I just returned from a European vacation that was capped with four days in Paris. While it is an expansive (not to mention expensive) city, certain elements of the Parisian culture make themselves evident straight away. Foremost among these is what I call the “cafe culture.”
You can’t help but notice it right away. The cafe culture isn’t really about the food (though it is quite good) or the spirits (though they flow abundantly). It is all about the people. And the connections. It occurred to me that this was social networking at its very best.
What’s more, this social networking happens with nary a glimpse of technology. I can honestly say that in the four days that I spent strolling past cafe after cafe, I did not see one person texting, web surfing or even chatting on their mobile. Not because they are technology laggards, but because they were already with people. Real life, flesh and blood people. Networking the old fashioned way, up close and personal, for a long time and to their obvious enjoyment.
You might be tempted to think that such lax behaviors are indicative of an overall attitude that is detrimental to their economy. But France does have the fifth largest Western industrialized economy, and is the second largest trading nation in Western Europe. They are obviously doing something right.
I think that they are onto something big. Here in the States, we seem to do social networking differently. So much so, that it has developed into something that actually has a name. It happens over the Internet and our mobile phones and has become an important arrow in the quiver of every business person. We carve out networking activities on LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter and scores of other sites because we are too busy to accomplish it in the course of our overly scheduled lives. We simply do not have the time for the Parisian model, as our busy lives demand that we need our food fast. They have their relaxed cafe encounters, we have our French fries.
Perhaps it’s time to reassess our schedules and slow down, just a tad. My guess is that we can all afford to free up a little more time for social networking the old fashioned, high fashion way. The way of the Paris cafe. Bon appetit.