The magic of dot-to-dots

I have vivid memories of dot-to-dot assignments in elementary school. Once upon a time, I recall the magic of seeing a figure reveal itself to me one dot a time. It wasn't until I was older that I developed a tendency to look for the image before I went on the journey from dot to dot. How modern of me. Marshall McLuhan and Bruce Powers would tell me that the transition from dot journeywoman to figure seeker was indicative of my development as a left-brained Westerner.

When I was little, the ground (or the pictures of flowers) overwhelmed the dots so that only upon drawing lines from dot to dot did I discover and realize the figure (in this metaphor, a caterpillar). It was always magical to find see that figure as a part of its ground, two things becoming one.

I think that figuring out this whole social media transition is a bit like those connect-the-dots worksheets that smelled of mimeograph years ago (that purple had a bit of magic to it, too). Granted, there are differences, but it's really about moving from point to point in a methodical fashion. I think it might be the only way you can create a picture of social media that's meaningful to you (and your company, organization, whatever) in the noisy and cluttered ground of the Internet and all the possibilities it brings.

For now, the moral of the story is to move from dot to dot with purpose. Sure, it's fun to jump in there and try different dots, but if you move in a random path, your picture won't make sense. The picture's not the same for everyone. Social media provides humanity with an infinite number of potential pictures to be drawn (e.g. communication strategies). If you just close your eyes and start scribbling, you'll never see the picture. It'll just be a mess of confusion in the sea of the Web.

So, let's sit down, pick up a crayon, smell that magical mimeograph (or the cup of joe on your desk), and resolve to move forward one dot at a time.