Every time I publish a book, I send copies to various friends and people in my professional network. About two years ago, when I was preparing to mail out copies of Tranquility by Tuesday, I made a point of emailing everyone to check if I had their addresses correct. It would be annoying to pay for postage to mail a book to the wrong spot! Having moved recently myself, I was also well aware that not everyone is as nice as the family that bought my old house (they make sure I get anything that’s sent to my old address promptly).
There was a practical reason for those emails, but it was also a very fun exercise, because reconnecting is fun. I got all sorts of wonderful responses. I learned about people’s current lives. I got a few lunch and coffee dates set up with people who were visiting Philadelphia. I learned about people’s new projects, new family members, and so forth. In this social media era it’s tempting to think we know everything about everyone, but we really don’t. Not everyone posts everything about their lives. Connecting individually is always going to be more meaningful.
Reach out
So this Vanderhack could be just a nudge to reach out to old friends and colleagues. You don’t really need a reason. I can guarantee that almost everyone will be happy to hear from you. Anyone who isn’t will just ignore you. They’re not going to send a nasty note saying never to reach out again.
That said, I do know it can feel a little weird to reach out out of the blue. If you rarely do this, you might get a few responses from people wondering if you’re OK. So if you’re looking for a reason to reach out, why not borrow mine? Systematically confirm people’s mailing addresses.
There’s an obvious reason for this: say you’ll be sending holiday cards later this year, and are just updating your files. Or maybe you’ll be sending birth announcements, or graduation announcements, or you’re moving — those are all practical reasons to reach out too, but the holiday card one might be more broadly applicable.
Any upside you can imagine
These notes can be brief: “Hi Joe! Hope all is well. I’m sending holiday cards later this year and just wanted to confirm people’s mailing addresses. Are you still on Maple Street? I was just reminiscing about our trip junior year to France. That was awesome.” Say a quick thing or two and then wish the person well.
Some folks will just respond with yes. Or a new address. But most will follow up with something a bit more friendly and you’ll start up a new conversation. If nothing else, this will make checking your email a lot more fun for at least a week or two.
So why not give it a shot? At least you’ll get fewer returned envelopes after the holidays. And the upside is anything you can imagine.