The Art of a Conversation

Data can be copied. Intellectual capital can be patented. Knowledge can be shared. Wisdom on the other hand cannot be patented. Cannot be copied. Cannot be stolen. It is earned, it is honest and it remains true till the end.

A good friend of mine and a great knowledge networker, Luis Suarez, recently shared a beautiful 10 minute long biography by KarmaTube, of Julio Olalla on things that matter in life. He candidly speaks about an encounter with his father that changed his life, and what he learned: “Gratitude in so many ways is so dramatically missing in the world today. Without gratitude nothing is enough.” It’s the kind of short movie where you want to turn off the lights, and just soak in the spirit of an everyday hero.

It is about honest earned wisdom. It’s about friendships and the lost art of a conversation.

Five steps to a successful corporate Twitter presence

While browsing through my twitter public line, I found this interesting article on "Corporate Twitter" presence posted by Chris Miller . The article is definitely a good read for anyone planning to use twitter for their business. I would personally make it a mandatory reading for anyone who is joining twitter for networking or any other related business task.

1. Listen . It’s easy to set up and subscribe to a search of your brand or company name.
2. Add value . Provide useful content for those that choose to follow you.
3. Only follow when followed or mentioned . Having an anonymous entity follow you is a bit like receiving spam – you don’t know who it is or why you’re getting it. If your following:followers ratio is more than 2:1 then you are probably being a bit desperate.
4. Reply . Respond to every tweet directed at you.
5. Use replies rather than direct messages . Be transparent about what you’re saying to others on Twitter.

It could even be useful for personal interactions as well. I try to follow advice like this in real life as well to establish meaningful relationships – personal and business.  If you add value to someone’s life, you are automatically on the top of their list.  If you treat others with respect, you get respect back as well.  People always remember who has been genuine and sincere with them.  Let’s take what we have learned throughout our lives and work on bringing it to the social media space.

Read the rest of the post here .