You Meet the Nicest People Online

I love the Internet. No secret there, I guess. But I love the magic it makes happen. For instance, today I got a letter from a professor in India. Here's his note.

"I'm a professor at Xavier Institute of Management and am currently working on a book for Business Communication. While researching for my book, I came across your Titanic press release and frankly, was very impressed with the way you've written it. I was hoping that I could use the press release as one of the case studies in my book; with, of course, proper citations and due credit to you. Please let me know if I have your permission for the same. I think students could learn a lot from the press release. Looking forward to your reply. Regards, Prof. Mallika Nawal."

The article in question was written a decade ago (I think), and in reading it again, I'm proud of what it does. It's written as a mock news conference for the White Star Line the day after the Titanic sank. Read the article.

I think it's funny, but also makes some interesting points about public relations "spin" and how companies handle crisis situations. (See how I wrote "crisis situations" there? That was because I didn't know what the plural of "crisis" is.)

Anyway, I love that this professor found me, and I'm always amazed when I hear from people around the world requesting one of my billboards for their seminars, or when they want to use something I've written in a Toastmasters contest or in a textbook.

The world has truly become a much smaller place, even while my world is bigger than I ever thought was possible.

UPDATE (10 MINUTES LATER)

I wrote back to the professor, and he responded immediately. Of course, I have to share his response because he says nice things about my work.

"Dear Scott (I'm taking a liberty here, let me know if you like to be
addressed as Mr. Roeben). I did not only like your work, I thought it was brilliant. It somehow managed to incorporate everything that I teach in class. Therefore, I
really wanted to use it. Just to give you a heads-up on the book, the publishers are Cengage Learning (erstwhile Thomson-Learning) and the book is roughly 400-500
pages, covering all dimensions of Business Communication - Oral, Written, Grooming, Etiquette. You have a very witty style of writing. In fact, it's been quite a while
since I came across something so good. Once I put the manuscript in place (we are expecting to release the book by Nov/Dec), I'll send you a copy. Once again, thank you for your permission. I'm truly grateful."

Told you. You meet the nicest people online.