Facebook worked well initially because it was friends you already knew that you were connecting to. It probably doesn’t work as well (or is used very differently) for those that use it to keep in touch with anyone and everyone willing to be their ‘friend’.
LinkedIn originally worked well because people were connecting with people they had worked with. I feel it doesn’t work as well now (or is now serving a different purpose) as people strive to get as many contacts as possible without considering the important quality angle.
Relationships take time to build. We have the technology available to make it easier to find the people we want to connect with. However it doesn’t mean the process of building your community of friends (social or business) is any easier.
We still have to deal with normal human behaviour, which is frankly quite complex and takes time to evolve into a sound relationship.
Technology can help us do this, but it certainly can’t do it for us.
A cup of coffee is an opportunity to meet someone, talk about a few other things, make a friend or a business acquaintance. Done right, the face to face reference check is a lot more than a reference check. It’s a way to grow your network and your business. And it’s also the best way to find out exactly what you need to know about a person you want to hire, invest in, or otherwise go into business with. – Fred Wilson