The Power of Social Media - HP LaserJet edition!

The one-millionth LaserJet was donated to the Gutenberg Museum in Germany, some 25 years ago. This photo came my way via a Social Media connection.

First off, I believe I have adequate excuses for being addicted to social media. One, as a part-time blogger/journalist/analyst, I use Twitter and other sources as news-gathering tools. Two, as a part-time business professor, I need to stay abreast of one of the biggest disruptors in the history of marketing, and an important element of that knowledge is personal, hands-on experience with the various platforms.

OK, with that out of the way, I am also just plain hooked! And part of that comes from social media's unique abilities to enable connections. Whether it's with becoming re-acquainted across the miles with long-ago friends and workmates, or expanding my reach locally with people of different demographic status but who share common interests in expression and reaching out, or even the occasional "brush with greatness", social media offers "never-before" opportunities.

A recent series of events confirmed to me, once again, an example of this reach. At HP's Print Tech Days this week, we got the scoop that the company had shipped 200 million LaserJet printers. In addition to blogging about it here (see http://jimlyonsobservations.blogspot.mx/2013/11/hp-ships-200-millionth-laserjet.html), I also tweeted and updated my LinkedIn status to include the news. And shortly thereafter, long-time-no-talk long-ago business colleague, Reinhard Anton (@reinhardanton) replied back via LinkedIn that, as our LaserJet product manager in the late 1980s, managed the donation of the one-millionth LaserJet unit to the Gutenberg Museum in Mainz, Germany and even provided the photo commemorating the gift, included above.

A fun, great memory that would not have happened without Social Media!