In the past couple of years, the local business communities in Ireland have ramped up their engagement with other businesses on Twitter. There are numerous hashtags for numerous locations around the country where, for one hour a week, businesses get together online and throw around stories, publicise their business and offer support, and indeed entertainment, to other businesses in their area.
I have dabbled in these groups in the past to some extent without really committing. More recently however I decided to get more involved in my own local group – #NewryHour. Every Tuesday from 9-10pm, I get on Twitter and listen, ask questions and (hopefully) offer some value and help to the community.
Twitter comes in to its own in these groups I think. It has always been the biggest open cocktail party on the internet; you can literally go on and talk to anyone that’s using it. But these groups really help to narrow the focus for people.
As a business, you can gain a lot from being “at the party”. Whether it’s insights, leads, opportunities to connect and collaborate with other business or members of the community – it’s all possible in these forums.
So, with all this opportunity available to us, what do I hope to gain from using these groups?
Simple. Nothing.
I’m not there to gain. I’m there to give.
I like to think I know myself pretty well. I know where I can offer value to people and where I can’t. If you need help putting up a shelf or baking bread, I’m not your man. I’m really, really shit at that stuff. If I got involved in either of those activities, death or injury are both likely outcomes.
Now, if you need advise on ways to finance your business, to save tax, to increase your margins, to sell or buy a business, to manage your VAT and payroll – that’s right up my street. Some people get in to business because they’re great sales people, great at making things, great artists. The finance is something people pick up to some degree as they go along. But they seldom become experts in it to the extent that they are when it comes to building an app or building a house. And that’s fine; it’s not practical to do that. That’s the very reason accountants exist. We are the support team.
So, I go on to #NewryHour to offer support. To offer an opinion (or a second opinion). To offer help, in whatever form that may take – an introduction, a chat, a coffee, a recommendation, whatever. Just to help. Business is tough. Anyone that tells you any different is a liar. So if I can help in 140 characters on Twitter or in 30 minutes on the phone afterwards, I’m happy to do so.
I’m increasingly coming to the conclusion that we all have to give more than we receive. So I’m giving now because in 6 months or 6 days I might need help. Call it karma, call it not being an asshole, I think it’s just part of life and living in a community.
What I’ve found surprising though, is just how much community you can find in a simple hashtag.
#NewryHour happens every Tuesday between 9-10pm. Everyone is welcome. It’s not just about businesses, it’s about the whole community – schools, charities, groups – everyone can get involved. So please do.
