I have been noticing over the summer that I truly am starting to move away from email and the phone to connect personally with friends and family, and now with colleagues as well. 
 

I find it amazing that in only a few short months, even in business, it has become commonplace to Facebook instant message a quick comment or note without any proper grammatical style or concern for tone.  If I were to send an email to that same colleague, it would begin with a greeting, follow a formal format and end with a proper sign off.  Now I am posting notes to their wall for all to see, and letting them know through my status updates that I enjoy a bowl of lucky charms on occasion!
 

A friend told me last week that he wondered if the pressure to always be socially “connected” or in touch was leading him to adult ADD!  I would have to agree, the pressure to be connected is getting worse!  Those in their 20’s are connecting through MSN around the clock, in addition, like the rest of us – there are text messages, emails via our PC’s and now through our PDA’s or blackberry’s – and these create the expectation of an immediate response.  

Now social networks like Facebook and Linked In have added the extra pressure of being socially “available” to new friends, long lost high school buddies, business associates, family members, “tertiary friends” as I have heard it described (or those not in your immediate network – but those who have become your “friend” within your social map) – ahhh – stop the madness!
 

Ok – so back to the original point of this post.  Communication is very rapidly changing and making us move very quickly.  I guess I would suggest to my friend – turn it off once in awhile and just “be” again.  Although I am recommending it, I don’t know if I can – I might miss something!