Still not on Twitter?
Herbert and Zelmyra Fisher,
aged 104 and 102
respectively.
Married 85 years.
Now, they’re sharing
relationship advice to couples
on Twitter.
Two Tweet or not to Tweet
Crowd sourcing is not a new phenomenon; neither is knowledge sharing nor open communication nor open innovation. What can be learned in the open participation of collaborative communication is wholly dependent upon being there – to participate.
Those who have gained experience in life, or success in business, tend to share their knowledge to help others learn. They write a book. Make a movie. Though how many make themselves accessible in real time to participate with others while sharing that knowledge?
The story of The Fishers is about “relationships” and open communication, a recurring theme in many “success” stories we buy and read daily.
Moreover, the metaphor of The Fishers on Twitter truly exemplifies this.
Why Relationships Matter
The transactional value of knowledge sharing is key.
Why do relationships matter more than mere transactions?
Transactions work when explicit knowledge is involved —
problems must be precisely framed and solutions must be equally
precisely articulated. Of course, this works for a certain class of
problems but some of the most challenging problems cannot be
precisely framed — that is part of the problem. On the other side,
really challenging problems require tapping into the tacit knowledge
possessed by more than one individual in order to create
new knowledge and generate a workable solution.
Tacit knowledge is the “know-how” that is hard to express or
transfer and therefore much more sticky than explicit knowledge.
Sharing this kind of knowledge typically requires long-term,
trust-based relationships that can support the inevitable fumbling
that occurs as we try to express and share tacit knowledge.
Harvard Business Review, “Open Innovation’s Next Challenge: Itself“.
The Secret
The Fishers appear to still be learning. Their secret may be that they are learning together; with each other and now, in participating with the online community.
Many people and companies are curious to learn and deploy engagement strategies to participatie online, but for what return? How many strive to develop new, collaborative solutions in knowledge sharing with their followers.
Relationship Matter
The Grateful Dead give us another take on this in their citation in The Atlantic as “the most successful of all time.”
Twitter is but one platform where users can “join the conversation.” Albeit the largest at present.
Feed Your Followers
What is your plan in joining the conversation?
What will you share openly or strategically?
How can your relationships flourish in learning from an institution that has lasted this long?
With whom will you share this story?
Follow The Fisher’s tweets here. You can also check out Twitter here.
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