Usually, I’m an advocate of social networking tools. In fact, I have a profile on Linked-In™ and update it fairly regularly. I’ve found that the tool allows me to stay connected to groups and people and reconnect with friends and colleagues from years past. I can tell folks, what I’m reading, what project I am working on and stay updated on news involving organizations I support and causes I believe in.
That’s where the commercial ends.
Others I know have accounts on Facebook, MySpace, and others that they update on a regular basis. Now…Twitter is all the rage. I have to admit prior to it being mentioned in a recent staff meeting at work, I had no idea it even existed or what purpose it served. I like to think I’m not a cyber-dinosaur who has no clue how to navigate the internet, but to me Twitter was a word we used growing up as a kid to describe light conversation with little or no purpose. What’s interesting is that that definition isn’t too far from the truth as to the actual purpose of Twitter. With Twitter an individual can update what they are doing or thinking about on a moments notice…so long as it is less than 140 words. Here area few examples:
- Going to work
- Waiting for a bus
- Bored, nothing to do
- Eating dinner
Ok so we’re not talking the Magna Carta here.
Some other folks delve in the more philosophical:
- Small amounts of philosophy [Wisdom] lead to atheism, but larger amounts bring us back to God. Francis Bacon
- The most practical, beautiful, workable philosophy in the world won’t work – if you won’t. –Zig Ziglar
- We can never solve a problem at the same level at which it was created. Albert Einstein.
All of this Twittering begs to ask the question, “Are we using Twitter and other similar applications as a substitute for meaningful communication.” Consider the work environment as well…is email acting as a substitute for face to face direct communication? Social networks and communication applications work as an enhancement to actual communication, not in lieu of it. At the core of communication is an understanding of feelings, thoughts, and a thorough understanding of the context of a situation. These are things that require an in depth conversation. In the work environment, this is even more critical. For example, before beginning to map out milestones and developmental opportunities for an employee, it is first essential to understand what it is that they strive to be in their career. What often catches managers off guard is what to do when the assumptions that they held about an individual employee turn out to be off base.
So rather than Twittering, both literally and figuratively, stop and take the time to actually talk. Ask the difficult questions and actually listen to the answer. In the end, the dialogue will be more meaningful and your appreciation and understanding of a situation will be far deeper.
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