In my professional life I am a communications professional and a big part of my training has involved how to use social media to match the message that your company is looking to distribute to the audience that you are looking to reach.
That's why I read with great interest a post from Hack My Trip on how networking can be one of the most valuable travel resources. As I have said many times over, I have only been in the points and miles game for about 6-9 months and I must admit that when I first started I was so confused....I had no idea where to even start!
Then I started adding blog after blog after blog to my Google Reader which finally gave me a great overview of the points/miles games and how everyone approaches it in their own way. But one of the biggest things I learned was how open and amazing the community really is, especially on social media!
I started to follow the bloggers I read on a regular basis on Twitter. From there I started following people that they interacted with on a regular basis. This allowed me to see the questions that others were asking and things they were curious about. I saw how everyone in the community was willing to help out with those questions and give everyone the chance to become a successful traveler using the tools that are available. Twitter is a great medium for this communication because our hobby is one that bring together people from around the country, and around the world, together to follow one game....and there is no better way to expand that knowledge than by learning from other people who have done it before and can lend a hand!
At first it was hard to reach out to people I have never talked to, let alone people I have never met in person. But I found out that everyone I have interacted with is nice as can be and willing to lend a hand. If you are willing to make an effort to get to know the people in the community you will find a great resource that is available to bounce ideas, learn from and travel by proxy with as we all go explore the world.
That being said....I am a person who LOVES to meet other people and know what they are up to. So...if you are willing...please follow me on Twitter here and here.
Plus...if you are in DC, drop me a line and lets meet up in person!
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