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Networking: A New Manifesto

On fandoms and fleeting encounters

Published 2 months ago • 1 min read

Here are 3 ideas to help you cultivate more connection in your life this week. If you enjoy this week's edition you can leave a comment online if you like.
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(1) There is joy to be found in fandoms
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This newsletter is running late in part because of Taylor Swift. In case you weren’t aware she dropped a number of delightful clues yesterday and announced a new album. Whether you care about this or not makes no difference to me, but it did cause me immense joy and distraction. My Threads feed exploded with excitement and it was wonderful to watch and be a part of. I was not a Swiftie until my daughter thrust that upon me. It's something we connect over, another little bridge of connection.
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Whatever your passion though there is joy to be found in fandoms - be it a sports team, movies series, a TV show or a musician. Don't apologise for them. In a world that often feels cold, these pockets of shared enthusiasm deserve celebration.
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(2) You actually need to spend time
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An onus on the word spend. It takes time to build connection. Whether with colleagues, family, or friends, meaningful relationships grow from longer stretches of shared time - spent together - something we often forget in our rush to stay connected digitally.
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(3) But, connection can come from short encounters
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Connection can also spark in brief moments. A workshop leader you'll never see again, a stranger's kind gesture, showing someone around your city—these fleeting interactions matter too. When I hit the 7 week mark on these newsletters and published the top 21 tips as a LinkedIn article, I was reminded by Kim Ravn-Jensen: even single conversations can leave lasting impact far beyond the encounter itself. Thank you Kim.
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Until next week,
Anna
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Networking: A New Manifesto

By Anna McAfee

Exploring the intersection between digital connection, community strategy, local communities, belonging, permaculture principles, sustainability, and psychology. My work analyses the systems that prop up our current networking practices and looks at practical steps we can unlearn to build stronger networks that serve both people and the planet.

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