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9 Types of Listeners’ Responses – on Twitter and Everywhere Else

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I’m a curious observer. I look, listen, connect things and identify patterns. Then I ask questions to test what it is that I think I’m finding. That’s one way that I keep learning new things about how the world works and how the people in it decide to do things.

Recently on Twitter, Calvin Lee @mayhemstudios posted an link to an article on Business Insider revealing data about Twitter users who don’t listen. Derek Overbey @doverbEy read it and retweeted it. As did I.

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As you can see by the image, four people passed it on again.

What to Do About People Not Listening – on Twitter or Anywhere

Reading the data about people not listening on Twitter got me curious and turned me into an observer. As I looked, listened, connected things, and identified patterns, I asked a question to test the ideas that we’re coming together.

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Asking questions gives me a chance to listen for myself. Question influence people to respond and in their response are hints and clues to how they think. The response I received fell into a pattern I’ve found predictable when I put an open ended question to the group. I’ve named the types of responses to reflect the group they represent.

  1. The observers retweet the question without sharing their response. Obviously, they’re listening. It would seem that they find the question interesting to pass it on. But they’re not sharing their own opinion on the thought. Maybe their objective is to spread the conversation and listen in to what other folks think. Or maybe they just want to raise their retweet count.
  2. The responding retweeters add a word or two to state whether they agree while retweeting the question to include the reference. They add value with their answer, offer it quickly and share with their friends it in a way that invites others to participate.
  3. The conversationalists add a new thought on the question.They extend the thought with an experience or an additional idea. They’ve considered the question and bring their own thinking to it to share with the group.
  4. The clarity checkers ask for further information about the question. They want further explanation to be sure they understand the question before they join with an opinion.
  5. The controversy seekers find what’s wrong in the premise of the question. Their response is not to seek further understanding or explanation, but to call out the the question itself as wrong.
  6. The contrarians find an answer that’s outside the scope of the question. If you ask whether they prefer fruits or vegetables, they’ll answer steak.
  7. The opportunist teachers see the question as their chance to show how smart they are. They start by answering with what they know on the subject, whether it answers the question or not. Then they continue for several tweets asking questions for which they already know the answers.

    8. and of course,

  8. The spammers find a keyword in the question or an answer to drop a highly promotional link in as if they’re commenting on the conversation. They are people who don’t follow anyone in the tweet stream. They use keyword search tools to interupt for their own spammy purposes.

    9. and the

  9. The lurkers who heard you but choose not to respond They hard to differentiate from the ignorers and the folks who just didn’t show up, but don’t make the mistake of assuming they’re the same.

It’s been said that we can’t talk without talking about ourselves. The words we choose, the metaphors we use, the choices we make of what to respond to and what to leave there all reveal things about our own view of the world and ourselves.

Paying attention to the listens on Twitter is a great way to learn how people think and respond uncovers valuable information that strict data reports cannot – valuable information to any product or marketing person, no matter the conversation or the question at hand.

What might be more important to keep in mind is that we find every one of these types of listeners in every walk of life online and off. If we listen to identify them, we soon some to realize that every kind of listener is looking for a different sort of response and a new question arises …

Some listeners seem to signal by their response that they’re better left to have the final word. What do you think on that?

–ME “Liz” Strauss
Work with Liz on your business!!

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Why Guest Blogging is Fun and Extends the Value of What You Do

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A Guest Post by Jessica Cortez

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Many articles here on Successful-Blog have addressed the importance of guest blogging. Some have pointed out the advantages of getting your work and your name out there when you’re just starting out. Writing about topics you find interesting is a great writing motivator, too. And the instant feedback a guest blogger receives in comments is central to blogging and general writing improvement. These are all great reasons to go out there and knock on blog doors, asking for a place to stay and sit awhile.

But perhaps we can take a step back and ask ourselves a bigger question — What is the greatest motivator in any of life’s endeavors?

  • Is it the promise of future career success?
  • Praise from others or external assurance that what we are doing is in some way worthwhile?
  • Money?

To be sure, these are all valid sources of inspiration. But what I’ve found is that the most successful people I know are those who are simply enjoying what they’re doing. In short, the greatest human motivator is an intrinsic sense of fun.

The logical next question, then, is how is guest blogging fun?

For one, writing a guest post is an inimitable opportunity to explore the mindset of a particular type of reader. Every blog has a specific audience, and by writing a guest post, you have to do some digging into each blog audience’s psyche. Read through the blog’s previous articles, especially the more popular ones, and imagine what kind of person reads the blog and finds value in it. This process in itself cultivates human empathy, a quality that can be beneficial to anyone’s life overall.

If you’re a blogger, you probably take an interest in the act of writing, too. And good guest bloggers not only take into account people, but they also take into account tone. Just as every audience has a particular mindset, every audience member also has a specific style of writing to which she responds best. Catering to this style enhances your flexibility as a writer.

Employing several different stylistic tones makes you more adept at the use of words. The exploration of writing voices is like a little puzzle in that you have to figure out which grouping of suitable, carefully selected words goes where. And the challenge inherent in solving any puzzle is what makes it fun.

Seen in this light, guest blogging may be more than just a chance to “spread the word,” as it were. It’s a dynamic form of communication that stretches and strengthens your social understanding and technical skill. While developing your personal blog is rewarding on so many of its own levels, guest writing presents unique challenges that even the most accomplished blogger should indulge in on occasion.

How might a go at guest blogging expand and extend the value of what you do?

——–
Jessica knows a think or two about understanding her audience. Why not comment on what she said?

Jessica Cortez writes on the topics of online degree programs. She welcomes your comments at her email Id: cortez dot jessi23 @ gmail.com.

–ME “Liz” Strauss
Work with Liz on your business!!

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