Need to get in touch with me? Pretty easy to do. You can call my cell or work phone. (I haven’t had a home phone in four years.) You can text me, too. You could email me at work or on my personal account. If we’re connected via social media, you can post on my wall, send me a private FB message, or FB chat me. You could start a discussion on LinkedIn, @ reply me or send me a DM via Twitter. You can mail me a letter. Heck, you can even leave a comment on this blog for me to reach you. I own a smart phone, so chances are however you reach me, I’ll still know about it via my iPhone. If you’ve tried to reach me with several of these methods, and you don’t receive an automatic response or I don’t reconnect with you within 18 hours…something is very wrong and you should think the worst.

I’ve grown up with increased connectivity. It’s hard to imagine my life differently. Is it burdensome? Not really. I choose when to be connected. But when is enough…enough?

I had a business contact me via work email over the holidays, so the business received an automated out-of-office reply. (I know this because I checked my email three times while on vacation, which is, again, a choice. Somewhat.) I was out for two weeks, which I told them about in advance.  While I was enjoying an early Christmas dinner and celebration with family out-of-town, the business texted me on my cell phone, which I had given them earlier in the year. I responded back saying I would have to work on the project when I returned to the office. I know we’re constantly connected now, but…

Accessibility does not equal availability.