I really liked what Seth said in his blog here.
Many business and marketers think the effeciency of communication through the web allows them exploit it by capitalizing on the quantity of messages they produce. It is so prevelant that we have a word for it – spamming – and it is not a nice word. Everyone hates spam, so why does it still exist? Because the old marketing paradigm still exists, and when this (not so) new tool is applied to the old paradigm, it appears as something that can produce results for free.
But we know that the old paradigm is fading, not really working anymore, and being replaced by a new paradigm, which is actually a reprise of a really old paradigm – actual personal human connection.
What people are finding out is that the web communication efficiency is allowing them to have personal human interaction and connection with a lot more people than they could in person (which was the really old paradigm of small town personal service, where everybody knows everybody.) This is actually way more effective for spreading ideas, getting things done, starting a movement, accumulating customers, or anything you want to do, than impersonal, cookie cutter broadcast messages to the world. Those kind of messages don’t talk to directly to me, so I don’t really want to respond. But if a real person who I have a relationship with is talking to me, I listen, I respond.
So how this relates to Seth’s post is that you can be you, and nice, and personal on the web, which helps you to have positive relationships with a lot more people.
And if you have that, well, you can do anything.
The Rex Blog 