Last night had the rare treat of going to my local. For those not familiar with the English phrase “local”; “local” = “pub”. Despite piles of work, it was Free Beer Night for Beer Club Members at Emmetts, and I for one will never turn down the chance of free beer!
The place was packed (Hello…FREE beer!) and I conversed with people I haven’t seen for a while, and drank McCarthy’s Red my mind was taken away from the pressures of my day, a friend who I consider close, said to me, “It’s so good to catch up, I was asking after you the other day, and was told that you were doing great, according to your Facebook Status Updates, Em I don’t have Facebook,!” “You don’t … well you get an account” I said. She questioned why, because it’s convenient I said! [Fact] Facebook affords me the convenient pleasure of being able to announce, report or comment on my life, whilst still focusing on my everyday tasks. I realized that if you don’t follow me on Facebook, you’re not really going to know what’s going on with my life, because thanks to Twitter/Facebook/Linkedin I’ve stopped conversing in any other way!
It must’ve been 20 minutes later when I looked down to the Winter 2009 Newsletter that sat propped up against the salt n pepper, and I was drawn to the owners editorial. He was talking about a report written by a British non-profit company that studies social issues. The report was titled “The Enduring Appeal of the Local.” sponsored by Greene King (English Brewer) The report studied social networking in the pub and examined whether web based social networking sites and “virtual” communities might encroach on the importance of the pub. I took the newsletter home, what synergy! After a few Tylenol this morning, I read the article…
As the article continued to discuss the merits of the local in conjunction with online digital communities, I too focused towards social networking tools. When you add a friend, colleague or family member to Facebook or Twitter or follow them on Twitter, you are participating and in turn socializing just as you would in your local. Add a virtual cocktail, and it’s a global pub without the hangover! Bravo! one says, however as human beings, social physical interaction is also key!
The article rang true about understanding what pubs, and locals in particular, are all about and why people still need them in the age of age of online communities, texting and other forms of ‘instant’ communication. To me this is not rocket science. At the end of the day we are social beings, and despite virtual communities being fun and convenient, nothing can replace the value of face to face communication and a good cold/warm beer!
So while we enjoy the convenience of Facebook and Twitter and join Facebook groups setup by our favorite breweries, don’t forget the value of face to face interaction. So to use the words of Andrew Burns, CEO of Emmetts I encourage you to “Send your friends an email, call them on your mobile phone or send an evite and then join them for a good old fashioned session at your “local”
CHEERS to my local and to social networking “where everybody knows my name”!
