A little while ago I sent a connnection request to Mr. Simon Peyton Jones. In case you don’t know who he is, he’s one of the major contributors to the creation of Haskell.
He replied asking me what the connection was about, which surprised me since it was the first time someone asked that. I said that I only wanted to follow him because I’m a long time Haskell fan. He then told me that that’s ok, but that a note with the connection to make it more personal would have been better. And I agree.
I often rant about how dehumanized human connection in social media is. Trolls everywhere saying shit they would not dare utter in person. It’s as if when online, people really think they’re the main character in an RPG and everyone else is an NPC.
And yet, for a long time I’ve spammed connections on LinkedIn, precisely thinking I am a main character in an RPG, and connections items to be collected. But not anymore.
My goal is henceforth to build a genuine network of people sharing cool stuff and caring at a personal level. People that actually interact with each other.
So, if you want to connect, I’ll be more than happy to. Just make sure you send your personal note on the request ;).