The communication is the door opener, and connecting is only the first step.

We are hyper connected, full of singular transactions that make for instant and fleeing touchpoints. Posting or tweeting or friending is the hello, but its up to you to actually make the personal connection that kicks off the relationship. There is no web-based tool that does this for you, and the human factor cannot be manufactured.

Each day, the web is populated with even more one-way doors that stand open, hoping that someone will walk through them, but unfortunately no one is doing the ushering. How many Facebook groups have you joined as a show of support to a friend or colleague, only to have them grow stale and forgotten? Have you visited a blog or a site that encourages comments or feedback but has little participation from the author or company? Even more simply, how about filling out a contact form only to hear merely crickets in return?

Follow through matters, and can be the differentiating factor between someone posing as a community lover, and someone who truly grasps the essence of what it means to connect, interact, and belong.

Follow through proves that you aren’t viewing the connection as a transaction, but rather want to embrace the value of humanity in business, and make good on whatever outcome you’ve promised.

Follow through is an important step on the path to building trust among your community. And today more than ever before, trust is a currency, and its value is rising.  Uncertainty and fear in an economy breed mistrust; the sense of looking over your shoulder to see who might be shilling you next. It’s validation of your relationships, and protection of the assets you value most, which – when the chips are down or missing altogether – may just be your network and your integrity.

Follow through is the “2” in the 2-way conversation meme. It’s the other side of the conversation, the give back. It’s the piece of the puzzle that goes “snap” when you set it in place, letting your community and your network know that you’re not just there to open the door, but you’re there to greet and welcome them in as well.

Far too often, we’re faced with superficial business practice that at best fleeting and at worst, disingenuous. We owe it to ourselves and the communities we’ve worked so hard to nurture to cultivate and organically grow these relationships, on a human level. After all, a hello is not the endgame of a conversation, but the beginning.

image by Clare Marie