#MakeNewFriendsMonday #mnfm

Last summer, I started to use Instagram to be able to play around with the photos that I use for my blog. (The idea came from my friend and fellow-blogger Jacob Sokol of Sensophy, who told me that he makes his pictures cooler using Instagram’s effects.)

When my kids were home from college for the recent winter break, the subject of Instagram came up. My daughter Cara said, “You have an Instagram? What’s your name? I want to follow you.” I told her that I only use it to play around with pictures and effects, but that didn’t deter her.

Her eagerness to connect with me turned into a fun experience. I follow Cara and her twin sister, my daughter Julie, and instead of e-mailing or texting funny (and other) photos to them, as I used to do, I post them on Instagram.

I’ve gotten into the habit of digging up old photos to post on Thursdays, as my daughters and their friends do, for Throwback Thursday #tbt).

I also love the way they often create their own hashtags to go along with their photos, for example, they might put #AwkwardTweenStage with a goofy photo from their middle school years. And I’ve occasionally created my own hashtags.

This past Monday, I took a photo of myself with a guy who had spent the day in the subway posing as a gold-colored statue. You’ve probably seen street performance artists like this man. He was spray-painted gold from head to toe: clothing, sunglasses, and skin. I posted it on Instagram (the photo above) with the hash tag #mnfm. One of my daughters asked what “mnfm” meant. I told her it was “MakeNewFriendsMonday” and she said she hadn’t heard of that. I explained that was because I had made it up. 🙂

I liked how she had assumed that it was a “thing” that other people were doing, and it got me thinking how awesome it would be if every Monday people introduced themselves to someone they didn’t know and posed for a photo for Instagram.

My wife, who is not very into social media, loved the idea. My kids liked the idea. Thus, this post, as part of the kickoff of the campaign to take #MakeNewFriendsMonday (and the short version, #mnfm) viral.

If you’re in college, introduce yourself to someone in your dorm or in one of your classes. If you’re in high school, introduce yourself to a classmate you haven’t spoken with before. If you’re at work, introduce yourself to a co-worker you haven’t spoken with before. If you’re at home, introduce yourself to a neighbor you haven’t met.

Take a photo with your new friend and post it on your Instagram with #mnfm #MakeNewFriendsMonday (use both until it catches on and everyone knows what it means).

Let’s do it! Let’s all get out there and make new friends tomorrow and every Monday! Have fun!