I’m back. Did ya miss me? (Don’t answer that.) Been off the blog for almost 30 days.

Where did the time go?

Well, I’ll tell you. I was still plugged in, but to a bunch of new stuff…spent some time exploring tools and technology I hadn’t before so as to expand my social repertoire. I invite you to walk with me for a minute to see where I’ve been, in case you’d like to go a-wanderin’, too.

Sailing Out Of Twitter
Would you believe I have Twitter to thank for reconnecting me to a love of sailing that I lost track of more than a decade ago? A Twitter contact put the idea back in my head. And, as these things do, the cosmic connections started to stir around me. Twitter sailors started popping up everywhere, and the next thing I knew I was back on a boat trying to remember my topping lift from my twing. Because of Twitter, I rediscovered a little piece of me I thought was gone forever. Cool, huh? (And people think it’s just full of people talking about what they ate for lunch.) And then…

CafePress
I needed a red shirt to wear for the next sailing race. So I figured, why not get one with the name of the sailing team with whom I was racing on the front pocket? Of course I’ve known about CafePress for quite some time, bought from it and recommended it, but I wanted to figure out how it worked from a creator’s standpoint. So I set up my own storefronts at www.cafepress.com/GrayMatterPress and www.cafepress.com/GrayPicturesLLC for no other reason than because I could. And then…

A Very Social Snow Cone
As serendipity would have it, I got together with an old friend and fellow entrepreneur to chat about life and biz and sailing-thanks-to-Twitter, and before I had finished my snow cone (coconut flavor with marshmallow in the middle), she had decided to start a new networking group and a blog to boot. The first event she hosted was a smashing success. It is my pleasure to introduce www.FreeBirdsUnited.com/blog, a blog for women entrepreneurs. (Go Betty, go!) As I scraped the marshmallow from the bottom of my cup, I suggested she set up a store at CafePress (having just done so myself), so we could buy FreeBird stuff to showcase our affiliation. And then…

Flip Mino HD
I thought I should go back in and actually add some products to my stores on CafePress, and that’s when I saw that you can put your logo on those cool little flip mino HD digital video cameras. So, naturally, I did. Then I bought one. And then…

YouTube
With my hot little (branded) flip mino HD cam in hand, I realized how easy it would be to shoot and post something to YouTube. So I did that, too. And it was fun. Fun, I tell you. So much fun that I decided I could have even more fun if I had a little something (and I do mean “little”) to sail myself, from which I could shoot more fun stuff. And then…

Craigslist
As with all other things in my world, I realize that hands-on experience (whether you’re building a blog or sailing a boat) is the best kind. I was always a bit of an eBay snob, but search results for little sailboats kept churning up Craigslist links (anyone who has heard me talk about social media, has heard me talk about the power of “search”…this being a case in point). And, it turns out, I ended up having a very positive Craigslist experience. Saw a good listing, chatted with the seller by phone, met him and then bought a little tiny itty-bitty Sunfish.  And then…

Audible.com
I had to go pick up the little itty-bitty boat, so I downloaded a book — a memoir — to my iPod to listen to on the drive that broke my heart and reminded me, yet again, that life is short and every day is a gift. It also reminded me that you never know where new connections may take place or where those connections may take you. It’s hard to put the power of this book in the context of anything else because it tells a story that is more important than anything I will ever say or do in my lifetime. I will carry it with me in my mind forever, count my blessings and continue on…

Facebook
I then posted a wall-to-wall “thank you” to the friend who recommended the abovementioned book, and then I joined a few sailing groups on Facebook in case I have questions while fixing up my little Sunfish. I also connected with the new sailors I have met racing so we can stay in touch on shore, virtually speaking. Facebook has helped me get to know each of them a bit better beyond our chatter between tacking and jibing. And then…

I realized it’s been a month since I posted to GrayMatter Minute!

So as I settle back down into blog business, I’m looking forward to refocusing my efforts on Social Gets Local, where I am sharing case studies about how local Baltimore-Washington-Annapolis area businesses are using social media successfully. (Ping me if you’d like to be added to the directory.)

Why do I think any of you care about what I’ve been doing over the past 30 days?

Well, I don’t. However, I do think my adventure presents an interesting example of how social media connections you make online can move offline and then back online again and take you to places you might not otherwise have traveled.

Meet online. Move offline. Maintain your network.

Technology doesn’t have to be overwhelming or all-consuming. It’s what you make it. All of these social tools are there to make it easier for you to connect to the things that matter to you — from business to blogging to boating to books or whatever moves your needle. I LOVE being plugged in because doors keep opening all around me. So if you aren’t getting anything out of Twitter or you think Facebook is stupid (and that’s cool if you do…it’s your dime), I just want to suggest that if you explore them in earnest you can learn a lot about whatever you want.

I was in this for the FYI, not the ROI.

We’re each the skipper of our own little boat and that can be rather empowering. I’ll save the “ROI of Social Media” discussions for Social Gets Local. In this post, I just wanted to make the point that when you make the investment in filling your own social sails, you may be surprised (and delighted) to see where the wind might take you.

Sometimes the journey itself is the destination — and the reward.