I was scheduled to attend a conference today but it was cancelled. Though I regret the loss of a great learning opportunity that’s not why I’m extremely disappointed. I signed up because attending would give me the chance to meet two people I’ve communicated with through social media. Both were to be speakers at the conference.The first was Joshua Garity, a user experience expert who I’ve had many exchanges with in the past year or so. We were really looking forward to meeting in real life (IRL for the 140 crowd). The other was Olivier Blanchard (see last post).

For those who think social media is for anti-social types who never take their eyes off their screens and can’t separate themselves from a keyboard, nothing could be further from the truth. We may start relationships online but we live for chance to meet in person. Conferences are great for that.

Fortunately I did have the opportunity this week to meet with another online friend for the first time. We’ve exchanged a plethora of tweets, comments and messages in the last two years and our meeting was like one of two old friends. The comfort was immediate. As we sat and discussed a range of topics I realized how much deeper the connection became face to face. She often sought advice from me on design and communication issues and I’ve helped as best I could but I now had a better understanding of the problems as the result of our conversation. New ideas continue to pop into my head to help her business.

Which brings me to the way we too often do business now. Let’s face it, we’re mailing it in – electronically. In the design world, that means, “Just send me a PDF”. And that request, not following a thought provoking meeting but at the end of a far too brief email message. I realize it can’t always be avoided. My own clientele is international. We can’t always fly back and forth from Europe to Canada but getting that opportunity a few times a year makes a big difference in communication.

I do a lot of local work in Toronto as well. Here, there are so many advantages to meeting. My best solutions come from thorough discussions. It could take days of email exchanges to clarify the direction set in a one hour meeting. And the solution will be better.

Next, allow me the opportunity to present my ideas. I can’t tell you how many times “Why did you do that?” changes to “That’s freakin’ brilliant!” once I’m able to explain the strategically driven direction of the solution. Yes, I know I can include all that in message or document but here’s the problem. Nobody reads what a designer writes. Boom! Straight to pictures. The questions and comments make it obvious when they address issues that are clearly explained in the text.

I want to do the absolute best work I can for you. If we sit and discuss your needs my brain will explode with ideas. Your feedback on my presentation will help to refine the solution to a stellar final outcome.

So. When can we meet?