25th
Perspective, Part Two
Now, how to benefit from this rapid change in just about everything, due to the development of the net?
One is to realize the behavior tendencies the internet enables — its a ton of communication, no doubt, but its impersonal communication. People throw out their thoughts on sites like twitter and facebook, and hope to find someone listening. That’s all great, part of this perspective is to realize you are now able to communicate with people all over the globe, in multiple contexts and in a ton of ways.
The thing is, those connections, virtual as they are, will only get you so far. There needs to be a point where you put down the laptop and see people, face to face, and see what they’re all really about. We twitterers can create an image of ourselves that can be either authentic or a fake, like Fake Steve Jobs. You can get people to believe a lot by just being consistent at it. I would think most twitterers are a combination, mostly in an effort to create a new image of themselves. This isn’t bad per se, we just need to remember the point where we end and the image begins.
It’s really the individual connections, cemented through face to face contact, that drive us as humans. And you’ll find that friend on twitter will be an even better friend after a couple of beers and some good conversation. The moral of the story is: be accessible. No one likes someone who just talks but doesn’t listen. Be willing to listen to everyone, and do it as much as you can. Show a bit of empathy too, while you’re at it.
A great story to visualize all this is the difference between Obama, er, President Obama, and McCain’s online campaigns. Obama, at some level, realized the importance of the online community in the election and brought in exceptionally smart people. People who knew the online space, not just knew of it. It drove his fundraising, then it drove his social networking. He became known for his efforts and it became a stark contrast to McCain’s pedestrian efforts. The GOP really is going to be at a disadvantage unless they learn from it, real fast. And considering how handily Obama won, I’d say his accessibility, through his social networking efforts, made him not only into a viable candidate but a kind of rock star that everyone became fans of.
So be available. Not just that, seek people out. Talk, but listen. Hear, respond, interact. There’s lots of opportunities. Oh, and be nice.
