Online Community #GPlus5

#GPlus5
HAPPY 5th Birthday Google Plus

I searched for past posts I’d made celebrating this social media’s milestones…and since I’ve chosen to reset my account and take a couple of breaks, I’m missing some, but that’s the way it goes. We collect, we purge, we change our minds, we find ourself in places we hadn’t intended, and with some time and some determination, sometimes, we’re lucky to get ourselves back on track. We’re able to see old things from new perspectives…and that’s what my Plus Journey has been all about.

Five years of this space… I can only say, it’s been a wild ride.   But I make no excuses and offer no further explanations for the twists and turns that being a member of a community as promising, as fun, as diverse and as topsy/turvy as Google Plus has been.  I’ll only say, I’m glad I was here.  I’ve learned a few things about myself, and I’ve found some pretty awesome people who I am glad to call my friends, and others who have taught me invaluable lessons about interacting online, and otherwise.

I came here in the early days of Beta, thanks to a nudge from my brother, Robert Anderson.  His initial guidance, and his help in the early days, coaxing me out of my shyness (yep, I’m shy, who knew?) was instrumental in my finding my own way. Thanks to Google Plus, he saw a post of mine once when I was shooting #carshots  from the passenger seat rolling through Kentucky…and lo and behold I learned via a text he then sent that he was just a few miles up the road. I hadn’t seen him in 3 years, and so, an impromptu reunion occurred, and for that, I’m forever grateful for the Power of Social Media.

The amount of support we both received when we lost our Daddy back in August of 2013 was remarkable and caused me pause to consider what special people there are, who come to offer their love and condolence when they see others hurting. Thanks to G+ I was able to hangout with my Daddy, via Hangouts, when he was 1000 miles away. To be able to see his sweet smile and hear his voice, well, There is no price tag to put on that gift. Invaluable, precious moments, thanks to this space.

Most recently I’ve been fortunate to be accepted into two separate photography mentorships, Camera Basics: Beyond Automatic, and now Blurs and Unsharp Photography offered through the outstanding program G+ Mentorship Program for Photographers . This has quite literally changed me for the better, not only with my hobby of snapping photos, but in my new appreciation for the good things that social media has to offer. I’ve indeed found my Happy Place among these talented and sharing people.

I won’t even mention those of you who’ve become near and dear to me online, and IRL, only to say Thank You for sticking by me…you know who you are.

The collage here is a photo I shot back in 2014, and a Twirl edit of that same photo I did just this week…Funny how the same things can look so very different, and amazing how once we’re able to change our perspective and are ready to see the goodness, it simply appears in front of our eyes. 🙂 HAPPY BIRTHDAY, PLUS! I’m happy I came back.

Category : A-Z Miscellaneous, All Posts, Photographic Challenges
Tags :