The best part of my job is the opportunity to work on meaningful projects with good people. And when we're not working, one of my favorite things is to have interesting conversations.

The reality of work, of course, is that people move on from their companies. The friends you work with for hours every day move on to new places, and the conversations change. And as much as we always promise to keep in touch, it doesn't usually happen. And if it does, the one part that's hard to replicate is those conversations -- the cumulative hours spent discussing ideas not directly related to work, but that make work (and life) that much more interesting.

That's where this blog comes in.

When I write, I imagine that I'm writing to any of my old friends that I don't see on a daily basis anymore. I imagine the types of conversations we might have had, and use that as a starting point for putting together something to say.

Of course, there are many more common (and less time-taking) ways to keep in touch than a blog. Social media has made it incredibly easy to quickly create and share bite-sized bits of content, which are more likely to be viewed by more people. But I think there is something unique about writing out ideas, both on the creating and the receiving ends.

In writing, I'm forced to distill my thoughts into something coherent enough to present in words. If it's not clear on the page, it's not clear in my head. This is likely a big reason why Amazon relies so heavily on one-page memos and written communication to drive their meeting, instead of presentations, and I think the results show in the company's success.

And, as a reader, I think reading blogs and writing in general gives me a different perspective than I'd otherwise attain. I get the sense that social media has made me know a lot less about a lot more people. If writing allows me to provide a deeper connection to even a few people, then I'm all for it.