The reason I love social media

I have given this a lot of thought and here's my conclusion for why I love social media:

I love conversations!

This may not sound like a revelation to you. I will make my case by constructing the elements of an effective conversation:

• Asking questions
• Listening
• Gathering information
• Re-stating others' observations
• Genuine interest in the person and subject 
• Mutual respect
• Discussing solutions or reasons to continue the conversation in the future

Conversations occur throughout the day. How many include all of these elements? Do people talk at you...or speak with you? 

The Connecticut Re-Employment Group on LinkedIn has grown to 500+ members. The number of posted discussions has not grown as the group has grown in size. I see this in other online groups as well. People struggle with initiating conversations. Social media has exposed this issue. 

Social media is a place to work on our conversations. We don't have the advantage of being face to face, but the opportunity to delve into conversations online is greater now than ever. Quality conversations lead to a higher level of engagement and ultimately quality relationships. We have our own reasons for building relationships. Let's take advantage of these powerful communication tools. 

If you like this post...let's have a conversation!