This week, Tech-Tav sponsored our largest Israeli Author-it Users Group meeting to date. The day before the meeting, registration was complete, food was ordered, presentations tweaked and the supplies were packed up and ready to go. More than 50 technical writers from cities around the country were all coming to hear about upcoming product features and news from the latest build that I was to be presenting.

But the small tickle in my throat that I had been trying to ignore grew noticeably more irritating and my fever spiked. A rapid strep test confirmed that I was indeed infected with strep throat, was contagious and would be in no condition to get out of bed in less than 24 hours, let alone travel and give my presentation.

From a management perspective, it was really, really difficult to make the decision to be absent from my own event rather than cancel it. But because I have confidence in my employees and a network of peers that I know well, I was confident that people would teach and learn from one another. At 10PM, I was able to turn over the reins at a moment’s notice so that the show could go on.

We sponsor these free meetings because, in my opinion, better informed and trained writers benefit everyone: the writers themselves, their customers/employers and the end users who read our documentation. And that just makes good sense for our profession as a whole and for our business. Even though the agenda had to be shifted around and new presentations added at the very last minute, I was hopeful that the peer learning and sharing that was bound to take place would be of great value.

I’ve gotten overwhelmingly positive feedback from attendees who praised the free flow of ideas and knowledge sharing from user to user. The presenters who volunteered to fill in for me shared their best practices and expertise, which were in some cases different than mine. More experienced users in the audience pitched in to offer their perspectives and advice, expertise was flying around the room and people of all skill levels were able to come together on one level playing field to learn and grow, give and take. And that is the power of peers.

Sometimes we get caught up in one perspective or one attitude about a project, a line of business etc. and it clouds our critical thinking skills. Not that I encourage you to get sick in order to change your perspective, but take a break and try to look at thing in a different way. 48 hours later, I have a new appreciation for the power and usefulness of social networks, and I consider myself pretty converted about their greatness already. In my opinion, businesses that are smart will help to grow and foster peer networks – even at a loss – because this is the true future of how to do business in a global economy.