I personally don’t believe this is because of a lack of time. I believe it’s because they fear that others will scoff or laugh at their comments. They feel that the knowledge, experience or perspectives that they can offer are so well known within their peer group they are not worth contributing.
Let me share my experience.
Firstly, I get to work with lots of different organisations. Public sector and private sector. Start-ups through to blue chips. I use the same tools, techniques and processes to help them deliver sustainable exceptional performance.
What surprises me though in my work is that no matter what the size of the organisation, or the level of competence/experience/education of the management team members, many of the simple (but effective!) tools I use come as completely new things to them.
Many of the group members are well educated graduates and MBAs – but they have never seen or heard of the tools and technique I use (and they are not rocket science!)
Secondly, I was a reluctant blogger and contributor to on-line discussions and forums. But having overcome the fear that what I can offer is so well known within my peer group that they it’s not worth contributing, I’ve got involved. And have received some great feedback on my contributions.
So don’t assume that the knowledge, experience and perspectives you offer are common knowledge. Your contribution could prove to be the answer to your fellow group member’s problem.
Or am I barking up the wrong tree?
10 Comments
September 18, 2009 at 11:12 am
I think you are right Neil about people being wary, but I think it has a lot to do with where each person is on the web learning curve.
In the real world you probably wouldn’t jump into someone’s conversation without being asked. So there’s a natural hesitancy online for most. Forrester has some interesting research which looks at web participation as a ladder, identifying different behaviours. http://tinyurl.com/mmtwfj
In the main, until people become used to contributing in a more open manner – used to the ways of the web – they are likely to be readers rather than content contributors. I am still getting used to it myself, but I find it so rewarding.
September 20, 2009 at 8:13 am
I believe that, often, its simply a case of information overload. There is so much going on around the www. It is impossible to have an opinion about everything, and I think often useful and constructive subjects become abandoned simply because the timing is not perfect, or there are other discussions that challenge contributors to a higher degree. I believe that less might certainly be more in this case: Reducing the number of discussion groups you are involved in will increase the quality of contributions, and also the quantity of time available to respond. But there is so much going on that its very easy to get bogged down in the variety. I am certainly going to focus my activity around a small number of relevant, targeted and specific groups to see if this maximises my activity.
September 20, 2009 at 4:16 pm
Hi there, I agree with Cathy on this. For me it’s much less, if at all, about fear and far more about overload. My online world is a very full and varied place and I find that with Linkedin, for example, I constantly get weekly updates on chatter/groups while rarely having the chance or inclination to have a proper look and join in.
I also then have a slight panic that I’m not doing my online duty plus missing out on the opportunity to contribute and raise my profile. A further danger of non-involvement is that my Tweeting, blogging, Linkedin’ing becomes much more of a one-sided communication form – me broadcasting to the world but not taking the time to read others.
The exception is when I gain a personal connection, such as this one with Neil, when a Tweet is returned with a message that is not auto-responded and I can see the value of connecting with the person. Then I am much more likely to take initiative (my comments here are an illustration).
So perhaps it’s more about interest generated from more personal contact in a crowded online world more than about fear.
Carl http://www.potentio.co.uk
October 5, 2009 at 2:24 pm
I’ll admit it I got it wrong.
I thought that Facebook was for people who had left Uni & needed to keep in touch with everyone on their gap year in places around the world. I also thought that twitter was for people who wanted to know what certain celebs were doing.
Needless to say I am now on Twitter, on Facebook, LinkedIn & write a blog & use them all as a business tool along with a lot of others.
Yes it does take time to learn the etiquette of the forum & you can also spend a lot of time online but how much time do you spend at networking events? If you are in BNI for instance how many hours a month does that take up? Both online and networking are part of your business marketing strategy.
Perhaps it is deciding what you are interested in, and contribute on that topic be that as broad or as narrow as you wish.
October 9, 2009 at 2:30 pm
Hi Neil, I’ve found that thinking about a forum as a physical room of people helps me to understand behaviour online and to facilitate/encourage more effectively. If I walk into a room of strangers, I will be somewhat wary before talking. It is the same online for most people.
I took an online course in online facilitation (sorry, repetition!) with Gilly Salmon’s superb outfit All Things in Moderation. It helped me immensely. http://www.atimod.com/
October 15, 2009 at 5:14 pm
Interesting subject and great comments from everyone so far!
I run a Property Forum and many people tell me that they do not contribute as they feel that they do not have enough experience to comment.
I suggest to them that asking powerful questions is a great way to kick of a debate that everyone can learn from.
You can contribute to forums in other ways too – such as writing an event report, writing a testimonial for someone, welcoming new members, directing people to an article you found helpful or interesting, etc etc. Saying thank you to someone who helped you is also a contribution.
Our forum is very friendly. We have zero tolerance of personal abuse, we have zero tolerance of commerical/sales announcements and spam, and most people use their real name and picture. We have been told many times what a great place it is to hang out. We have set the ground rules but our community run and fuel the forum.
Forums are great places to express your opinion, share knowledge and experience, and become known as an expert in your area/business.
They are organic content that contributes to your on-line portfolio of web content and find-ability.
I believe I have posted over 2,500 posts on various forums and sites over the past 3 years. This has given me visibility and credibility on-line. However, I genuinely love sharing my passion for creating financial and emotional wealth, so it has never seemed a chore!
I have met many people in forums who are now friends who I meet off-line. I have also learned a great deal from others.
October 15, 2009 at 5:39 pm
I bet you could do a study that would show why people are commenting more on a post about people not commenting.
Jokes aside (yes, that, above was my idea of a joke) I agree with the premise. Evem if what you have to say is common knowledge, not everyone will know it, and it isn’t posted everywhere all of the time. So you could post it, and someone(s) come along that don’t know it yet and learn it from you, putting you in their esteem.
October 18, 2009 at 6:53 pm
It’s finding the right Forum for the right person.
Some people love LinkedIn, I have been there 2 years and back in the summer I was intro’d to a group and no I am far more active there that I thought possible!
A forum that I used to love, more for the entertainment than anything else, UKBF, I rarely log into these days.
I tried to get into Smarta and answered a whole heap of questions… no response. As I understand it new forums are harder to get people to engage in but for the original poster to not even say thanks or update their status… well it’s just rude
One of the most easy going communties that I interact on was one of the first I ever joined and that was at BT Tradespace, and it’s a nice gentle community. No bullying management, just lots of small businesses chatting.
To me, it’s finding the right palce to interact.
Sarah
October 21, 2009 at 5:01 pm
Hi Neil, I have no problem contributing, but I do find it causes time management issues and also I get alot of resistance from my colleagues who ‘just don’t get it’ – it is sometimes bordering on discrimination.
)
As Heather has pointed out there is still a huge amount of ignorance about the benefits of social media and I regularly hear comments like “Twitter is just a fad, it will die and you will have wasted your time” and I have several linkedin connections with some great networkers where I am their only connection – why if they appreciate the value of their time attending a networking breakfast do they not see the amazing scope for online networking?
This is very irritating, but an ongoing battle and to be honest I get fed up of defending myself or teaching people for free – no-one taught me, I just got on with it and found loads of friendly, helpful, supportive people along the way as well as a plethora of blog posts, seminars and other learning opportunities. In my view there is just no excuse, stating that your not IT literate is pathetic. If people don’t want to embrace this revolution then they’ll get left behind and people like you and I, my valued twitterbuddy will, be victorious
People like Richard Branson didn’t become successful by following the crowd or dismissing new technologies……
Rant over!
PS I absolutely agree with Cathy’s comment above about being choosy, so you have time to add value – just as you would choose an offline networking community that suits your style, objectives and format preferences. Quality being preferable to quantity.
October 22, 2009 at 1:35 pm
Hi Neil,
great post , thanks for sharing this topic.
You are right on the fact that many people will not know things that somebody is sharing on a forum: if they do they might find a new way of seeing thing and further develop the subject. In any case as Brian Clark (Teaching Sells) states: “if you read 2-3 good books on certain subjects you are likely to have the kind of knowledge that can be sold to those that don’t master the subject”.
I also believe that there are many people that did not get, yet, the fact that Web 2.0 is about two ways conversations rather than one way information; good part of these people have also the laziness factor. They would happily chat about a subject with a small group of friends but not necessarily spend the same amount of time writing down their thoughts in a well organised way that can be put on a public site, so you go back to the second sentence of your post: fear of other laughing at their comments and contributions.
Last but not least I agree with Toni Hunter when she mentions the resistance from colleague and employees: I know many companies that filter off or block completely access to social networking sites in fear of the wasted time spent by their employees: once more it’s all about training and share responsibility with their people while it’s faster and easier playing watchdog and censor.