In a couple conversations with people yesterday, friends suggested they are attempting to get greater meaning and value from the social communities where they participate.

Real conversations — not imitation, not facsimiles.

One of the people I follow (sorry — I can’t remember who) said something along the lines of — let’s have real conversations, not just collect friends.

Then, I was on the phone with another friend and he asked about getting value from Twitter because the people he follows just post the same things to Twitter and Facebook. In other words — they’re just publishing and not having (or truly seeking) real conversation.

So here’s my call/plea — let’s really connect more.

I am as guilty as the next person. I get busy or something comes up. However, in an ideal world, I would have remembered who made the comment about not just collecting friends and so I could have quoted him or her rather than just paraphrasing.

How do we do it? How do we connect more and have more real social media conversations?

1. Primarily, we should have more conversations and publish less canned content.

2. When we do publish our thoughts, opinions, information, etc., we should publish different content on each social platform so as to create more value for our different friends and followers.

3. We should comment more on others’ posts and in the forums in which we belong.

That’s what I’m going to be doing to try and really connect with the people I follow and in the communities where I belong. I hope to talk with you soon.

Can we do it? We can if we have integrity and value the commitment of our fans, friends, and followers to join us on multiple platforms.