Before we talked about this myth and truth let's get to know the author of this article first from socialnomics.net. The author is Eric Harr a Founder & President of Resonate Social Media and a award winning host of "Your social Media Minute" on CBS News. He's also an author of the “The REAL TRUTH About Social Media: 8 Timeless Truths Uncovered & 8 Monumental Myths Revealed.

He started his article with a quote from a famed American psychiatrist named Karl A. Menninger “Listening is a magnetic and strange thing, a creative force. The friends who listen to us are the ones we move toward. When we are listened to, it creates us, makes us unfold and expand.” And said that there are billions of active user using the social media and most these people are busy talking and all of the have something to say. But if all of these people are busy talking, is anyone listening?. Most of them are intoxicated using these new social media tools to spread their messages as fast and far as they intent to. But if everyone is talking the question is, who is listening?

According to Eric with all these social media tools it is an understandable concern too that in the amidst of these thousands of people talking there are chances always that they won't be heard. Even on the amidst of the thousands of Tweets and billions of downloads a day it is like that chances of being not being heard is very high.
It is like your message is the needle in the hay stack which is not surprising in my opinion. But it is not always in some cases. Eric said that you can rise above din by simply listening. 

"In Jim Tobin’s book, Social Media is a Cocktail Party (CreateSpace, 2008), he observes that the best hosts are the ones who ask questions and listen. You may be the most charming, intelligent, articulate, well-exfoliated host this side of Savanna, but if you stand on a chair and pontificate for an hour, you will alienate the very guests you are seeking to please. Move through the crowd, pour Pinot, get others talking—and you’ll be as pleasing [sic] as punch. Same in social…Most overzealous business brands, and overeager personal brands, make this mistake in social media. They are falling over themselves, charging into social media, over-caffeinated, trying to “message” people…when the first thing they should be doing is listening. As a business, the only way to know what to say is to listen to your customers and help them improve their lives. Like my dad always said: “Boy! God gave you one mouth, but two ears!” I never really listened to that. (Actually, I think every father has admonished his son with these words since the days of the Greek philosopher, Epictetus, in AD 55-135!)"

This line of reasoning is simply begging the two questions of "How can I be heard if I'm not talking?" and "How can I get people to act without prompting them to do so?"

He's right, how can anyone be heard if no one's talking at all. This leads too on how will get them to act without literally asking them to do so... I'm sure you know already as you read this part. But let's hear how Eric answered this questions.

Eric said that before you start talking it is necessary to spend time too on listening on a conversation that are important. With this you can craft comments that can also resonate with people since everyone in the social media have sensitive antennae that you need to inspire them to act to make it subtle, elegant and nuanced.

In order to know the better way of talking you must first know what people want to hear. A talk that shows you're listening and you care at the same time. A good listener should be a talker that echo desires and dreams of others since social media isn't a megaphone but a refuge from a method of "interruption marketing". This is where people seek honesty on every conversation or dialog and have an authentic discourse because they want to be heard. In social media world spend 80% on listening & asking and 20% on contributing to the conversation.

I will quoted this most important bottom line paragraphs from Eric which surely will enlighten us and not just me or you. If you have a business you should consider reading this specially if your business also in involves the social media world.

You win people’s hearts when you care about them—and listen to them. And, in this word-of-mouth economy, powered by a new vanguard of empowered influencers—whether you run a small bakery or a multinational corporation—winning people’s hearts will help you more than you can imagine.

Most brands do not listen. For decades, companies have done all the talking. But times have changed. If you aren’t listening to your customers, they will think you don’t care, and they’d be right. These social media tools make it so easy for companies to listen that not doing that shows a disregard and a disrespect for the very people who put food on your table.

Monitoring your brand is one of the most important things you can do in social media. Remember: People trust one another orders-of-magnitude more than they trust you. Consumers are using these tools to communicate—and they are directly influencing one another’s purchase decisions. Are you listening to what they’re saying? You’d better.

I'm sure everyone will realized by now how crucial listening is by the end of this article. Talking is less powerful on the social media world if you're not even listening. Listening is essential even before you start talking.

If you'd like to know more about it you buy his book on amazon.com “The REAL TRUTH About Social Media: 8 Timeless Truths Uncovered & 8 Monumental Myths Revealed".