We’re probably all familiar with this scenario: You post something on Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin, etc., and you wait for the first “likes” to come in.

“Ah, this post did really well,” you may say. “I got so many more likes than I did on my other posts.”

Whether it’s “likes”, “shares,” or “retweets,” the concept is always the same. There is a number attached to some kind of action your “audience” takes. The fancy name is “metric.”

But is this the right kind of metric? Is it the one that matters for you?

What about “hearts moved,” “tears shed,” “phone calls received,” “memories kindled,” or “thoughts provoked?”

Don’t despair if no one “likes” your post. It may not be the metric you’re after at all.