You’ll hear people talk about the number of followers they have on twitter or the number “friends” they have on Facebook. As I’ve written before, I’m not in the Collection Business.  No, I’m not looking to just pump up my “stats.” The best thing about social networking is that it can lead to real connections. Michael Leis was the first person that become a real connection. I met him nearly a year ago and I’m grateful for having had a chance to have a real conversation with him.

Recently, I had the chance to meet Judy Abel and Kasey Skala.  Meeting these folks in person was an awesome experience. We met up at a local bar and talked shop for roughly 4 hours. It’s always great to get the perspectives of people from different walks of life. Not only do you get some well needed affirmation when they agree with you but you also get your brain stretched when they bring something to the table that you haven’t considered.  Later on today, I’m going to grab lunch and talk with Keith Privette.  He’s someone I met on twitter and have been trying to meet up with for some time.  Finally the stars aligned and we’re going to make it work.

If you haven’t started making real connections, you’re missing the point of social media. Get out there, organize a tweetup, setup a lunch or grab a cup of coffee (or hot chocolate if you’re me). Because, hiding behind a computer tweeting isn’t very social. But, sharing a beer most definitely is.

I’m out on vacation this week. The keys to TheKmiecs.com have been turned over to a few, select, awesome guest writers. The following has not been edited by me and is the work and effort of the original author. I appreciate the time and thinking that went into this post and hope you will too. Enjoy!

From now on, every time you consider the potential for an interactive initiative, you must ask what your audience will be asking:

What can I do with it?

Think back to the story of Green Eggs and Ham. You’re asking someone no try a new idea, and then use that information in a variety of online and offline settings that make the most sense to them.

Merely presenting information is no longer enough. Your audience needs a clear, convenient way to do something with it. Can they use it on a plane? On a train? In a house? With a mouse?

This isn’t over-simplifying: it’s clarity. Your content is best used someplace else. Rhyming makes it more fun. Where is your content best suited? What kinds of content are most used in that place? This will take some investigation, trial and error. The best part about this investigation process is the incredibly valuable surprises you learn along the way. Making your content clean and passable will create its own sidewalks to audiences you never knew existed.

The relationship between Sam and his nay-saying nemesis became stronger once they shared the meal. Green Eggs and Ham is the tie that binds them. There’s no difference between that experience and sharing new content with friends in Flixster, MySpace, or YouTube. It’s the power of discovery.

Helping people share makes their own relationships stronger. We call these social objects today. Regardless of what term we apply, people will continue to look for these opportunities to show something new to a friend or colleague and make a stronger relationship with that content.

Don’t be afraid to show people how to use your content. Give examples. Sam demonstrates every conceivable way to eat green eggs and ham. So should you. Demonstrate the ways that other similar people have used your content. Today we call this social proof. It helps a lot when you can see people like yourself taking specific actions.

FriendConnect and Facebook are both great tools to show your content in the context of friends: making the mental leap of doing something new feel a lot smaller. Letting people share what they find, and putting it in their own terms is the most powerful marketing you’ll never have to buy. Green Eggs and Ham is just one of the stories that have lasted for generations by demonstrating the most entertaining, memorable ways of doing just that.

Thanks to Steve “Doc” Baty (Meld Consulting) for his help on the post.

Michael Leis is a strategic consultant connecting brands, technology, and people. Find out more at http://blog.michaelleis.com or on Twitter @mleis