How do you know when someone is actively listening to you online?
When you leave someone a voice message, how do you know that person received it and listened to it?
When you send someone an email, how do know he or she opened it?
When you send someone a letter, how do you know he or she read it?
Can you hear us now? Will you engage in conversation with us?
You know because typically people acknowledge it and they call you by name. Right? How do they acknowledge it? They call you, send you an email or send you a letter. Isn’t that the polite, courteous and appropriate thing to do?
Now, let’s take this online in a Web 2.0 world. How do you know when someone has read your blog post, your comment, your tweet, your LinkedIn post, your FriendFeed stream or your Facebook update? Today they might send you a text or tweet. Experienced bloggers acknowledge everyone that posts a comment by name and thanks them. They know how to engage their community. They might post something on your Facebook page, your Friendfeed stream or even in LinkedIn.
Ok, you might be thinking, “Wait a minute. You’re assuming that the person or organization has an online presence and that they use Twitter, Facebook or Linkedin. If they are not online, they won’t know you’ve sent them a message.”
Fair enough, what if that organization uses blogs, Twitter, Facebook and Linkedin to promote their services and broadcast their products? What if they’ve asked customers to connect with them there at those social media sites? What if they have a live Web 2.0 customer service application on their home page? And what if they set up, promote hashtags, and ask their members to use them in tweets?
With these considerations, you know they have an online presence.
What do you expect from an organization that has set up social media outposts and then never engages with their customers there in those locations? Do you think it’s appropriate for that organization to respond with a corporate post on their website blog only? Do you expect an organization to respond to your tweets, your comments, your blog posts?
Share your thoughts.
Years ago, before Guy Kawasaki was a household name, I read his first book “The MacIntosh Way.” His email was at the back of the book and he encouraged readers to send him notes. I did never expecting a reply. I learned that he always answers emails — maybe not the obscene ones but generally all. From him I learned that when it comes to some things (emails at least) it’s still polite to respond.
With blogs or other 2.0 ’stuff’, it sometimes feels like one is talking to oneself! It would be nice to know, even by a retweet or repost or email that it meant something to someone.
It surprises me how many people don’t say a word – ever — not responding. I know time is tight for us all .. it just seems that now and then doing things the ‘old fashioned way’ with a twist would be nice.
@Joan
Thanks for stopping by and adding your insight. I’ve heard that Seth Godin also responds to all his emails as well.
I’ve had some amazing interaction with great thought leaders through their blog sites and eventually their emails. I believe that in today’s Web 2.0 world, the smart organizations create community departments and managers to respond via a variety of communication tools when their customers have quesitons, comments or concerns. I believe this is a radical shift in thinking for many companies and organizations alike. Web 2.0 has brought the rise of the micro-interaction. I also enjoy the ‘old-fashined way with a twist’ today.