This Friday, three other PRSSA members and I will be attending our first Tweetup in Cincinnati. I was turned on to this concept by head hunter, blogger, and "research goddess" Amybeth Hale. By loose definition, a Tweetup is a face-to-face gathering of people who have connected via the Twitter community. It is, simply put, placing a face with a tweet, and a fantastic way to enhance the networking process.
It is utterly astounding the number of ways that one can communicate and be introduced to people around the globe via the internet and social media. With the advent of the digital generation, however, the value of traditional modes of communication has increased. Three examples come to mind:
1. Letters and thank-you notes. Specifically, those written by hand. I wonder if my own children will even be taught how to hold a pen, or rather learn the "home keys" on their laptop. Maybe they'll be taking an iPhone typing class. When was the last time you sent a hand-written letter to someone... not on a holiday or birthday?
2. Phone calls vs. texting. Some of us spend enough time on the phone already, but simply calling someone versus emailing them can go a long way. Not to mention the response time is diced in half. Texting isn't always the answer. Podcasting and Utterz are also a nice way to make online connections a littler more personal.
3. Intra-office emails vs. face-to-face conversation. One consistentcy I have seen at several professional experiences - there is always atleast one person who would rather email you 10 feet away than get up and talk to you. There are exceptions, of course ('reply all' emails, invitations, the person is busy, and so on), but there are far more opportunities to stand up and approach them.
In any case, the concern should be in preserving the authenicity of online conversation and interaction.
Call it learning to shake hands and smile in cyberspace.
Comments and emails are read and appreciated. Leave one here, or please don't hesitate to email me at pauljmatson@gmail.com or message me twitter.com/paulmatson
Wednesday, October 15, 2008
Cyberspace to Face-to-Face
3 reactions:
Amen...at the end of the day, its still a human process. Today's e-tools are their to enhance to human element.
So good to hear someone from the younger end of the professional ladder advocating face-to-face communication. Thank you, Paul!
Drew
Keen insights, Paul! When I worked in an office here in Cincinnati, I remember several times having IM conversations with the person who literally sat on the other side of the cubicle wall from me, and receiving emails from a co-worker sitting in the other corner of the room. I think it's important to couple your online communication with these kind of personal touches.
I personally am still a big supporter of snail-mailed thank-you cards. They're typically perceived as an unexpected surprise to their recipients and are more memorable these days than ever before. But perhaps that's just a personal preference.
Glad all of you could make it out to the tweetup! I hope you'll be able to come to the next one...stay tuned!
Amybeth AKA "Research Goddess"