Several years ago, I became a huge fan of the HBO series Six Feet Under, and it wasn’t just because of how yummy Peter Krause was (is). The show carried such great acting, such great stories – it was truly one of the best shows I’ve seen. So, when I heard that one of the actors from that show, Michael C. Hall, was launching his own series on Showtime called Dexter, I was already pretty certain it would be awesome.
If you are not familiar, Dexter, the namesake of the show, is a blood splatter analyst for the Miami Police Department during the day. At night, he is a serial killer, but he only kills criminals who have escaped punishment for their crimes. It’s sort of a super-twisted 21st Century Batman. You find out as the show progresses how Dexter came to be this way, and you are placed in the very awkward position of liking a serial killer better than most of the other characters.
In case you’re worried at this point, no, I’m not saying you’re a serial killer.
One problem that Dexter has in his everyday life is that he is not capable of feeling regular emotions. He can be protective of people and generally values his inner circle of family and friends, but he doesn’t know how to connect with people on a deeper, emotional level. In the online world, this problem haunts a lot of people who feel that their tweets and their blogs should be all business, all the time.
If that’s you, you might be having a problem engaging. This post is for you.
The Difference Between Personal and Personable
One common mistake in Social Media is to think that “being human” means that you have to tell everyone everything about you every day. That’s not really what we’re talking about here (although if you do want to do that, more power to you). Engaging with someone on a human level means that you on occasion stray from Wall Street Journal posts and look for ways to connect, really connect, with people.
So how can you try to build the human aspect of your Social Media presence? How can you start to connect with people in ways that extend beyond your business or your brand? If this is something you struggle with, I have a plan that will take you 1 week, with 1 action item to do each day. Ready?
Monday: Look for a conversation that is about something you like. Maybe it’s a movie. Maybe it’s a sporting event (the NCAA tournament is going right now). Jump on in. See what happens.
Tuesday: Look for someone who has changed their user picture or their blog site layout. Even if it happened awhile ago, jump in and say, “You know, I never mentioned it, but I really like…”
Wednesday: Look for a blog post that really resonates with you. Explain to the person in the comments section what you like about it, what it made you feel, and why it stuck with you.
Thursday: If you are blogging, try to add a pinch of personal to your post today. Again, it doesn’t have to be, “Let me tell you about my colonoscopy.” It can be a story from your childhood, maybe, or something you heard from a friend the other day. But bring a bit of yourself into the post.
Friday: Look for someone who seems to need some cheering up, and set about doing your best to get that emoticon smile on your screen.
Saturday: Look for someone who is posting really good news and make sure you congratulate them.
Sunday: Try to do as many of these things as possible in one day.
It’s addictive
Once you start reaching out to people in this way, you find that everything about Social Media becomes more real and more enjoyable. You’re no longer locked in your protective business cave. Instead, you are out there as a human reaching out to other humans. And hey, maybe you’ll help someone else along the way who needs to learn that they can be themselves, too.
How else can you connect with your community? How else can you really meet people where they are?
I’d love to hear your thoughts!
This is post 11 in The Engagement Series. What would you like to see me cover in this series? Just let me know. And don’t forget, that subscribe button is over there so that you don’t miss a post 🙂
Image by Geoffrey Woodley. http://www.sxc.hu/profile/geoffrey63
I am a recent fan of the Dexter series, and it is quite disconcerting how much you can like a character that has such a strong dark side. 🙂
I love these tips for reaching out and being human Marjorie. They are simple and easy to do which makes them even more appealing. I think they are useful even for those of us who have been poking around the social media space awhile just to try some different things other than the same ole same ole. Thanks!!
Glad you liked the post, Christy.
I adore Dexter. I think it is very well written. I mean, it has to be to accomplish what it does, right? 🙂
Thank you for the kind words!
Really good to see this blog.The tips on how to get out there are great.I am starting to get over being new, Each day I try a new theme- a new way to salute people. Each of my words and phrases will be different. I will try to post a video that I like. I will mix it up by multiple mentions with a single and then a single mention. As I progress and do my own thing I am happy and enjoy social media.
So glad to hear it, Gloria. You are definitely starting to blossom online and it’s great to see 🙂 Keep up the great work!
I was all on board and proud of myself for doing these things…until the colonoscopy bit… I am SO bad at Twitter… GAH!
;^D
Great advice – I wish more people did this. Truly.
Thanks, BD 🙂 I appreciate it, as always.
Margie thanks for the reminder to be human. You really set an example in this category; you do in others too. I get caught up in trying to be an information curator and lose sight of this most important aspect of Social Media.
Thanks for the plan i’ll try it. Chats and the #usguys community have helped a great deal.
Best
Joe
Dear Margie,
Once again, it is uncanny how many levels we connect on. I am such a huge Dexter fan. Just reading your post has the Dexter music playing in my head. And how about that amazing art form that is the intro for the series. Is it that we are advertsing people that makes us love it? Also this brings me to confess that I have buried my dearly departed former pet Beta Fish in my rose gardens. And they are named the dot series of Beta’s: Red Dot, Blue Dot, Purple Dot, and Turquois Dot. The infamous Gabrielle started naming them for reasons only a four year old at the time might know.
And you might say and your point is? All this connectivity between us started by just what you mention above, you reaching out to me via Twitter.
Yours Truly,
Gaga
Great post on how engagement is really about recognizing other individuals (something that can be a challenge for Miami’s #1 serial killer). I appreciate the common-sense approach to engagement – developing a meaningful conversation (and not oversharing) based on a planned approach to kindness. Excellent ideas!