Wednesday, September 16, 2015

10 Ways to Improve Your Online Connections

Untitled designMy 100-word story, Connections, posted on the 10th  seemed to resonate with many of my readers. I’m glad it did because it got me to thinking.

In this fast-paced world where nearly everyone talks in short bursts via text or Twitter, are we really connecting with each other or just going through the motions?

Connection Defined: 

In the online world, these definitions take on a whole new meaning.

  • A relationship in which a person, thing, or idea is linked or associated with something else. Think social media or blogging.
  •  The action of linking one thing with another.  Hyperlinks and Pingbacks come to mind.
  • People with whom one has social or professional contact or to whom one is related, especially those with influence and able to offer one help. Perhaps, online writing groups, Facebook, or LinkedIn.

Twitter is an excellent example.  For a moment, me and the person on the other end, connect via 140 characters or less. Within minutes, it becomes a tidal way of tweets, retweets, mentions, and favors. But, how much do you really know about each individual behind those tweets? Do you take the time to visit each link? Or, do you skim over them, making notes to revisit later?

Blogs are different, at least for me. The pace is slower and more purposeful. Readers who comment  provide specific feedback leading to further interaction and, hopefully, a genuine and lasting connection. I love hearing from my readers, venturing over to their blogs, putting a face to the name, and  finding our common threads.

No matter how fast-paced our lives get, we all crave person-to-person contact. So, with all the social media how do we improve those connections?

10 Ways to Improve Online Connections
  1. Don’t make the conversation one-sided. See something you like? Interact, even if it’s in 140 characters or less.
  2. Listen to what is shared and respond accordingly.
  3. Explore common interests and topics.
  4. Make sure your content contributes to the conversation.
  5. Search for Twitter chats or blogs relevant to your interest.
  6. Make it personal when you comment or tweet.
  7. Be selective. Don’t follow for the sake of following – look for common interest that brings you together.
  8. Make sure what you’re sharing is relevant and thought provoking.
  9. When  content resonates with you, share it.
  10. Don’t turn your online presence into a numbers game. It’s about connecting with people, not the number of followers.

So, what about you? Are you really connected?

I’d love to hear your comments. Talk to me. Tell me your story. And as always, you can follow me on Facebook at SheilaMGood, PinterestBloglovin, Twitter @cofcmom, and Contently.

 

 

 

 

 


Filed under: Blogging, Musings, Social Networks, Twitter Resources, Writing, Writing Tips & Resources Tagged: #amwriting, @hashtags, Facebook, Google, Message, Social Media, Topics #connections, Twitter

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