Posted on: 28 November, 2001
Author: Mary Holzrichter
What makes you trust one person yet not ... mean ... Here's how I, a Newbie, see it.What makes one person's "word" ... ... saying, "A person's only as good as his word"?My What makes you trust one person yet not another?I mean "really". Here's how I, a Newbie, see it.What makes one person's "word" believable? Rememberthat saying, "A person's only as good as his word"?My Dad always said that when I was growing up, and myhusband says it to our two sons.I grew up on a dairy farm in the Midwestern UnitedStates. Often in the evening when my Dad and brotherswere done with the "after-supper" chores, salesmenwould often come. My Dad invariably knew them bytheir first name. They were selling everything fromsoybean and corn seed to grain bins to hail insuranceand more. You can imagine.I was little then, and I remember them sitting at thekitchen table. It was summertime, so I could stay uplater. June bugs were bouncing off the outside of thescreens, and sometimes there was distant heatlightning in the horizon.I liked listening to them talk on those evenings -sort of reassuring in a sense. I could feel theytrusted each other. The words flowed freely - therewas no pretension. Just two people sitting across thetable from each other - one a seller, one a buyer.There would be much interaction, lots of body language:an eyebrow raised, a gentle pounding of the palm of ahand on the table to emphasize a point, or maybe rubbingan ear when trying to put a thought into words as aquestion, lips slightly askew; chuckle thrown in hereand there, and even a loud guffaw erupted occasionally.If you didn't know differently, you'd have thought theywere "old friends."When it broke up, the salesman was happy with a sale,and my Dad was happy knowing he would soon have theproduct he needed for his business. They'd shakehands, and that was that. Everyone was happy.So, NOW, on to the internet.....How do we get that same feeling of "one on one"?Why do we "connect" with one person but not another?After all, we really don't know anyone we haven't met,do we? What IS that "spark" that ignites the "fire"?Why do we "connect" with some people and not others?I've found so many kind and helpful people on theinternet, and I often wonder what "IT" is that causesthat.Why do you join a program or two? Is it becausesomehow you seemed to "connect" with the owner(s)?You just "feel" you can trust them, right? Why?I think a lot of it has to do with the fact theyrespond to your inquiries with a personal touch.They take the time to email you - not just send a coldimpersonal autoresponder message.Ever emailed (to their personal email address) afterreceiving an autoresponder message and waited for areply that never came? I have. Did you continue anyfurther? I didn't.Ever come across a great looking site and sent them anemail complimenting them? Perhaps even feeling so"fired up and bold" that you throw in a question askingfor a little help? I have. Still waiting for a reply?I am.Ever unsubscribed from a newsletter because you don'thave a clue who the editor is? There's no mention ofa name? I have.How long does it take for someone to send a simpleemail? A "thank you" or even an acknowledgment thatthey've received it and will get back to you as soonas they can?Maybe soon they'll have all the time in the world!But it won't be on the internet.Be interactive. Let people know you're a real personon the other end of that mouse.Pretend you're seated across from me at a kitchen tableon a hot summer evening with June bugs bouncing off the screens and distant heat lightning in the horizon. Source: Free Articles from ArticlesFactory.com