Reciprocity
by Amanda Huggins
What does Twitter have in common with friendships and romantic relationships? A lot, actually…but the main commonality is the importance of reciprocation. It’s a fine balance to strike, but this give and take is key to building and sustaining relationships both on and off the web.
A lack of appropriate give and take both in professional and personal relationships is wasted energy….and with our busy lives, I don’t think many of us can afford to waste our precious time.
Twitter is a perfect example of ideal reciprocation.
Imagine you have a favorite clothing brand, and wanted to know when their next season launch was. When the brand responds to your tweet with a polite, helpful, or even humorous response, you’re that much more likely to be wear brand clothing, shop at their stores on the launch date, etc. Conversely, if you tweet constantly and receive no help or response, you might feel much more negatively towards the brand.
ZaarlyNYC, an online marketplace network, is another great example of reciprocity and interaction. A few weeks ago I had only a vague clue what Zaarly was, but I learned very quickly after a few exhanges with the company’s Twitter handle.
You’ll notice how they never once pushed their product onto me, but after engaging on a personal level I found myself wanting to know more about Zaarly. They’re active, engaging, and they reciprocate – a social media A+ in my book. Not to mention, most recently they were featured on Mashable for being one of the top 6 startups to look out for in 2012.
The framework for these examples of reciprocity remain relatively the same across the board. I’ve learned two things from this:
1. Make sure YOU are reciprocating appropriately. It’s easy to place blame, but if you aren’t fulfilling your end of the deal, you simply cannot set unrealistic standards for your counterpart. For example: You can’t rush a web designer to finish new graphics if you haven’t fully provided him/her with the necessary information to create such content.
2. Know when to move on. Recognize when and where you should devote your time – if the source is unresponsive, unproductive, or otherwise unsatisfactory despite numerous attempts on your part to change or stimulate the situation, move on. It’s time to create, produce, connect, and discuss with people and businesses who are willing to share in your creative energy.
What has been your experience with reciprocity on Twitter? What other facets of the social network do you feel are important?
Wow! Thanks so much for writing this, Amanda. It really means a lot to us at Zaarly. We sent you a tweet– would love to have you. Cheers!
Thanks so much! Just sent you an email.
So, so true! I have had great interactions with both Rent the Runway and AT&T after tweeting about positive experiences with them. Thus, it makes me like those brands more!