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When we give out our email address within our virtual community then how can we get help in our physical community?
Again, the following is my studied opinion. I reserve the right to change my mind -- based on new information. My hope is to offer a useful opinion so that we (as a community) can select from more informed choices. I do not use the terms good, bad, right, and wrong. More on this point in the long term.
Given the above disclaimer, I consider the risk of giving out my email address to be very low and the rewards (gain) very high.
Furthermore, I believe the billionaires in Silicon Valley when they say, "By 2017 over 90% of the people on our planet will have a $20 super computer in their pocket. And, every individual and organization who must manage time, costs, and the quality of their service (job) will change. Thus, we will change to both cooperate and compete."
I further believe that we (a physical community called Cuyahoga Falls) operate in a very high risk zone -- if we keep operating with the same repeating patterns of action and non-action. In the past, we could repeat the same patterns ... and continue to get the same results -- because our competition did the same thing. In the future, our competition may lower our quality of life.
We see our leaders with new buildings on their brains operating in our physical community. But, we do not see our leaders operating in our virtual community in an honest, respectful and responsible manner. And, we need both. Both communities influence each other.
Our community members need the help of our leaders. And, our leaders need the help of our community members. One group cannot do it alone.
We need community members who know that when they ask a question that trumps all other Q&A then they have just intervened as a leader. The trump question packs the power of expertise into the present moment. A trumping question can humiliate the most powerful leadership position in a community -- even when humiliation is not the intent. The power of expertise is far more important than the power of a position.
So, let's ask ourselves, "What does an email address have to do with helping a community?"
Here's what we can tell from the email address that a person uses.
If you use an email address like '___@sbcglobal.net or ___@neo.rr.com then I know that you are more likely to get hacked. And, you have limited yourself and become dependent on one 'internet service provider'. If you want to change providers then you must change your email address at the same time. The change will force you to disrupt your life in unplanned ways.
If you use an email address like ___@hotmail.com or ___@yahoo.com then you may not risk getting hacked as quickly. But, you do limit your capacity to connect with very powerful tools like a spreadsheet, calendar, group distribution list and website -- to name a few. And, if you use ___@hotmail.com then you will pay extra for what is free from a competitor like Google.
Next Time:
When we give out a gmail address then can we get better help from our virtual community?