Social networking and choices
As we all become inundated with information on the why and how of social networking, (the choices: should we become LinkedIn, join Twitter, or find ourselves on Facebook), and hearing what we can gain from our time online, I realize that I must now look at my own time and make some personal decisions. When online, am I using social networking as a personal or professional tool? Do I want to share what I’m doing at work or on my home-based business while on Twitter? How much time can I spare from the many other chores I should be working on to stay connected?
After joining Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook I was like many of you and spent far too much time eavesdropping on others. I occasionally posted a message about what I was doing, sometimes even taking time to ask or answer questions and chat with others online, but generally, I was an outsider watching others post. Now, I find I’m ready to make some of the decisions that determine if Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook are a benefit or a detriment to my daily life. I’ve analyzed the people I “follow” on Twitter and realized that many don’t interest me. I simply don’t want to read the daily inspirational quotes they pass on. I am working to change those that I follow and see if my interest grows. I find I benefit most from LinkedIn by reading the group discussions that take place and occasionally joining in and sharing my views. I also have determined to keep Facebook for personal use and will use it to keep in touch with family and friends.
With this basic outline I can now move forward, adding social networking to my day at my discretion. I plan to talk with my association about making a Social Networking Business Plan soon, to see if we should be utilizing its potential to benefit or reach our members, and I’ll keep reading the articles that cover the why’s and how’s to give me clarity on the subject. Have you had to face these same issues in your daily routine? How did you deal with the time, the question of personal and professional use, and the use of these online tools for yourself?
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Comments
Professional networking is very important to both my current job as a web strategy consultant for associations and as an association professional. However, as you point out, we have many more choices today about how we network. We need to regularly re-evaluate old tools (e-mail, phone, conferences, personal visits, etc.) with new tools (blogs, message boards, directories, live chats, etc. in addition to the big 3 you mention).
And the tools must vary with the needs of different people, groups and purposes for networking. So this is not an easy task. For example, I noticed my blogging has suffered as I use Twitter more often as it seems to be more efficient and immediate. But I have recently gone back to blogging more as I realize tweets fly by and are seldom accessed later.
My advice is to take an hour every 3 months to assess how well your networking time is being spent and make adjustments as necessary. New and better tools are constantly emerging so this is not something you can do only once and move on.
Posted by: Rick Johnston, CAE | June 8, 2009 10:28 AM
I guess my thoughts are a little varied.
First, I'd say that when you mention that you spent "far too much time eavesdropping on others", you were actually doing the right thing as you began using social media tools. I think the "lurk before you leap" mantra is a strategy that is worth the time you spend doing it. It's ok to watch and see what others are doing before you jump right in. You can see how others are using these tools, and decide if that's how you want to or not.
Second, I was in the same boat as you in terms of trying to figure out how I was using each tool. I have tried to make LinkedIn my professional portal, Facebook my personal portal, and Twitter a bit of a hybrid where I follow people from whom I may draw some good information. I originally followed everyone who followed me, and quickly decided that I was not gaining much from some of the Tweets I read. I have scaled back significantly on the people I follow, and my Twitter experience is all the better for it.
Last, I agree with Rick wholeheartedly about assessing how networking time is being spent and changing it when it's out of whack. I don't do a good enough job at that, but am working on it.
Posted by: Bruce Hammond | June 8, 2009 4:42 PM
Kimberly,
Your comments about social media and the time it takes to make it worthwhile are on the money. As the manager of soial media and Web content for NetStrategies I continue to look for the best ways/tools to effectively use SM for my company and our customers. I use SM for monitoring conversations, sharing information, and learning from others. I think to focus on a few social media outlets and use them well is far better than spreading yourself too thin. Remember to use Google Reader, or something similar, to congregate your alerts. This helps you keep an eye on key words in just a few minutes each day!
Posted by: Laurie Dunlop | June 9, 2009 12:15 PM