Happy Birthday 2.0

The ol’ birthday came around recently, and wow, was it a different experience. No, there were no suprise parties or wild nights I’ll regret; instead, it was social media that turned my birthday upside down.

It all began the day before when I started to get a few Happy Birthdays on Facebook in advance. Then before my work day even got going, I’d been wished happy birthday a few more times by email, Twitter and instant messenger.

At school, when dropping my son off, another mother, whom I’m friends on Facebook, but who otherwise wouldn’t have a clue it was my birthday, surprised me with a birthday wish as well. It shocked me at first, but then I realized “oh right, Facebook gives you birthday reminders…” as do many other social media tools. My colleague, Simon, noted Plaxo had been sending him reminders that it was my birthday for a week! Geesh!

So you get the point. I have NEVER received so many happy birthday wishes EVER. How delightful.

And this drives home one of the biggest benefits of social media — helping you stay top of mind with your chosen friends/followers/connections. Whether they read about your latest work achievement, check out an interesting article you’ve shared — or simply see it’s your birthday. People are remembering you. And that can be good for business and birthdays!