Jamm reposted this
I recently signed up for Jamm, a members-only social network that helps you meet new people over fun activities like board games, dinners, road trips, etc. “Meet interesting people without agendas,” the app announced on the first screen. It caught my eye, because the main difference between “networking” versus actually connecting with people often lies in that one word — “agenda”. I have a fairly large network, but the people I can truly count on, including my guides and mentors, are far and few. None of those people were found in some LinkedIn-inspired, mindless quest for networking. I met them when I was just out and about, living my life. In fact, I landed the best job of my career at a board-game night. It was a regular evening of playing Catan with friends and friends of friends. I was talking to someone about finding a gamification project at work interesting. Very kindly, she took interest in my motivations and advised me to look into a gaming company who she knew was looking for Product Managers. The rest is history. We waste so much time behind our screens, seeking human connection while, ironically, evading it. AI won’t fix it, people and experiences will. This is why I am bullish on startups trying to help people live in the real world. I like Jamm’s approach of facilitating no-agenda, organic experiences. I’ve also created a small Jamm for those in Delhi who’d like to grab coffee and talk about Tech and Careers. :) A game of Catan changed my career trajectory. You never know how the next person might change your career, or heck, your life.