POSTING IS LIKE A CONVERSATION… ME FIRST, THEN YOU

Posting is not just publishing.

It is introducing yourself before the handshake ever happens.

You share first.

Then someone else gets to answer.

It is an exchange.

Simply stated…

the person doing the posting is sharing a little bit about themselves.

How they think.

How they do business.

How they relate.

What they notice.

What matters to them.

That person is not merely being VIEWED.

In a strange way…

they are being INTERVIEWED.

Every post answers questions.

Who are you?

How do you think?

What do you believe?

How do you communicate?

Would I feel comfortable doing business with you?

That little bit of knowing someone can become a very important ingredient in trust.

FIND THE COMMON GROUND

The sharing of self helps people bond.

Relate.

Connect.

It is almost like discovering:

HEY…

WE HAVE SOMETHING IN COMMON.

Common ground is a very good place to build from.

While you are sharing your experience…

someone else may be reading and saying:

“That happened to me too.”

“I think the same way.”

“I never looked at it like that.”

“I like how this person thinks.”

That is connection forming before the two people ever meet.

The Internet has made it possible to get to those potent points much faster.

IT’S A WINDOW

Next time you sit in front of a keyboard…

PAUSE FOR CAUSE.

That screen is more than a screen.

It is a window.

You are watching your thoughts and words appear on one side.

Soon enough…

someone else will be visiting them from the other.

You write.

They read.

You reveal something.

They interpret it.

They begin forming an impression.

And little by little…

they begin to know YOU.

That is why posting deserves thought.

You are not merely putting words on a page.

You are leaving evidence of yourself.

CUT TO THE CHASE

The other day I stood in front of a group of people.

But something interesting had already happened before I arrived.

I was known.

Not just my name.

They already had some sense of:

who I was,

how I thought,

what I believed,

and what mattered to me.

Why?

I had already gone first.

ONLINE.

So when we finally met in person…

we did not have to spend nearly as much time circling around the formal introduction stage.

We could CUT TO THE CHASE.

Conversation started faster.

Familiarity was already there.

That is a powerful thing.

ME FIRST, THEN YOU

This is where the title really comes alive.

Posting is like a conversation.

ME FIRST…

THEN YOU.

I share.

You read.

You respond.

You agree.

You disagree.

You add your own experience.

Then the conversation grows.

A good post does not merely say:

LOOK AT ME.

It says:

HERE IS SOMETHING FROM ME.

WHAT DO YOU THINK?

That is very different.

One seeks attention.

The other invites connection.

GOOD USE OF TIME

These dynamics are priceless.

You can communicate with someone before ever meeting them.

You can answer questions they have not yet asked you directly.

You can show:

consistency,

personality,

knowledge,

humor,

values,

experience,

and even how you handle disagreement.

That is time well spent.

Especially in business.

People often choose people first.

Then they choose the product, service, company or transaction connected to them.

That means your posting can become part of your introduction long before your formal introduction ever arrives.

TRANSPARENCY OF SELF

One of the things I enjoy most…

and something many people remain uncomfortable with…

is transparency.

I am not interested in hidden agendas.

Secret motives.

Manufactured personality.

Or trying to appear like somebody I am not.

NO.

I still like the old idea:

What you see and hear…

is what you are going to get.

That does not mean a person shares EVERYTHING.

Privacy still matters.

Judgment still matters.

But authenticity matters too.

There is a difference between being private…

and being false.

PEOPLE BUY FROM PEOPLE FIRST

This is where posting becomes especially important in business.

People want to know who is behind the:

name,

company,

logo,

listing,

service,

or offer.

Credentials matter.

Experience matters.

Knowledge matters.

But somewhere inside the decision…

the customer is also asking:

DO I LIKE THIS PERSON?

DO I TRUST THIS PERSON?

DO I UNDERSTAND THIS PERSON?

DO I FEEL COMFORTABLE WITH THIS PERSON?

Posting can help answer those questions before the first call.

That is not manipulation.

That is communication.

RICHIE SPEAKS

Here is one Richie rule:

Do not post only to be seen.

Post to be KNOWN.

Another:

The best introduction may happen before you ever enter the room.

And one more:

If your online self and your real self are two different people…

eventually they are going to meet.

PEARLS FROM THE BOOKS

From the spirit of Pearls for the Soul:

“Connection begins when one person is willing to share something real enough for another person to recognize.”

From the spirit of God I AM:

“What is genuine within you can become a bridge when it is expressed honestly.”

From the spirit of It Is Finished:

“Stop performing long enough for the real person to enter the conversation.”

PEARLS INSIGHT

Consistent posting can build familiarity before direct contact ever occurs.

People begin learning a person’s communication style, values, expertise and personality through repeated exposure.

That familiarity can reduce the distance between strangers.

The strongest posts often combine useful information with enough authentic personality to remind the reader that a HUMAN BEING is behind the words.

PEARLS CONNECTION

This connects directly with POWER OF BEING YOUR SELF.

People often respond to the person before they respond to the offer.

It also connects with ADVANTAGES OF BEING TRANSPARENT.

Transparency helps reduce the gap between who people expect to meet and who actually shows up.

And PERSPECTIVE: COMMUNICATING YOURS AND UNDERSTANDING THEIRS reminds us that posting works best when it eventually becomes an exchange rather than a one-way broadcast.

FINAL SAY

Posting is like a conversation.

ME FIRST.

THEN YOU.

I put something on the table.

A thought.

An experience.

A lesson.

A question.

A little piece of who I am.

Then you arrive.

You read.

You react.

You answer.

You bring your own piece.

And now…

we have something more than content.

We have CONTACT.

So the next time you sit down at that keyboard…

remember the person on the other side.

You may be meeting them before you ever meet them.

Go first.

Say something worth hearing.

Then leave enough room for them to answer.

— Richie
Pearls for the Soul
when you feed the soul, you feed everything.
https://pearlsforthesoul.com