[WM] In many ways Gear Talk is the gear
social network of Facebook. What does that
mean to you?
[Lance] It means the world to me. I’ve seen
lifelong connections made among hundreds
of members, thousands upon thousands of
friendships, and business and networking links
have been made there. Not to mention all the
gear sold on the classified’s pages! It really
shows the power of social media and speaks
to why Facebook has made it their mission to
evolve groups and the member experience and
give admins really great tools.
[WM] What has this experience changed in
your life?
[Lance] Everything! For years I was just a side-
man guitarist around Atlanta. I would tour, play
at churches, and do every possible gig I could
find to make a living. When I moved here at 18,
I thought if I could make a living as a musician,
then I would have it made, and my life would
be complete. I did all that, and more than I ever
dreamed, but really, I still was not content. Gear
Talk connected me with the ‘gear industry’, and
I have made so many friends in that world. I
was able to move into product demoing, beta
testing, promotions, and consulting. I really
can’t briefly describe to anyone what my job
is now, but I can say I feel way more content
doing what I do now than living as a full-time
guitarist. Like I said about connection. I have
been able to ‘meet’ great people all over the
world that I would have never met had it not
been for the Gear Talk community. If Gear Talk
disappeared tomorrow, I would still have these
friends for the rest of my life. It's pretty unreal!
[WM] How hard is it to turn off ‘Gear Talk
Lance’?
[Lance] Ha! Although, all the personality tests
I’ve taken tell me I am introvert, I like to think of
myself as an introvert that can morph into an
extrovert from time to time. I know that after
a day of being really excited about gear and
talking about it and helping develop and build
June 2019
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