Dear Men: I Struggle… with Twitter
The Twitter symbol in case you just arrived here from Planet Uranus.
Dear Men: I Struggle… with Twitter.
No doubt we live in the Information Age – a good thing because of how easy it is to access information on virtually any topic… especially while sitting in my underwear drinking a latte at 2 o’clock in the morning.
But also a bad thing because the sheer amount of information available sometimes crashes down on me like a tsunami – ever searched online for good statistics on how many single men in Vancouver hate their jobs? An absolute nightmare – I chased rabbit holes for hours only to come away with something that wasn’t overly helpful.
Here are some of my most common Twitter/Internet/Social media struggles:
I struggle with the voice in my head that clocks how much real, productive time happens for me while I am on the Web - as soon as I sign into Facebook, a little ‘pressure stopwatch’ activates in my head. It evaluates each of the things I do in Facebook and asks, ‘Are you wasting time now?’ As the seconds tick away, this little bugger gets louder and louder. Ever tried to surf Facebook for 5 minutes and stop? Good luck. Call me when you are able to do it.
I struggle with trying to keep up – here is a list of the things I am trying to stay current on every day: E-Mail, 20 different Blogs, 600+ Facebook friends, Facebook Messages, Meet-Ups, 100 Twitter streams, other Social Media sites (Brazen Careerist, 20 Something Bloggers, etc.) The list goes on and on – following each of these religiously could easily suck up my whole day. The funny thing is that I don’t even look at other potential info sources like online news sites, I don’t have a TV, listen to the radio, or read a newspaper.
I struggle with feeling like I am missing something if I don’t check everything - what if someone Tweets about a cure for cancer the day I decide to do a Tweet-Fast?
I struggle with caring sometimes about people’s updates, postings, or pictures - people’s agenda for the day just doesn’t interest me that much.
I struggle with reading comprehension – why is it that I can’t really remember any of the gold nuggets I took away from the Blog posts I have read over the last 63 hours?
I struggle with writing comments on other people’s tweets/blog/updates when I don’t feel like it but feel like I ’should.’ – That weird pressure deep down inside that drives you to do things you don’t want to do. So you put a half ass effort into it and think, ‘At least I kinda showed up.’
I struggle with posting stuff on my Blog, Twitter, or Facebook that people will actually care about – who really cares what I have to say on my Blog or updates?
I struggle with showing only 10% of who I really am on Social Media – the trap of social media is that you only show what you want to. If I don’t let you know who I really am, what I really struggle with, what I am really about, etc. are you really my ‘Friend’ or ‘Follower?’ I don’t think so.
I struggle with sometimes thinking I can use Social Media as a Sales, Publicity, or a ‘Look at How Great I am’ tool – I have caught myself getting to ‘Sales-y’ about what I do on Social Media and it bothers me. Sure, I have a message I want to reach people with – but shoving a business card in someone’s face and saying ‘Sign Here’ is not what I am about and actually makes me sick.
Above all, I struggle with the fine balance between a healthy amount of computer vs. face time. I am currently spending too much time in front of the computer, with the justification that I need to ‘keep up’ on E-Mail, Blog Posts… whatever. The fact is, I DON’T. Yet, I do. And there lies the struggle.
Dear Men: I Struggle. And I know you do, too.
Ever stuggle with Social Media? And don’t say that you are struggling reading this Blog!!!
I think the struggle comes from trying too hard. I know everyone says social media is here to stay, the next big thing etc but there are tons of people who are super successful without ever using twitter, facebook etc.
It all comes down to what you like and want. If it’s a “should” for you, it won’t work well or it may work but you’ll be miserable cos it’s not who YOU are and THEN it won’t work. When you start being unauthentic, it will show up in other places too.
When I first joined twitter a year ago, I couldn’t figure it out. As soon as I did, I was spending about 8 hours a day randomly stalking people! Since then I’ve self managed and brought it down to about an hour spread over the entire day.
Now, here’s the thing – I LOVE social media. Yes of course I wonder how effective it is sometimes, but seeing as I don’t like networking in person (don’t even have business cards) that’s my chosen way. And I have made some amazing connections and found a community of like minded people who are a huge support and inspiration.
As for blogs – I subscribed to about 50-70 newsletters and a bunch of blogs and started drowning in them all. So I unsubbed mercilessly and brought it down to about 20. I don’t read all the emails I get everyday, I sort them into categories like “blogging tips”, “marketing”, “inspirational”, “client attraction” etc and then read them at leisure.
Probably have about 100 backlogged but I don’t let that worry me cos I know when I need something, I will find it whether in my folders or on the internet. Sometimes I won’t even read my fav blogs just for a break. And that’s ok!
It’s FEAR that makes us say “If I stay away or am not that active, I’ll lose out somehow”. No, no, no. You will NOT lose out by taking time for yourself or being less active on soc med. You’ll just find a way that resonates with you better and make it work like no one else can.
I’d say pick 5 things to do daily for your business and anything above that is a bonus. For ex: read 1 blog, check twitter once, make 1 call, connect with 1 person etc. If you did 5 simple things a day (mix em up if you like) you’d be far ahead of people who read a million blogs and tweet all day. Cos where most of us fail is in the application of what we learn. Instead of trying to take it all in, start using it. Advice I haven’t taken myself, but plan to start.
Bottomline: Don’t pressure yourself to do something you don’t like. You’ll still get clients, credibility and community by being true to yourself. Your people want what YOU have to give. No one else can give that to them so rest assured, they will find you.
Phew! Guess I had a lot to say ay
Tia aka @TiaSparkles
This is amazingly helpful! Thanks, Tia.