As I’m looking over the presentations I’ve done in the past on slideshare, I’m amazed at how much social media has helped me change in the way I view my world. Social media exposed me to networks of other professionals and new ideas way beyond the boundaries of the physical world I live and work.

I’m reminded of the story of a young frog who grew up in the bottom of a well. Because the frog couldn’t see the top of the well, the frog had no clue there’s a world beyond what he saw and lived. This was until a flood came and the water inside the well rose high enough that the frog finally saw the world he was living in the whole time. The flood in a way is like social media when it comes to my experience.

I still remember the first time I logged on to twitter on August 9, 2010. I didn’t know what to expect. I had heard about it from few folks at my university who had started using it and so I decided to try it. I was skeptical at first as I had no clue what twitter could even be used for. I mean 140 characters? What can you do with 140 characters? Almost five years later, and it’s unbelievable how social media has transformed my personal and professional lives. Through twitter, I learned from others how to blog and what to write about. I’ve met so many people in my field of student affairs and higher ed, I’ve gotten involved with projects beyond my university, and social media has transformed how I learn.

What if I had ignored twitter back then because I didn’t realize the value of it? Just like the frog, I still would have been in my own limited world.