Yesterday was my birthday and for weeks I was totally dreading it. Recently my personal life has been turned upside down. The thought of celebrating yet another year just didn’t feel right (or even possible) given that it’s been difficult to muster up a smile most days.

However, the day turned out to be a pretty good one because of my involvement with social media. Celebratory wishes, good vibes and of course “humor” about my advancing age poured in via Facebook, Twitter, IM, several forums I’m active in, and email – and in the form of video.

At first, I thought the birthday wishes were simply somewhat obligatory given that each of these folks had a tiny reminder on their screens. Also, since I run a magazine, sometimes people’s motives when reaching out to me are more about getting editorial coverage then establishing a personal relationship. Then, I realized that these very busy people took time out of their packed schedules to create virtual “cakes”, write something witty on my wall or send truly personal, heartfelt messages. It really lifted my spirits and washed away all that skepticism.

Birthday wishes came from close friends and family, naturally, but also from colleagues, long lost college pals, and even acquaintances that I had only met once or twice. Each message helped to make the day even better. It sounds so corny but I felt like Sally Fields’ famous Oscar acceptance speech, “They like me. They really like me.” Normally, that doesn’t matter too much to me, but yesterday I got exactly what I needed when I need it - and in a way that I never anticipated. Sorry to go all Oprah on you.

I have been an early adopter of a variety of participatory social media, community and Web 2.0 applications. However, I have mostly leveraged these platforms to expand my business network of contacts and promote my own magazine as well as to join in on groups and conversations related to my job. But yesterday I really felt the social media power to uplift and transform on more personal level.

So, thank you to all that sent birthday wishes. And thanks to those that create these applications. I now have a better understanding of the potential of these platforms and I will never forget it.