First, Shelby and I wanted to let you know that we are going to change up our weekly blog post and our Twitter chat, #shehechat which the blog post supports. For more than a year now, we’ve mostly written two posts with our differing points of view on a topic; one authored by Shelby and one by me typically published on Wednesday and Thursday each week.
Starting today there will only be a single post published on Thursday each week. We will also be keeping the posts shorter for a couple of reasons. Many folks don’t get time to review the post(s) until right before our 8 p.m. chat, so we want a format that can be skimmed or read quickly. Also, we want more of our conversation during #shehechat to be spontaneous and not just a rehashing of what we shared in our two blog posts that you can read anytime.
So, this week we ask: Why move conversations between social media networks?
Jim Says: As social media has grown and businesses have begun to embrace employee usage of these new communication networks I’ve noticed a trend of conversation threads moving between networks. For example, recently I called a client and left a voicemail. The client then replied to my question with an @ message on Twitter. Later that night, I took the conversation further over on Path. The “why” in moving conversation for me is simple: Social media is just talking. Sometimes we talk by the water cooler and sometimes on the phone. Those conversations that are not resolved continue to be addressed in whatever communications forum both parties next “run into each other.” It’s about the conversation, not the network.
Shelby Says: I don’t really think these conversation transfers between networks happen by accident. On the contrary, I have just recognized that each social media network has different conversational potential. I use Twitter more than any other network so many conversations do begin there. But when a conversation becomes more in-depth than 140 characters can feasibly allow, one of us involved suggests moving it to a forum where we can explain ourselves better. Sometimes that forum is Facebook and sometimes it’s Google+. Then there are times when a conversation becomes more personal and I don’t feel comfortable giving details. You’ll see me post something vague on Twitter or Facebook and then explain it further on Path where my circle of friends is smaller and, more importantly, more well-known to me.
This week’s #shehechat topics
Join us at 8 p.m. CST tonight on Twitter by following the #shehechat hashtag. We’ll cover the following topics tonight.
- Why do you move conversations from one network to another?
- Which network are you most comfortable sharing more personal details and why?
- Where do you participate in the most in-depth conversations?
- What network works best for you when you communicate with clients or colleagues?
- When is it time to take the conversation out of social media completely? (Go offline.)
