A few things I learned about social media from Laurel & Hardy.

I have a weakness (or two), I admit. One is finding old photos, or looking through my digital pics on Picasa, Flickr, my CD's, or my 1.5 terabyte external drive. Often, when I find a treasure, off I go on down the rabbit hole. What's next?

I was looking for that special 'Kodak Moment' and grabbed at least 40 pics I liked and these two photos stayed near the top almost to the very end. I came back to them many times, yet I couldn't formulate why? The universe was trying to tell me something but I wasn't listening.

Taken at the Puyallup Fair back in September, I had a great time playing with these guys and we had some great laughs. Their antics were so authentic.

"There's that word again, authentic... It keeps coming up lately." I'm building up to something, but later... One rabbit hole at a time.

Anyway, since then, Laurel & Hardy have been stuck in my mind.

My brother Steve and I watched Laurel & Hardy on Saturday mornings along with cartoons. Mom ran a tight household. Often, we got up early so we could get downstairs, grab something for breakfast, and head for the television before chores. It's amazing the appeal totally silly slap stick comedies have on 8 to 10 year old boys. We loved Laurel & Hardy, The 3 Stooges, the Marx Brothers, and of course, Looney Tunes.

In my curiosity I went to YouTube and found hundreds of video snippets from Laurel & Hardy movies. I also checked the official website and Wikipedia. I didn't realize they made 106 films together.

It may seem a bit of a stretch, but I see a connection and relatedness with good social media practices, particularly blogging. Yes, movies are one way communication, but through an exaggerated simple premise they connect with their audience. They pull us in and never push. They never explain, leaving lots of room for us to include ourselves. It's a wonderful asynchronous conversation that engages us internally. It's never about agreement no matter how ridiculous the circumstances. It's about story telling and we get to go along for the ride. Last weekend I spent a couple of hours going through their movies online. I laughed so hard my stomach muscles cramped and my eyes teared up. You would have thought I met Buddha.

Laurel & Hardy were so good at it

that despite super corny plots, questionable scripts, really primitive filming technology, cheap sets, and sometimes lack of artistic control, they transcend the medium and their message skilfully shines through big and bright, even to this day.

That's like social media to me...

The insight and reminder? I love technology, yet what's more important is what those tools allow us to do and understanding how those platforms shape and define the landscape in which we communicate.

I see the need to sharpen my skills every day, and yet, not far off in the future, no matter how hard I work, I will be dated, old fashioned, and obsolete. I'm not defeated by that. It's a fact. I get it. If I tell a good story, my story, and connect, the tools I used won't matter, it's about what I said. My story is part of all stories.

Wouldn't it be cool if 10 20 50 years from now someone going down their digital rabbit hole discovered me and I touch them somehow and it makes them laugh? Or, something I wrote about the old neighborhood provided an important clue to their research. Or maybe they were looking for something totally different but I showed up in the search and they read a story by a guy from way back when in Renton, Washington.

"Well, here's another nice mess you've gotten me into!"

I better get busy! What's next?