Can I just unplug for a day?
I was laughing the other night as I was sitting behind my drum set at the Tacoma Art Museum getting ready to quickly upload a pic to facebook when our lead singer said, “Hey Mike are you going to sound check or text all night?” It dawned on me that like many of you we forget our purpose. Instead of sitting there enjoying the fact that I’m about ready to spend 2 great hours with some great guys in my band and do something I love, I was worrying about getting a photo pushed out to the cyber world for all to see.
Social Media can suck you in at times. So often at home or at work we find we are in the head down fingers rapidly moving position and we aren’t paying attention to what is right there around us. I know many of you may be surprised that of all people I’m here writing this post.
I am recently married and I have 3 great kids and a amazing wife. I realized that time spent with them, or time spent with my friends is more important than checking into facebook, or posting just one more photo. I’m still a firm believer in Social Media as it does help us to strengthen our relationships and keep quality interaction with those we care about, but there is also a time when we need to take a deep breath and unplug.
Funny last weekend I decided to leave my phone at home for a day and not post, or check in, or look at e-mail. The world didn’t end, my friend list did not fall in numbers, and anything that happened that day was still just waiting there for me the next day.
So basically this post is to say to you, “hey it’s ok to unplug and give it a rest from time to time.” Guess what it will still be there when you get back I promise :).
Social Media isn't a popularity contest!
I read a great article yesterday by Brian Solis, Marketing executive with Altimeter. His blog post was
“The number one least asked questions in Social Media. Why?”
The points he makes in this article is the key to why we do Social Media. There are so many of us that think Social Media is a contest to see just how many likes we can get or how prestigious our friend list can become. The reality of it all however is that none of that matters. What really matters is what is at the core of this Social Media engagement. Relationships!
If you put Social Media on the side for a moment and think about how a relationship is created then you will better understand the unique opportunity that Social Media gives us if we use it the way it was meant to be used. It is not a sales tool, it is not a look how great I am tool, and it is not an all about me tool. Social Media is best used when you are giving away value. This value can be with words, video, and pictures. It is when you open up and freely share great information and let your voice come through. It is best used when you look for the unique way to connect with someone where you are able to help provide a much needed resources, or help to facilitate a positive outcome for any situation. Brian uses these words “purposeful, meaningful, and valuable” Its a tool to let you connect with like people who have common interest. If you boil all this down I would guess that it looks much like many of the great relationships you already have. The only difference is that with Social Media the engagement and interactions is now on steroids. Instead of a conversation happening weekly it can now take place 3 times a day. The micro interactions all add up to greater attention but only when that micro interactions provides a purpose, is meaningful, and gives value.
I know I’m going to look closer at how I engage and take some of what I just said to heart.
Social Media isn’t a popularity contest!
I read a great article yesterday by Brian Solis, Marketing executive with Altimeter. His blog post was
“The number one least asked questions in Social Media. Why?”
The points he makes in this article is the key to why we do Social Media. There are so many of us that think Social Media is a contest to see just how many likes we can get or how prestigious our friend list can become. The reality of it all however is that none of that matters. What really matters is what is at the core of this Social Media engagement. Relationships!
If you put Social Media on the side for a moment and think about how a relationship is created then you will better understand the unique opportunity that Social Media gives us if we use it the way it was meant to be used. It is not a sales tool, it is not a look how great I am tool, and it is not an all about me tool. Social Media is best used when you are giving away value. This value can be with words, video, and pictures. It is when you open up and freely share great information and let your voice come through. It is best used when you look for the unique way to connect with someone where you are able to help provide a much needed resources, or help to facilitate a positive outcome for any situation. Brian uses these words “purposeful, meaningful, and valuable” Its a tool to let you connect with like people who have common interest. If you boil all this down I would guess that it looks much like many of the great relationships you already have. The only difference is that with Social Media the engagement and interactions is now on steroids. Instead of a conversation happening weekly it can now take place 3 times a day. The micro interactions all add up to greater attention but only when that micro interactions provides a purpose, is meaningful, and gives value.
I know I’m going to look closer at how I engage and take some of what I just said to heart.