On Monday, June 16, 2008, at 5:06 PM, I posted the following on Twitter:

Wow. There are some really sick people on twitter. Do me a favor: If you know of any others, let me know so I can follow them too.

At 8:45, a man I’d never heard of before named Wayne Porter responded:

I am not sick, but moderately (yet functionally) deranged. That qualify?

A few tweets and a couple of hours later we picked up the phone and had a mind-blowing 2 hour conversation.

At 1:00 AM the call ended.  And my bewilderment began.

In just over 4 hours Wayne and I went from never having made contact to engaging in one of the deepest conversations I’ve had in a very long time.  But how?

Before social media like Twitter existed, there’s no telling how much longer it would have taken for us to develop such a relationship.  Days, weeks, months?  Possibly never?

And yet, without any premeditated attempt to make a “deep connection” on either of our parts, Twitter made it possible for us to almost fall into what promises to be a very beneficial relationship for both of us.

And the feeling is apparently mutual.  Wayne has blogged about this encounter here.

I’m not sure either one of us fully understands the social dynamics that made this encounter possible.  But I’m certain neither of us was aware of the social dynamics as our encounter unfolded.  It just unfolded.  Spontaneously.  Courtesy of Twitter.

And while relationships that develop at breakneck speeds via social networks may not be the norm yet, they soon will be.

If you’re not convinced, just wait.  There’s no telling where that next tweet may lead you.

PS. While Wayne initially responded to my “sick tweet” mentioned earlier, he told me he actually decided to learn more about me after reading an earlier tweet of mine on persuasion. 

Point being, you may never know what will lead to that next profitable relationship.  But you can bet it’s likely to be something you’ll have said quite spontaneously somewhere in the world of social media.

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If you liked what you just read, you will love what you discover in The Forbidden Keys to Persuasion.  Click the title to learn more.

P.S. In case you haven’t heard about him yet, Blair Warren is a television producer, writer, marketing consultant and self described “voracious student of human nature”.He’s been working in the field of television production and marketing for nearly 20 years, producing over 300 half-hour episodes and nearly 50 one-hour episodes of niche programming. Blair has also worked on countless commercials, promotional tapes and marketing campaigns for such clients as Diamond Shamrock, La Quinta Inns and Suites, The Cancer Therapy and Research Center, Pabst Blue Ribbon and Old Milwaukee Beer.

During a brief hiatus from television (92-94), Blair was a Programmer Analyst for Shell Oil, where he worked on high-level computer system designs as well as provided technical field support for some of their refineries’ onsite computer systems. He said, “While I loved the work, I soon found myself longing for the excitement, unpredictability and freedom that television had provided me, so I hung up my programmer hat and haven’t looked back”.

The move has allowed Blair to not only exercise his “creative side” but has given him ample time to pursue his near-obsessive fascination with human nature.

Blair created  The Forbidden Keys to Persuasion  as a six week e-class taught in 2003 and 2004 for as much as $1,950.  (Now it’s available as an affordable e-book. Click here to view more details.)