Giving and receiving feedback–especially positive feedback–are quite possibly two of the greatest pleasures in life. However, it seems that Facebook, Twitter and even WordPress have slowly but surely reduced 99% of all feedback down to a single click.
Like … Favorite … +1
That’s all most people get nowadays, a simple Like. Not a comment, not a “Thank you”, a “Nicely done” or even a “Needs more tacos”. Just Like. And that’s if you are lucky!!
Think of it this way:
Someone walks up to you, shares a tidbit of potentially humorous insight or perhaps even a sad, touching and deeply personal story. It immediately resonates with you, generates an emotion; laughter, curiosity, sadness. Either way, you are moved to express yourself, acknowledge what you heard.
You give them a thumbs-up and walk away.
If every interaction was like this, it wouldn’t be long before people stopped sharing their stories, their valuable insights, their personal experiences. Why share when people seem so unaffected, unmoved… detached?
I am certainly not pointing fingers. I read a LOT of blogs and posts across the internet, and the light-touch of “Like” or “Favorite” is used frequently; it’s the least I can do to acknowledge the post and show the author that I might have actually read it.
But of late, I am resolved to actually giving feedback wherever and whenever I can. Share some real insight as to how someone’s carefully-crafted prose moved me, inspired me… changed me.
Closing thought: Blogging (and writing in general) is a social activity; a personal conversation with a wider audience. If you liked something today, why not take a minute to tell them why you liked it. Otherwise, there may come a time when the conversation stops altogether…