Veronica Kennedy is getting married in October.

For the past 2 months, I've followed the wedding challenges she's faced via Status Updates on Facebook. It's been fun to see her get the dress, book the hall, etc.

Thing is, I had never met her face to face until yesterday.

And when I did, we gave each other a hug!

This is why I think, sometimes, There is no "social networking for business".

It seems there are 3 types of "friends" online.

1. People you already know
2. People you've just met and might like to know better
3. People you've never met, but you have a common interest

After attending a webcast I led 2 months ago, Veronica was the only person (of the 40 on the call) who "friended" me on Facebook.

Maybe the others didn't think I was worth their time? ;-)

But, what happened?

We found out that we have a mutual friend.

We have learned a bit about each other personally via status updates.

Veronica has become a reader of my blog.

So, when we met in person, it was like we were reconnecting...and were 3 steps ahead of where we would have been otherwise.

The light cocktail party/polite conversation had given way to a deeper connection....

which is the currency of the "social media economy."