Image of Jonathan Novich
I found myself alone in the front of the minivan at 9pm with the rest of the team sleeping in back on the last leg of our family vacation.
Since I hadn’t put the word out to schedule late-night conference calls, (see “how to use Twitter and Facebook” to network”), I invented Rolodex Roulette.
The idea?
Commit to calling one person in my phonebook for each letter of the alphabet by last name and allow the randomness of the touch screen scrolling interface to determine whom I would call.
You never know, right?
Well, I ended up making 23 calls (I only know one person whose last name starts with X and he lives in Japan, so that wasn’t going to happen) and we got home before I could get to Y and Z.
The result?
8 GREAT conversations and connecting with people I hadn’t chatted with in a LONG time.
Plus, when you talk to “random” people, you have the opportunity to hear things that are outside of your normal discourse, which broadens your worldview.
Here’s the list (* means that I actually spoke with them)
- Ytzik Aranov
- Justin Bacon*
- Elle Can
- Justin Damelin
- Jack Elmore
- Stephanie Fisch
- Martha Galley
- Chris Hagner*
- Shai Ingber*
- Drew Jenkins
- Moshe Kinderlehrer
- Curtis Lee
- Valerie Moore
- Jonathan Novich*
- Zakia Ovington
- Abe Pachikara
- Matt Richards*
- Q-ok, skipped this too, since I only know two people. One lives in Australia…the other, Linda Quarles…I am seeing on Wed. anyway
- Troy Sabin*
- Brig Tison*
- Helen Underwood
- Clark Valberg*
- Adam Weinstein
- Bingwu Xie (the only X…in Japan, and I didn’t call him)
A 33% hit rate. Not bad.
Clark (#22) suggested that the idea could be an iPhone app and linked into social networks such as a Facebook status update (tweet) that says “I am playing Rolodex Roulette and speaking with Clark Valberg now” (with the appropriate links.)
Anyway, I had a great time and highly recommend the game.
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