Well, for me, doing the things you say you're doing. I don't expect to get really upclose and personal with them--mostly, they aren't friends and family, they are persons I interact with anyway, so I want to maintain cordial (that may not be the right word) relationships with them as much as possible. I don't expect to understand them fully, and I don't expect them to understand me fully--just well enough that they'll look out for me as I look out for them. I expect to hear back from them through visions, dreams, etc.
The only exception to this, I think, would be if a particular DAGS (I like that, by the way) were members of the same clan, the same totem group, then it might be closer and more familiar, more like family or close friends.
For what it's worth, that's how I see it.