Yet another practical use for social media

Critics of social media are going to have a tough time convincing me that social media is a waste of time and money. I just saved $30 using Twitter.

No, I didn't have some crazy coupon or take advantage of some special offer. Instead, I just wanted to find a good place to park for the Indianapolis Colts game I was heading to.

It started with this simple tweet:

Who has a super secret parking spot for Lucas Oil Stadium they will share with me? Approach/exit from south side of Indy.

Within minutes I had a half-dozen answers, including this least-helpful but favorite response from my neighbor:

At the corner of South and Illinois, push the "walk" button on the pole on the southwest corner 5 times, then twice. A secret door opens up behind the White Castle that leads to a private garage! You're welcome!!!

Don't worry, the rest of the answers were quite serious, and quite helpful.

A real, super secret parking spot

I ended up using one friend's advice after he called me and directed me to a parking spot located within a 5-minute walk to the stadium. The price to park there? Absolutely nothing! The price to park in an adjacent lot? $30.00.

Now before anyone in Indianapolis gets any crazy ideas of me publishing this secret parking spot on my blog, forget it! There's a reason my friend picked up the phone to tell me about the parking spot and I'm not about to publicly violate his trust.

But rest assured, there are still plenty of good uses for social media left. How have you used social media to your benefit? Let me know by leaving a comment below.