Here's a great example of how to listen and how to have a real conversation

This example is from the technology side, not the association side, but I think it illustrates the point beautifully.

Lijit is a search and stats tool that allows you to put up a little widget on your blog (see mine over there on the right) so your readers can search not only your blog, but also your social networks and other social spaces, and your friends' sites too, for specific content.

Chris Brogan posted a message on twitter asking why his Lijit widget was suddenly showing ads. I remember this, because I went and had a look at mine at the time but didn't see anything.

Anyway Lijit posted this summary on their blog, where they laid out what the query was, what their response was, and how they discovered the root of the issue (which was not what Chris thought, but was a potential source of confusion). I won't repeat the specifics here, but they laid out the issues clearly, figured out where there might have been a lack of clarity in their communications about how the application was supposed to work, then explained how they were going to go about fixing the problem. They then stated that they were always in a 'state of learning" and thanked Chris for bringing this to their attention.

The result? A happy Chris:

" 1. Chris Brogan... Says:
July 22nd, 2008 at 2:43 pm

The best part of Lijit (beyond your interesting technology) is that you stepped up, listened, responded, and gave us insight into what comes next. I wasn’t upset about the ads. I didn’t like the functionality of doubling up the real estate on my page. Once I understand what it was, how it worked, etc, I calmed down, and with all your conversations, I felt even more educated.

Thanks for your attention and for your follow-through."

What stands out for me here, beyond the clear description of the step-by-step process from compaint to resolution, is that the response by Lijit was personal, open and honest in tone. There was not one hint of a "company line". While we don't all need to be as personal as this stylistically, in the way we write when we are representing our associations, there is a lesson here, in that our audiences absolutely expect us to have a face and a voice. Stock answers, avoidance of a direct acknowledgment of the issues, any kind of brush-off, can now have hugely detrimental consequences.

I would say this is a really good example of how it should be done.

Nicely handled, Lijit!!