen and Amy and David and Drew and GL, but the point is -

Bloggers, as a group, are generous spirits, warmhearted and welcoming folks. Being an older guy, I grew up in a business environment where you played it close to the vest and hung on to private information for dear life. It’s been such a remarkable and refreshing change to make new friendships where the business and the personal blend almost seamlessly. If you’ve got 30 or 40 years ahead of you in your career, you don’t know how lucky you are! The web is making this the Golden Age of Business.

Addition, February 5 – And how could I forget to mention Rosa Say, my friend and the guiding light of Joyful Jubilant Learning? She’s made a real difference in my blogging life.

Related articles by Zemanta
Reblog this post [with Zemanta]