Interaction, not Reaction

Someone reading my yesterday’s post might think I hate interacting with folks online. Or don’t want people commenting on my blog posts. That’s not the case. Rather, through these interactions, I have clarified my thoughts.

Whenever I publish posts online, it is with an acknowledgement that I will receive reactions from people who follow me. I welcome that. But I want to control where and what form of remarks to entertain.

I want to learn from others' experiences. Or sometimes, I specifically ask for people’s input. The notes (“micro-posts”) are often doing exactly that. These are the posts that I want to make reach as many forums as possible. I am a strong proponent of including ways for people to respond to you right below your posts. Here’s my suggestion from not so long ago.

If you write a blog and are interested in conversing with your readers, do include a link for the reader to do so right below your every post. I would love it if every blog post had a way for me to respond.

But then there are those words that don’t deserve hot takes or quick thoughts when I share something extremely personal. Or when I write something pretty close to my heart. When I am the most vulnerable.

These posts are open to me. And to those few who make an effort to follow and read them with patience. I don’t want to make it easy for people to respond to the trivial aspects of the post. I want to interact with people on such posts, not garner reactions.

There’s a thin line between the two, reaction and interactions. The former is fleeting and individual. The latter is enduring and mutual.

Email best enables the latter, so I love receiving responses through email. The person sending it doesn’t expect an instant reply and tends to collate all their thoughts before hitting send. The conversation can go on for days. Not be ephemeral; die down because there’s new stuff to react to.