Look, I’m a technology loving girl. The internet has truly changed the way we live, and I’m thankful for that everyday, especially since I have made my career out of owning blogs and using social media.
Ahhh… social media. That really is the heart of the matter. Yes, the internet opened the world up to us, but social media is what brought it home. It is no lie that I have met many of my friends online. People that I hang out with regularly. When I started my site, I lived in Alaska. Back then, MySpace was cool, and several people from the area that I am originally from, and currently live in, found me and friended me. When I got back to Michigan, they attended some of the same events that I did, we met in person, hit if off, and now we’re pals.
I would be lying if said I didn’t love social media. I am on Facebook and Twitter quite a bit. But that’s pretty much it. Facebook and Twitter. In fact, I have made jokes about Facebook being my husband and Twitter being my boyfriend…
But things are always evolving and changing. Social media is no exception. There are always new sites and ways to connect. I’m talking FourSquare, PlanCast, Tumblr, etc.
Most people have a hard time figuring out what to do with ONE social media site. Do we really need a handful? I mean, how much togetherness do we really need?
If you’re uploading your pictures to Facebook and giving me a minute-by-minute breakdown of our day on Twitter, do I really need to know where you’re checking in on Foursquare? No. If I already read your blog and follow you on Twitter, do I need to Tumble you, too? No.
Maybe, instead of all of this friending and following and tweeting and planning and checking in and checking out and whatever in the hell else we’re doing, maybe… we just all need to take a small break from each other.
It’s okay to just pick one or two social media sites that you like and stick with them. For me, I use a WordPress blog, Twitter, and Facebook. I have apps for all of them on my phone and I can post, tweet, or update at the click of a button.
And on the other hand, it’s okay to just un-plug from the internets every once in a while. In fact, you might want to try it for an hour or so every day. (do not gasp… do not stop breathing… you will be okay)
So, if you’re feeling freaked out and overwhelmed by social media.. just stop. STOP. Take a breath. Turn off your gadgets. Grab some paper and a pen or a book or just sit and do nothing. When you feel ready, come back to your gadget and feel free to tweet, or update or post. But just pick one … and forget about the urge to login to 1o sites and tell everyone the same thing, over and over and over again…..