It is often said that using social media means we are all are “part of the conversation.”  However, it’s important to make sure we are in dialogue with others, not just giving monologues.

While it is fun enough to only push out updates in one direction, starting meaningful dialogues with others can enhance our online experiences.  If you were at a dinner party sitting alongside interesting strangers, what questions would you ask to get things started?

Cinch provides a new way to start conversations online, allowing users to engage friends and followers with voice, images and text.  Plus, your followers can respond back to your posts. Bill Cosby himself is starting conversations using Cinch.  His weekly musings give much food for thought and inspire banter across Cinch and the web, including on Twitter, Facebook, and BlogTalkRadio.

Here are a few tips for starting your online conversations:

1. Ask a Question
Use Cinch to pose a question and ask people to post answers.  Asking your followers for their favorite song or restaurant, or to help you come up with a caption for a favorite photo can help you get to know them better.  Trivia questions, contests, and games, also add a fun twist.

2. Get Feedback
Share a new product, blogpost, or a business idea and get the feedback of your community.  The feedback of those you respect can help you hone your online practices.  To further encourage feedback, offer coupons or incentives to your followers who buy from you, or visit your website.

3. Share Valuable Information
Share information that is interesting, timely, and useful to gain more followers and expand your online presence.  Share a research report on social media marketing tips, interview an author or blogger.  Companies can share inside information and discount leads to customers that cannot be found anywhere else.

3. Be Clever and Funny.  Be yourself!
Funny clips and posts spread quickly and elicit a positive response.  Share a joke that you record on Cinch audio, capture the noise of your singing dog, share your karaoke performance with friends.

Cinch helps users start conversations, cross-posted on Twitter, Facebook, your blog or website.

We at Cinch challenge you to start a conversation that we’ll all be discussing across the dinner table, over their morning cup of coffee, or at their next work meeting.

Have a great weekend and happy Cinching!

Keeping in touch around the holidays can be a challenge with work, family, shopping, traveling, and the usual rituals of the season.  We are so focused on the tasks at hand, there are often people you care about that you don’t get a chance to send a greeting to or pick up the phone and call. In this post we wanted to provide some simple ways that you can create and share meaningful holiday messages using Cinch.

Cinch gives you the ability to record an audio holiday greeting and easily share it with family, friends and/or colleagues. Include your Cinch link in a holiday greeting email and people can hear your greeting in your voice, making the message a bit more personal than just an email or an ecard.  Record the kids and send it to grandparents that live across the country. Let them sing a Christmas carol and share in the family holiday newsletter.

Another idea is to share that favorite recipe that your family and friends have been bugging you for in a holiday greeting email or on your blog.

And when you’re enjoying your holiday parties, do quick interviews with family member or friends and send them around in January when everyone is suffering from the after holiday blahs to put some cheer back into their day.

These are just a few ideas on how you can make your holiday messages more meaningful and “a Cinch”.