For a month, we sent e-mails back and forth. We called each other. We webcam-ed together. We wrote about each other on our websites. We did things for each other. The time had come. It was time to meet in person.
This week, I finally got to meet with a sponsor and her team after working with them through other online modems of communication. It was a bit odd. I already knew the way they looked and their tone of voice. I had an idea of what their workplace looked like and their personality. Really, it was like I had already met them. But after meeting in person, I realized no matter how great technology is today, nothing can compare to face-to-face interaction.
Meeting in person offered a more personal connection and understanding on things. Being able to speak together physically in person seemed to stir up more conversation than it did via webcam. Being able to look at the same exact document together all at once and discuss it together was a more rewarding conversation than it had been previously through webcam. I cannot explain it, but there was a different level of personality.
I was contemplating whether I should make the on-site visit or not, but in the end I’m glad I did.