Archives for March 2011

Have you ever watched Hook, the Peter Pan take-off starring Robin Williams and Dustin Hoffman? In the movie, there’s a great scene that explores Hook’s immense fear of time. You see, Hook fears his own mortality, and he is surrounded by the boys from Neverland who never grow older. You can’t really blame him for hating the sounds of ticking clocks.

The thing is, I think we all kind of hear that incessant ticking, especially in our online world. There is so much to do, and our online reality, for many of us, is just a small portion of how we spend the time of our lives. There is so much pressure to do everything perfectly, get everything done, and it can all seem a little overwhelming. How do you prioritize this stuff?

If someone tells you they have an answer to that question, be very cautious. Alert system: Orange.

[Read more…] about How to organize your time online

Just about a year ago, I was trying to tweet and blog, and I wasn’t having very much luck at it. It all looked so easy and effortless until I started trying to do it. I knew then that any success I would find in this space would be because people took a chance on me. And a year later, as I reflect back on what has happened in my online reality, I must pause to celebrate you.

You write posts that motivate, inspire, and sometimes really tick me off.

You corner me into writing novels in your comment section which result in me meeting more really cool people.

You pick me out of your stream and decide to say hi.

You introduce me to other great people.

You ask me questions that alternately motivate me to find the answer or completely blow my mind.

You offer never-ending, undying support.

You are not afraid to steer me clear when I’m going on the wrong path.

You are not afraid to slap me on the back when I have stroke of good luck.

You open up doors of opportunity for me that I thought were locked with deadbolts.

You read my ongoing ramblings, and then you say nice things about them.

In the end, you can’t really get anywhere in Social Media without people. Without people, who will respond to your tweets? Who will back you up when you’re in a tight spot? Who will listen to you sing nonsense in celebration of something great? Just like in real life, you need people around you.  Great people. Even if your goal is solely money-making, you need people. Who is going to click those ads, after all? Who is going to retweet that post? Monkeys aren’t there quite yet. You need people.

I was looking at some of the comments I’ve gotten lately. I don’t get the most comments in the world. I don’t get all that many retweets. But I’ll tell you what, I wouldn’t trade the comments I get for anything in the world. They’re your thoughts, your questions, your observations, and representations of time you’re spending on my behalf.

I’m about a month away from turning 1 year old in the online world, and I will never forget, and will always be cognizant of the fact that any success I find and have found is because of you.Without you, I’d just be blogging and tweeting to myself.

Kind of scary, really.

If you stop and think about it, I’ll bet you’re here because of a bunch of great folks too. That’s what this crazy game is really all about, isn’t it?

Thank you for everything you do, even if you just silently read here. I’m here because of you.

A lot of people have told me that they really wish they could come to the TweetDiner chat, but the time just doesn’t work for them. So, I thought I would use this opportunity to a) figure out how to do a poll on my site and b) Find out what day and time would work the best for everyone. If you don’t see your favorite option listed, please let me know in the comments.

Our chat this Saturday will still happen at the regular time – 9 PM EST 🙂

Thanks!

[poll id=”1″]

No, this is not a blog post for Preparation H. Do not fear.

About a week ago, my friend Chase Adams (@RealChaseAdamas) posed a very interesting question. He said, “How do you handle situations like when someone sends you a DM but you can’t respond because they aren’t following you?”

It’s a great question for two reasons. First, I’m sure a lot of other people have a similar question. Second, it brings to mind all kinds of other uncomfortable situations that can unfold in the crazy world of Social Media.

So sit down on a thumbtack, get a papercut, and let’s talk about how to handle some uncomfortable Social Media scenarios!

[Read more…] about that uncomfortable feeling