Social Media is very similar. Chances are you've come across that one person on Facebook that updates every their single meal, wrong turn on the highway and article of clothing they have worn on any given day. Don't you just sometimes wish they'd stop and say "How's everyone else doing today" or maybe even mention some great way you can get involved in an activity to make the world a better place? Life is not a one way tweet, blog post and status updates are the same for that matter.
That's just my preference for social media use but I really believe in this digital age where it's becoming easier to communicate, it is also easier to develop one sided communications.
Life Is Not A One Way Tweet--Practice Makes Perfect
Realizing how often I send a text message or email lacking some sort of engaging question which would illicit a response from the recipient, I have recently tried to make a habit of creating conversations...everywhere. At the grocery store, I now say hi to everyone and ask how their day is going. Online, I leave comments on various people's blog posts and recently I have gone as far as meeting up with my online contacts in person to discuss our life's purpose and how we can support eachother.
Well guess what? This whole, "Life is not a one way tweet" approach is working! Instead of just empty, one sided communications, I am making contact and want to encourage you to do the same. The rewards can be quite fulfilling.
Take this scenario
As a result of reaching out to a fellow blogger I met through #Blogchat on Twitter, I connected with a new friend from Chicago, IL.
Justice Wordlaw published a post back in March about the five things he'd learned last month which compelled me to comment on his blog about what I learned too. That led to Justice checking out the Jaclyn of All Trades blog which further resulted in an invitation for me to contribute as a guest blogger to his site.
And just like that, I wrote an article entitled "The Starting Path To Becoming An Established Entrepreneur" which has successfully been shared through Twitter and Facebook.
The moral of the story here is that both Justice and myself were willing to engage in a "two way tweet" conversation. To add, this point isn't just about Facebook, or Twitter, or blogging. It's about life, human connection, interaction. Who was the last person you tried to communicate with? What did you ask them? What recent two way street have you created in your life recently? Please share!
As a result of this experience, I am now going to reach out to the individuals that shared the article via Twitter. That's right. Aside from thanking Justice (Twitter @justicewordlaw) I also want to thank:
Onye Akpala
John Cridland
Jane Rushton
ITextQpons http://www.itextqpons.mobi
John M. Anderson
Jeff http://www.twitter.com/L_9Revolution
A Cass
Glennsnews
All this social media stuff isn't just for us to sit around and waste time behind a screen. You gotta admit, it feels good to get back in touch with childhood friends, to share a funny experience that happened to you in the hopes it will bring humor to others or, in my case, to pursue a passion for writing which has led to meeting many great new people along the way.
Here's to another day connecting with the world.
Sincerely,
The Jaclyn of All Trades
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Really great blog post that you wrote right here. You are correct with it being a two way street. A lot of people do fail to realize that when you actually engage with other people you get a better response. It was a great pleasure having you write on my blog and look forward to more to come.
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