“Openness and transparency is a great first step, often beyond what your competitors are doing, but it is equally important to take the results of that openness – the feedback and the market research – and integrate it into your product itself. This is more difficult than opening yourself in the first place because there will be a great number of conversations to respond to.”

It’s like going to the south and intentionally speaking with a southern drawl. You’re going to sound ridiculous and fake. If you grew up in the south and that inflection was part of your DNA, even the most jarring accents sound real and authentic.

There’s a movement towards applications and businesses communicating like people. I think this is a good thing, and so does Rands as he points out some examples of where, and why, we like it when an app or site talks to us like a person. This comes as a response to noticing the removal of the tagline “Loves You” from the Flickr logo.

Who knows who removed the authenticity from the Flickr logo. It’s sad, but it served its purpose. Flickr’s old logo was a quiet efficient invitation to join a community and sound like yourself.

via Rands In Repose: A Signature Cadence.