Life Is Not A One Way Tweet--How #Blogchat Inspired a Guest Posting Invitation

We've all heard the expression: Life is not a one way street. No matter our political preferences, tastes in music, or ethnic origins, people in general like when there is a give and take to any relationship.

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


Do you want to use social media to contribute to the disaster relief in Japan?

Check out the Scene PR "Auction for Hope" taking place now through April 28th. Proceeds benefit the Japan Society Earthquake Relief Fun. 

Life Is Not A One Way Tweet

I often joke that various social media tools can be a metaphor for life. This isn't because I think we are all social human beings therefore we should all naturally excel at social media. That would just be too easy. Also, that assumption is not true since I have encountered a few people who feel more comfortable online as opposed to offline.

Now this is a group of super social people.

Social media allows us to connect, no matter our connecting preference, be it chats on Twitter or networking events at a bar. Twitter (and social media in general), prove that the fundamental "like attracts like"  often rings true. We can follow other people with common interests, similar professions and hobbies as well. There are Twitter moms, there are entertainers, then we have hospitality and inspiring tweeps--the list goes on and on.

With "like attracts like" in mind, we choose to follow those that will provide us some sort of content, solution or story that WE are looking for. Yet I also believe that when you help your followers and other Twitter users online and offline, not only do you get rewarded, but you feel better too. Examples of rewards can range from an increase in traffic to your site or a follower that promotes you to their Twitter stream; even someone helping you to make a connection from their rolodex that will be of benefit to you. The feel good feelings are indicators that you are helping someone without the expectation of something in return.

So you see, life is not a one way tweet, on or offline. I recently thought of this after receiving an email from a friend seeking some help with social media. Here's a slight transcript of what we discussed:

Friend: I like Facebook and feel most comfortable with that medium, however, on a personal note, I have not utilized it a lot because I don't like the lack of privacy, but for business I see the how important it is! I signed up for Twitter, but same thing...who wants to follow me? I'm pretty boring ;-)

My response: Let me plant an interesting idea in your mind. When you go to a party, how do you make conversation? Who do you talk to? How do you get a conversation going? These may seem like trivial questions but this is what social media is--exchanging information and sharing.

When you think about it that way, it puts it into perspective how these tools should be used. Do you like the person at the party that only talks about themself (equate this to a "one way tweet--when companies ONLY tweet about their latest promotions/happenings) or do you like people who ask your opinion on things too?

I always try and give people this analogy to show how Twitter is just a stage; a medium. But the means to the message now includes participation. Customers have a say on what they like and dislike which, as I heard today in my panel, "gives brands time to quickly correct their path."

Hope this info helps! More to come. 

The more I thought about our correspondence, the more I realized that a lot of us online already get that "we don't need to share promotional material only." Buy MY product, get MY free webinar. We know that message gets tuned out very quickly.

However, what I did realize is that we could all use a few reminders regarding other ways that Twitter and life are not a one way tweet. 

1) Offer helpful advice. If you look at the hashtag #newbies, you'll come across individuals that are new to the stage. Be a good Twitizen, reach out and ask a newbie if they need help. To add to this, newbies aren't the only ones that are seeking feedback. Reach out to your friends and followers to see if they are stuck on something that could benefit from your expertise. One TwiTip a day and the online world will be a better place!
2) Online meet offline. Remember, you don't have to offer advice to someone that's already using social media. A lot of times, people hold back from using Twitter, Facebook or Linkedin because they feel as though they don't know how. Answer their questions, provide some resources or be their first follower! Encourage them to give it a shot and get going.
3) Thank and support those that help you.  As an example, I am participating in a blog challenge. The moderator, Ricardo Bueno, assigns us daily assignments to help us improve our blog. On top of that, he responds to all of our comments while working a full time job for Diverse Solutions, an Internet marketing company for real estate professionals. There are various ways I thank Ricardo--from a good old "thank you Tweet" to promoting our blog challenge #31dc. Online or offline-thank you goes along way especially if someone is helping you on their "off time."
4) No time offline to volunteer, no problem. I get it. We're all busy now a days and may not have time to get directly involved in our communities to volunteer. But social media can provide a simple solution to that. There are MANY non-profits and causes online that allow you to give back with just a few clicks. Here are are few: World Vision, Women for Women http://www.womenforwomen.org and charity: water. These support my interests, of course you can find those that fit your philanthropic goals too.

The moral of this story is:  Life is not a one way tweet and social media reminds me of that on a daily basis.

What are some tips that you utilize to ensure life is not a one way Tweet?

What are some of your Twitter success stories where you've helped out or contributed to the community only to have it come back and help you out?

Please do tell by adding a comment in the section below.

Lastly, are you stuck on something? Ready to take the Twitter plunge but don't know how? Let me know too via the comments section too. I am more than happy to help.

Signing off,


The Jaclyn of All Trades