Defining the Digital Handshake

How do you define a handshake?

That’s an easy question to answer, right? I mean, to just about all of us, a handshake is physical ritual. It’s a greeting or conclusion to the exchange of dialogue or ideas; the physical representation of connecting. So how does a handshake translate to the digital world?

That’s a question that may not be so easy to answer. Or maybe it is, because how we behave physically translates to the digital world. So if we think of a handshake as the initial greeting before a conversation, then a digital translation is not out of reach.

It’s still about connecting.

Let’s use the internet phenomenon Twitter, as an example. This is one of the fastest ways you can shake hands digitally. There is already a conversation happening, you just need to make your introduction. Sign up, enter your bio, add a picture, and you’re ready. The application itself is the handshake.

However, like any initial greeting and conversation, it can’t be one sided. The same practices and courtesies that govern our relationships in the physical world, apply online. You still need to give a reason for someone to want to shake your hand back.

How do we accomplish this?

Simple, begin how you would start any conversation, smile and say hello. Provide an atmosphere where a healthy conversation is encouraged. Those you greet should feel their ideas are welcome and that you truly care and want to listen. This is the foundation of community building and the same principles apply on any of the digital applications that are available to you whether you use Facebook, LinkedIn, Blogs, etc.

You can’t expect to walk up to someone, shake their hand or slap them on the back and just walk away. That doesn’t work in the physical world and it won’t work online.

That’s not relationship building.

So as we wrap this up, chew on this thought:

Over the course of your lifetime, think about all hands you’ve shook. How many of those physical handshakes turned into meaningful relationships, which ultimately turned into business opportunities? Now think about all the potential online connections that are waiting for you to extend your hand.

Are you ready to shake hands in the digital world? I thought so.