You've got mail

I wish I had.  

But these days people communicate with me in so many different ways, which I find makes it harder to track communication and time consuming as you have to check not just your inbox, but LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook. And then there’s those who text.

Personally I prefer to get an email in my inbox as that way I can have a paper trail whereas with Facebook, for example, the message space is SO small, it is hard often to see, read or send a message back.  Or maybe that’s just my aging eyesight.

As for Twitter – why would you want to message someone with just 140 characters?? While I believe we should be brief and to the point… this is over the top.  Although, having said that, I did that very thing this week, but only because that seemed to be the only known address I had for the individual in terms of reaching her.

LinkedIn at least allows you more space, but to be honest I don’t check my messages there on a regular basis, so if someone is trying to connect with me and needs an immediate response, they could be out of luck.

The other challenge is trying to remember which way others want to connect with you. Several on my team only use Facebook messenger so if I need to get hold of them, sending an email is a waste of time.

So just to be clear … if you want to get hold of me … email is the method of communication of choice.  And if it is super-urgent, you can always go the old-fashioned route – and phone meJ  

The Personal Touch

It has been over a year since I started our LinkedIn group for Company of Women and we have over 1,000 members from around the world. That’s pretty neat when I consider that I really just started it on a whim, thinking it would be a way to get us involved in the social media arena. 

Back then, women were quick to join and I must admit to a moment of panic as I fretted about what to do with the group. As I wrote in my book, I decided to ask the women involved what they wanted, and you know what that has worked. Often there are as many as 15-20 discussions going on at one time, and women are listening and giving each other good advice. 

But I am still old-fashioned – I like meeting people face-to-face. It’s a bit like dating online, there comes a time when you need to meet in order to deepen the relationship. 

Recently I have been running our Company of Women 101 sessions myself. In the past I had delegated them to staff, but you know what – I am excited to doing them again. It gives me an opportunity to meet new women business owners, to build relationships and to share my passion for Company of Women and what we have to offer. 

So yes, get involved in social media, but don’t forget the personal touch, that’s the icing on the relationship-building cake.