of reunions and social networking

Recently, there was one more failed attempt at doing a reunion of my engineering class. Having attempted it earlier, I was very cynical. However, I was still looking forward to it happening and had planned my day accordingly. Alas this one didn't take off. Only 5-6 people were finally turning up. Its a very standard affair with these engineering reunions. The junta in the states will always responds, maybe cos they really miss catching up with classmates or since they have the most genuine excuse. Then it is the regular 4-5 punters who turn up every time. Rest dont bother.

22nd may was the Mumbai leg of Anusmaran, the annual reunion of IIMB. Its been 5 years since we left campus and exactly 5 of the batch of 200 (atleast 50 are in town) turned up to celebrate the occasion. Clearly recession is over... last year we had a lot of networkers turning up! As one good friend of mine, who is a keen networker and quite social, justified to me in the morning, 'Jin se contact rakna hai, ho jata hai. Baki se milne me no enthu'

I quite enjoy reunions. Its a great joy for me to bump into long lost friends at reunions and catch up on their life. Have attended every one of those held of my Engg and MBA college. Just missed a recent school reunion.

Hence, it quite disappoints me when well planned unions fail to get a turn out. Also makes me wonder why and what can be done to turn this around.

Clearly the internet and Social networing have played their part. I had lost touch with all but 2 classmates from school. Now, most are on my friend list and we even have a community of our own. Atleast 10 wished me on my birthday recently. Have caught some movies with a few off late.

So while social networking may have played its part in connecting long lost friends, it may also be contributing to the reduced interest in meeting

However, i feel that the most important factor is the bandwagon effect. (This is one of the rare terms of Kotler that I actually internalised). Most people want to be a part of a fun, successful event. They ask their cool friends. Each one is waiting for someone else they like to say he is going. Chicken n egg, and in the end, no one goes.

Bandwagon is also responsible for the rise and fall of social networking. In 2005, Orkut was cool (in India). By 2007, facebook came in. Today, its twitter. I remember a friend of mine telling me, orkut is so lame, facebook is cool. Of late, people say the same of fb and twitter (which really is nothing much than 1 feature of fb, if u ask me). As someone who has active friends in all 3 places, let me tell u that I still know a lot of very cool people (some of my coolest trek friends) who are very active on orkut and dislike facebook. Similar with twitter. Clearly, it is not interface or functionality. It is pure and simple bandwagon. I will be active where people bother to acknowledge my activity. People who I want to network with have to be there. That's that! Interface is just an excuse.

Today Twitter is the rage, tomorrow it would be lame. Since, I have always been about a year late on these phenomenons, I might begin to appreciate it then. Anyway, the point here is not to say which is better, it is to say that all parameters of cool and lame are just based on which people we know are active where.

So in summary, its not social networking that is killing reunions, but bandwagon effect that is determining the success of both! Now you know, doesn't make an earth shattering difference to your life, carry on doing what you were, before you read this!