c’mon. Vogue!
Have you ever noticed how much complaining there is on Social Media sites about, well, Social Media?
It gets to feel like you’re hanging out with Homer Simpson’s dad sometimes, doesn’t it? Ohhhhhh I have so many people I need to get back to. I have blogs to read. Facebook is such a time hole. And ohhhhh the Twitter. Makes my back ache with all the typing and the chatting.
Does this strike anyone else as kind of…weird?
A lot of people kind of pick on me because I seem to be in every chat ever in the universe. “Don’t you get tired?” I get asked a lot.
My hands certainly don’t appreciate the one tweet per minute I tend to average during a chat, but you know what? I don’t care. Do you want to know why?
It’s fun.
When I think about the people I respect in this crazy mixed up world of Social Media, one commonality strikes me on the head as if I was in one of those V8 commercials. They all enjoy this stuff. Various reasons, sure. But the joy, the passion, the personal satisfaction they get out of doing this stuff is apparent. Look at the passion that my friend Stan (@pushingsocial) talks about all of the time. Or how about all of the passion and love that Suzanne Vara (@SuzanneVara) puts into her posts. Maybe take a look at Sterling Hope (@ambercleveland & @kaywhitaker) and how clear their passion is in all of their blog posts.
Social Media is a lot of work. That’s true. A lot of us are here because of professional reasons. That’s true. There’s a lot of time and dedication in this particular brand of soup. Very true.
But seriously? If you do not enjoy blogging or tweeting or Facebooking, you are not doing yourself any favors by tweeting about how much you hate tweeting or blogging about what a time investment Social Media is. Nobody wants to read about how busy you are. After all, they’re busy. I’m busy. We’re all busy.
I started noticing a difference in my Social Media reality when I decided to approach it as if it was a virtual extension of the most fun job anyone could ever ask for. And that’s how I still view it today. I enjoy talking to you. I enjoy learning from you. I enjoy helping you out when you’re in a jam. Do I hope that I get to network with some people or companies that I could work with in the “real world?” Of course. But I don’t sign in to Twitter with dollar signs in my eyes. I sign in to Twitter and I say, I wonder if @Dwesterberg is around. I wonder if @ellisvalincomm has posted today. I read blog posts by folks like Chris Brogan and Jay Baer and Trystan Bishop (@KnowledgeBishop) because they teach me and because I have a ball getting a view into their brains.
Are you having fun? You’ve entered the most amazing cocktail party you’ll ever get invited to. You can rock in the fetal position because there are too many people and the music is too loud, or you can get on out here and dance.
You know where I’ll be, right? 🙂
Image by Jereme Peabody. http://www.sxc.hu/profile/peabody111
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Agreed!
The party can be an insanely crazy one (not to mention time consuming), but if you’re not having fun at the same time and enjoy what you’re doing, what’s the point?
Oh, and btw, I love the title. I’m a big Madge fan. 😉
That’s what I wanna know!
Way back in the day, I used to work in a cube pit where there was constant chatter all day long. Of the talkers, there were two kinds of people; those who would complain about the noise and interruptions and wish for a private office and those who would surf them and grab energy from the noise. I was part of the latter group. Then I got promoted and given an office with a door. At first it was great, but then I realized I missed the noise and activity. I got nothing done in my own space. So I took to walking around with a cup of coffee and chatting with everyone. I got in a lot of trouble for that, even though I was productive.
And then the large company went belly-up and I found myself working alone, doing my thing. Eventually I was able to hire some people, but me chatting all day long with them did not make them productive or me profitable. And then Twitter came along and I was back in my cube pit. On all day long, chatting here and there, riding the energy wave.
And I don’t really spend the day working. I just do stuff that makes me happy. And sometimes I don’t do any billable work all day because stuff out in social media land is far more interesting. And that’s ok because I have a great staff who reminds me every day that all they really need me to do anyway is sign the checks and talk to anyone who calls in screaming 🙂 And the chatting sparks lots of ideas and keeps them flowing.
And if you are building a business instead of working a job, isn’t that kind of the end goal, to sign the checks and work the relationships? I dunno, it is for me. Way more fun that scheduling blocks of time to do work.
I love that analogy and story!
It’s hard to focus sometimes when you enjoy chatting, but I agree – staring at the computer screen and doing nothing else does not help me amp up my productivity either.
We are social beings, are we not? 🙂
When I work around others, I continue to learn new tricks, shortcuts and methods that were there all along but I may have missed. There is something to say about communal energy and then … going off for quiet time to get some solid work done. Thanks for a great post! — another social being…
Hi there!
Yes, I agree. It’s all about balance, isn’t it? That’s the way to productivity.
Thank you for your kind comment 🙂
Marjorie
Wow, now that is a compliment that I am so appreciative of. I love when I am able to sit and have my fingers glaze across the keyboard releasing my mind of the words that are flowing around it.
In SM I think people complain to start conversations. Really I do and there is also that they want to see that they are not alone in how they are feeling. When I get backed up on the blogs that I like to read, it stinks, really it does but complaining about it is not getting them read any faster. Now for those that are looking for some company and want to talk but do not know how to open the convo on twitter? I say ask a question. Be the leader of the convo and not the adder -to-er.
Girl you do your own thing as that is what makes you you. Be a material girl,strike that pose, get into groove esp for a holiday. HA now how is that some I grew up in the 80’s for ya?!!
Great post one more time, M!
I have to agree – when i first logged on to Twitter, i saw so. many. conversations. going on around me. i saw the connections people had made across disciplines, etc. it was fascinating to watch, and i wanted nothing more than to jump in. which i did (ok… i shuffled down the pool steps)!
I love that there are so many ways to engage the social “cocktail party.” it is impossible NOT to find a social tool within your comfort zone.
One would think 😉
You really captured the spirit (no surprise here). I love the last paragraph where you reference looking for certain folks. You are absolutely right, it is a community one that requires participation at some level because if you don’t it is like trying to be a swimming instructor without ever having the experience of being in the pool.
I find Twitter, facebook etc. are just tools that connect to all the folks you mentioned and more. What is REALLY COOL is the way everyone is willing to share. You don’t feel like you have to look over your shoulder! And what is also wonderful is being able to experience the variety of personalities and yes brain power too!
Thanks, Joe. Yep, Social Media can be a wonderful place, but you have to be willing to flit your wings a little bit, yeah? 🙂
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