I have always been one to talk and question people to find some sort of connection – You know the game of Six degrees of separation. Having moved a ton in my life with a military Dad and then a call centre Husband – I am always making connections, linking someone I meet now to someone or something in my past.

Some of my favourite stories are :

• Seeing a girl at a park in Prince Edward Island who I was sure I skated with when living in Ontario – sure enough later that Fall she was a new member at the skating club and we continued our friendship
• Talking with a girlfriend in high school in Nova Scotia about our past homes and discovering when we were 7 we were playmates and friends on the base in Ontario.
• Ran into an old work colleague in the mall in PEI just after we moved into our new home. We had worked together 12 years before when I had lived there in a previous move. Turns out she was my new next door neighbour.

Anyhow, when I meet new people,  I really enjoy trying to find out if we connected through someone else we know … it’s a sad life I live sometimes!  *hehe*

So last week, when I was being interviewed for a promo piece for the OIVAC conference I am speaking at this week, I got to play the game again! Kind of.  It was a little variation but made me chuckle none the less.  Lyn Prowse-Bishop, a Virtual Assistant from Australia, was doing the interview and afterward we were chatting a bit.  One of the things she said was, “Now many years ago my husband and I were in Nova Scotia and we went to the this great bar in Halifax but we can’t remember the name. Maybe you can help because it has been driving us crazy.”

Well, my ears perked up, partly because my husband used to own a bar in downtown Halifax, and I immediately started thinking – “Oh I wonder if we met somehow” –   but, Australia is a far hike from Nova Scotia, the odds are slim.  It turned out not to be the case this time.  But I did get the name of the bar in one guess.  Lyn started to describe it (Keep in mind, our downtown and waterfront area in Halifax is pretty famous for all its pubs, bars and more; many with grand Maritime atmospheres – ie. beer and music and friendly people). This is as far as Lyn got describing it:  “Well, it was on the waterfront and… ”

I immediately jumped in (mostly because I love guessing games) “Aha! The Lower Deck!”  I was right and extremely proud of myself because I guessed a bar on the waterfront correctly – there are tons but few as memorable as the Lower Deck.  Lots of maritime music and beer as well as fun times with people from all over Atlantic Canada. We had a great laugh and the whole experience added a dimension to the connection she and I have.

When I see her online through Facebook or Twitter, I feel I have a bit more insight into Lyn and that just adds a little more depth to our virtual connection.  It really turned into another example of how working virtually, I do not find myself at all feeling home and alone with no other people contact.  I’m connected virtually to many people and it keeps me feeling very much in touch and enjoying the reach of people I can talk to.

If you work or network virtually, what pros and cons do you encounter?

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