Communication With A Cause – Connecting

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From the very beginning, God created man for fellowship.

For years, that meant we had to be physically present with someone in order to connect with them.

Since social media has begun it’s rapid rise in popularity, we have a new way to connect with people that we would have never been able to at any other point in history.

Thanks to social media, I’ve met thousands of people that I’ve never met physically, but feel like I know personally. No other tool allows us to do that.

Here are a few suggestions on how to better connect via social media (Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin, Skype, Blogs)…

Grow your “following.” – It may sound egotistical, but we can’t meet people without reaching out to them. Sure, some will use this to give themselves a prideful boost, but when used correctly, it can go a long way in helping us connect and grow relationships.

Engage in conversation. – There’s nothing worse than reading someone’s tweets or blog and having them talk AT you. Engage with people. Have conversations. Have discussions. That’s how relationships are built.

Plan for consistency. – Real connection takes time. If you’re on Linkedin, Facebook, or Twitter once a month, it’s going to be hard for anyone to even find you, much less connect with you. The same thing if you’re running a blog. Be consistent in your time and effort with it. Take the time to plan it out.

Demonstrate Trustworthiness. – People always know if you’re trying to connect for the gain of yourself. People see through fakiness… even online. Be genuine. Desire to really connect. Desire to learn. Desire to grow. Desire to really impact.


Comments

22 responses to “Communication With A Cause – Connecting”

  1. These are all great tips. One of the things I want to be more intentional about this year is connecting by phone. I’ve done it with a few people and it is always an incredible experience. Obviously you can’t do it with everyone, but when you get the opportunity, it is so worth it to connect more authentically.

    1. Yeah. Skype is a great tool too.

  2. I’m really working on being online more on bloggers’ sites and seeing what other people are saying. Then I’m going to work on writing on my blog more.

    1. You should! I’ve always enjoyed what you have to say when you post.

  3. Great suggestions, which I try and follow to the T. It’s amazing the type of community you build when following these points. Love it!

    1. Yeah, it really is. Thanks, Ben.

  4. […] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Jonathan Pearson, Jonathan Pearson. Jonathan Pearson said: Blogged: Communication With A Cause – Connecting – http://tinyurl.com/4qbo8vw […]

  5. “Engage in conversation.” wholeheartedly believe in this.

    Else… it may appear that you are just broadcasting information.

    1. True. That makes it seem like you believe you’re the only one with anything good to say…

  6. I learned a new word!! Good stuff JP!

    1. Come on man. You’ve never heard the world “fakiness?”

  7. New to your blog Jonathan – great points here. I’ve been working on all of these things personally. Love the sense of community there is via social media, but it’s tough because the large majority of conversations are completely one-sided. Most are only interested in communicating what they have to offer, not engaging with others.

    That said, I’ve subscribed to your RSS, great stuff here! ;)

    1. Appreciate the subscription. I completely agree with you. It’s no fun and no good if people are talking AT us or we’re talking AT people. We have to try to generate convo. One of the things I do is go through my twitter timeline about once a week and find a few to reply to that I’ve never talked with. If they reply, I put them in my “conversation” list. It’s helped! Thanks for dropping by, Nathan!

  8. Some great points here bud. I think I would also add – Be willing to take the first step. I know a lot of people who get on some social media site and then wonder why no one is requesting or following or talking to them. Sometimes, you just need to take that step and make the first contact, even if it feels awkward.

    1. Completely agree! Even though it may be uncomfortable, it’s a huge “ice breaker”… If you’re real, others will be real.

  9. Lack of genuineness (if that is a word) seems to be one of the most common problems.

    1. It’s definitely a word now. :) I agree. I think it’s easy to try to be someone else.

  10. Great tips! I have always been big on people being real! Glad that we have connected. Blessings,

    1. I’m glad we have too!!! I agree… genuineness is very important for ALL of us.

  11. Jonathan,

    I am new to your site via seekingpastor and I really enjoyed your post. Great tips for people who either new to social media or on the fence about it. I like the layout of your site as well. Well done.

    1. Thanks Sean. Appreciate you stopping by! I hope I can inspire you a little as you read!

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