Christel, who loves her new Kindle, told me that Amazon is encouraging Kindle owners to meet offline with people who are curious about the devices.

Sometimes, Amazon realized, you have to see something in-person before you buy it.

There are times, before going to an event, when I wish we could just do it all remotely. Most people I know have Skype and web cams. So I wonder why we can’t just step into the digital age already.

But, as Amazon is discovering with their Kindle, you need to see some things in-person before you connect with them. I read recently that Apple sold more Macs after they opened their stores because it helped people try Macs in-person. I know that helped me switch to a Mac.

If these digital experts have seen the need for face-to-face meetings, I think there will continue to be a need for in-person events.

But technology can still play a role. The invitation site that tells you about an event, needs to say more than when and where it is. It needs to tell you who’s going to be there, help you figure out which of those people are good connections for you, and it should help start your conversations.

That’s what Mixergy.com is trying to do now. Let me know how we can do that better.