Stop Broadcasting and Start Communicasting!

The other day a friend of mine in the "Entertainment" industry asked me to "follow" them on Twitter.  Curiously, I took a peek at the profile.

At first glance I noticed how this person was only following a handful of people...and they were only broadcasting information about what they were doing and what they had to say. No interaction with others. Just a laundry list of THEM with no purpose.

That really turned me off and I didn't actually follow them. I figured this person wouldn't notice anyways, since they had a hundred or so following them, however knowing this person I couldn't help but think if they would follow people and engage them, they would probably have thousands of followers. I also couldn't help but think that this person is pretty self absorbed.

My philosophy is to follow everyone back for a couple reasons:
-I don't think I am better than anyone else. I can't even begin to understand why it is so important to have people following you that you aren't following.
To these people I say: Are you really that important? Are you really that interesting?
-You never know where your next friend or lead is going to come from.{insert gratuitous Guy Kawasaki quoting Robert Scoble here "When I first started on Twitter, Robert Scoble told me to follow everyone who followed me. “But why, Robert, would I follow everyone like that?” The answer is that it’s courteous to do so and because when you do, some people will respond to you and eveyone who follows them will see this—which is more exposure for you."}

Social Media, according to it's own definition is meant to be social, also an umbrella term that describes websites that connect individuals. Most people in the Broadcasting industry are used to, broadcasting or even narrowcasting. Let me introduce you to your new best friend: communicasting! The exchange of thoughts, messages, or information by transferring information from one to one, or many to eachother. We all could do better by thinking a little less about ourselves and more about others. 

How do you connect with others?
Speak with people, not at them!
Ask them questions.
Check out their profile. Ask them about their town,their career, children, animals, family.
Check out the link to their website.
Read their blog, make comments.
Notice their photos or background.
Forget ‘What am I doing?’ and ask your followers ‘what are they doing?’

It occurred to me that if this person really wanted me to follow them they could have just followed me and I would have followed back, it was just the polite thing to do.

Currently I have almost 59,000 followers and am often asked, "how did you get so many," honestly it has nothing to do with rocket science.  It is completely human science...I listened to people who were thought leaders in the industry, like Guy Kawasaki, followed people who followed me and followed people I thought were interesting.

Just remember, you have to give it away to keep it!