Have you ever watched the movie The Jerk, starring Steve Martin? There are too many scenes that are brilliantly funny for me to say I have one favorite scene, but there is a particular scene that I want to draw your attention to. And it’s right …. here.
In case you didn’t watch, it’s the “that’s all I need” scene. Martin’s character (the jerk) is leaving his mansion, his wife, and all of his possessions. Well, all of his possessions except for his paddle ball game. And his matches. And his remote control…and…well, you get the idea.
This scene popped into my head because of what’s going on between my brain and the social media world in which I live. Let me explain.
My Blog – That’s all I need!
Even before I started to really dabble on social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter, I was blogging. I had a Livejournal blog for a long time, and the internet is strewn with various blogs I started and then left behind. I always thought that if I could get a blog going, with a regular stream of comments, that would be all I’d need.
Well of course, I also need LinkedIn. But my blog and LinkedIn, that’s all I need!
LinkedIn was an easy one to get involved with. I mean, it’s basically a networking site for your work, right? I could do that. And hey, since it’s very worky, if I just import my blog posts in, which people can read at their whim, then that’s not really bothering anyone. Since I don’t have to actively do anything, I don’t really feel like I’m shoving my blog down anyone’s throat.
Although you can’t forget Twitter. OK, my blog, LinkedIn, and Twitter – that’s ALL I need. I don’t need anything else.
Well, I finally decided that I wanted to try out Twitter. I realized that I didn’t really know how to converse on Twitter in a way that would make me seem, like, human. So I decided to start linking to my posts from Twitter. I mean, everyone does that, right? And I promote my posts very very rarely. Just a little leaf on the stream. So what harm could that be?
Well of course I need Facebook. But really, my blog, LinkedIn, Twitter, and Facebook, that’s all I need. Oh, and this Google Plus. Why are you looking at me like I’m such kind of jerk??
So yeah, now Google Plus has launched, and people like Chris Brogan and Jay Baer are talking about how great it is for blog traffic. People are already saying they’re using Google Plus a lot more than they’re using Twitter and Facebook. I still want to let people know when I have a new post up, but do I really want to link to my post, the same post, in four different places?
It makes me feel kind of like a jerk.
Cross-Platform Engagement
This all of course leads to the bigger issue, which is how people are engaging across all of these different platforms. Take, say, me, for example. I write here, I tweet, and I Facebook (is that a verb yet?). My Twitter community has migrated here, to Facebook, and to LinkedIn, and now we are all reconnecting with each other on Google Plus too. If you suffer the grave misfortune of following me everywhere, you could potentially see me promoting the same exact post in very similar ways at very similar times in four different places.
Yuck!!
That makes me look like I’m obsessed with me, doesn’t it? It makes me look like I am milking one thought for all it’s worth. And it’s not showing an awareness of you and what you might want to talk about. There’s a small chance you might not want to talk about, like, me…isn’t there?
Then again…
The other side of the argument, of course, is that there are people on each platform who don’t overlap. I might catch your attention in one place but not in the fast-moving Twitter stream. Do I like bringing you over to my house and chatting about stuff like this? Yep. I sure do. And hey, even if you do follow me everywhere, we probably won’t see everything we post there, right?
I feel itchy.
When will enough be enough?
There is no right or wrong here. I’m not saying you’re a jerk if you promote 5 times a day to all of these platforms, and I’m not saying you’re a jerk if you don’t do any of this stuff. However, I have to wonder how this issue will continue to evolve. What will we do when the NEXT next platform comes in? Will we just keep posting the same link everywhere, till we’re promoting our blogs on 17 different sites? How would we even have time to talk to each other?
It is social media, right?
Of course, I could once again be on the entirely wrong track. Set me straight, won’t you?
This is post #86 in the Engagement Series. Thank you for reading!
Image by torun basu. http://www.sxc.hu/profile/torun
It is a conundrum, eh? Maybe if we’re doing quality work & living quality lives outside of work and not a slave to our SM platforms – perhaps then that’s the sign that it’s all working. Like you, I’m not ready to give any of them up yet and the mix is different for all of us. Awesome post title!
Hi Maureen,
You raise a great point – for many of us, Social Media is not the only thing we’re juggling. Not by a long shot. It really gets crazy when you start talking about real-life interactions like emailing, calling, meeting…shew. A lot to juggle. When will it all be “enough?” 🙂
It’s definitely a lot of juggle and then what about people who’s job is not marketing or social media? What if their job is say landscaping, or being a lawyer or an electrician? These are my clients and I’m struggling to explain to them how to engage their clients and which platform to engage their clients. I know conventional wisdom says “Go to where your clients are on line.” but if as marketers we are supporting 4 platforms, where are their clients? It’s time consuming.
I blame the platforms. They need to figure out a way that people who are in all those places don’t see multiple promotions. Yeah, it’s the platforms problem. And I’m sticking with that.
Sounds great to me!
I’m beginning to get annoyed by those that pump up the latest, shiniest object, as the best yet.
We need platform contraction and integration not more.
I have family on FB, professional interest on LI, three blogs for varying subjects and choose to use Twitter to communicate with a cross-section. Google+ certainly gives more privacy than FB, has the speed of Twitter and is very share-based, for now.
Once someone hits on what each platform does best, we can incorporate and go. As far as I see it, it’s speed and reach of Twitter, combined with better media sharing.
Then we’ll all have to wait on Facebook for the rest to catch up but two platforms is doable. If you had one dashboard for all platforms now, it’d be larger than your house.
That’s a great point, Nic. I am having a hard time visualizing how it will all end up for businesses. If you’re a business, you pretty much have the same general message no matter where you go. How do you use these different tools, well, differently? Especially if you’re reaching the same prospects and customers in each platform (at least a majority of the time)?
Well I can see several solutions here:
1. Limit the audience to one platform. For instance, keep Facebook for family, LinkedIn for work, and twitter for everybody else, Google+ for new everybody else 🙂
Then post the appropriate well, post for each. Sounds difficult, but it could work.
2. Develop a platform, (I think there’s already one) which integrates all and then selectively post on each profile depending on their interests. But this is practically the same as number 1, having one interface just makes it easier.
3. Stick with the one platform and delete the others. In that way you could concentrate on it just like Kevin Rose who forwarded his blog URL to his google Plus account.
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Well, it’s actually something that’s been nagging me too. What if there was another platform after Google+? This is the only real time I’ve actually tried to organize my thoughts on this, but it is a very valid point.
It lay dormant in my subconscious and the conscious part of my brain just told me, “Hey fire away in all directions” everybody’s doing it anyways. 🙂
Chris Pirillo, Scoble, I mean everybody.
That’s not even counting Digg, reddit, stumble upon. Oh noes…
Yeah, it all kind of gangs up on us, doesn’t it? And the day I wrote this post, Spotify was already becoming the next big thing. With the number of people on Google+ saying that they aren’t being as productive because they’re spending so much time poking around over there, you have to wonder how some folks are getting their money in 🙂
Great ideas, and I’ll add here – folks should go over and read Danny’s post on this subject too!
I think the key is in the tools. I imagine that g+ will soon integrate into other tools like TweetDeck and Hootsuite. Those platforms make publishing, and determining your audience easier.
Once you are using a platform like that, it’s up to your readers to determine the platform that they are comfortable reading in.
That’s a good point, Bill. But then of course you run into the time-suck of organizing everybody you know into the right groups and keeping track of who gets told what. That is not something I want to spend a lot of time with! In fact…I can’t really. So, do you let things go automated? That kind of makes me itchy, too.
Sometimes you just have to abandon the platforms and go straight to email or the phone. I find that my presence gets spread thin across the social universe and catch-up is the game of the day. When that happens, I often respond via email or phone. Maybe that’s why I get many more emails than I get comments. However it works, I’m grateful for the opportunity to meet new people, reconnect with old friends and colleagues, and keep up with the people who stay in my life. It’s all good!
You’re right of course. It’s all good. But it’s like a big chocolate brownie good. You don’t want to eat the whole darned thing in one sitting, and if you do, boy do you feel sick! 🙂
Margie,
You don’t have to feel like a jerk. And, by all means, don’t SCRATCH the itch. I think you really are worrying too much about this new platform. Do this: Google the phrase “chris brogan google wave.” You will probably see about 120,000 search engine results (SERPS). Many of these results are links to posts that were written by Chris Brogan about the WAVE. Many have to do with other people posting about what Chris thought of the WAVE. Google introduced it in May 2009 and “recalled” it in August 2010. Short of writing one post about it Eight Google Wave Invitations – Is Anybody going to WAVE back? I never used the WAVE and nobody asked for any of my WAVE invitations.
I am not your FACEBOOK friend, I am not linked to you on LinkedIn. I read your blog and and often comment. I do this because I like your writing. I enjoy your topics. Often I will comment and tweet back and forth with you about our common interests. I enjoy our conversations.
We talk about “social platforms”…really what is social about them? For example, I have about 300+ twitter followers. Very few that I actually communicate with on a regular basis. But I had an interesting experience that taught me just how “social” this platform really is. On January 8th my congresswoman was shot in the head. I was one mile from the Safeway store when Gabby Giffords was severely injured along with 13 others…and six souls lost their lives. My friends and family called and wrote immediately to make sure that my husband and I were ok. Think of this: my neighbor lost three friends that day! The next day I tweeted on #blogchat that I would not be participating that evening. In one weeks time three (3) of my twitter friends inquired about my city, my congresswoman and my family. Interesting… I even wrote a post about my experience of attending the memorial service that was held on January 13, Toether We Thrive – My Perspective One comment was posted by a dear old friend. And a few people on Facebook left comments, but I heard from no Twitter friends.
I am rambling on, but really…GOOGLE + is here. It will go around, circles will be created…maybe you or I will get into to some incredible circle., but what difference will it make? For myself, being social is about being real.
Take care…
Judy
Why is it that any discussion of platforms reminds me of trying to screw up the nerve to jump off the springy board into the deep end? Cannonball, anyone? ;^)
Howzabout we look at all the different social media feeds like we did the old TV channels (y’know, before we all had 257 channels of cable)? Some shows will be on some channels. Maybe older shows in reruns will show up on a different channel, but primetime shows are usually seen on “one” channel.
The channels draw their audience in using that one hit show and hope that audience sticks around to see what else is available on the channel. Sure, you may see the same commercials and news stories, but that is/was rarely the main reason to go to that channel. The channel is trying to pull their target demographic into watching more.
As a member of the audience, you have the power. You have the clicker. [Unless the dog ran off with it again.] You select the channel. Doesn’t mean you don’t watch different channels at different times. Maybe you never watch a particular channel. Maybe you dip into all of ’em every once in a while.
As all this shakes out, I believe we’ll see the different channels (oops, I mean social media networks) begin focusing/catering to different and specific audiences. Right now, everyone wants to be Uncle Milty or Your Show of Shows.
Give it time, we’ll get to Star Trek, the Cosby Show, Monday Night Football, and Julia Child. Meanwhile, it’s just kinda fun to watch, isn’t it?
I’m going to have to think about this analogy a lot. There is a lot to it and it’s brilliant. What are my channels? What show do I want to be on each one? That is a great thought to ponder indeed. Thank you for that!!
I am fast becoming an avid fan of your blog…you have such a clever and engaging way of writing that really keeps me completely interested…plus your topics are so relevant…I SO get what you are saying. Not that this is an answer but I am really trying to make Google+ a different kind of experience for me…today, actually, I really focused (hang on….there is a pun coming) on growing my Photography Circle (get it?? Focused…photography??) And I am “meeting” a whole new group of people to learn from and engage with. Totally different than my FB or Twitter feeds. I am truly starting to see the value of the Circles…it may take time for me to hone my criteria for different circles but starting with my passion for photography seemed like a great place to start. LOVE LOVE LOVE your blog!
Well thanks Claudia! I’m so glad to hear that you are liking these posts (one always wonders!). And a lovely pun on top of it!!
I can also see the value in the circles, but I just don’t have the time to sit there and sort people. I think perhaps I’d feel differently if people could see where I was putting them. It would be a great way to define how you see different people in your community. But if I’m the only one who sees it, what good does that do?
I don’t know…I need to do more simmering on that one 🙂
First of all, if anyone seriously thinks that You are obsessed with You, they have not been paying much attention! Secondly, I’d rather you ‘were’ obsessed with yourself, rather than, say, me…because that would not be at all healthy. And third – I see nothing wrong at all with covering your bases, “cross-posting” as it were.
Well thanks, Lady. I guess I just don’t even want to invite the question! Like I said, it’s not my century 🙂
Great spam from 5 sources now not just one. Oh, you left out plain old e-mail, that makes 6.
I have been hesitant to push the social marketing for this exact reason. It seams that I either get beat over the head with self promotion or else it’s useless mundane stuff like a mobile upload of what my friend had for dinner. I don’t see a lot of true social interaction.
LOL! This post made me smile, so thanks for that.
I agree with @Tom above, this will shake out just as TV channels, multiple restaurants one city and the ever present coffee shop choice have worked out. People will find the place where they are comfy and hang out there.
The human brain can’t mulitchannel endlessly. When Google+ was released I was depressed – seriously. As a leader in my field on social media I knew I had to check it out, but my brain couldn’t get around another place to do my work. And everyone’s brain is that way – tires of multichanneling very easily. This is not just important for us as geek-types to consider, it’s actually MOST important for businesses to know when marketing. We’re going to have to figure out where our crowd hangs out.
One town in these parts has a Starbucks, Peet’s Coffee and Dunkin Donuts all on one block, on the SAME side of the block. Each is crowded every day. This cracks me up and also speaks to the power of niche and knowing who your customer is. And my guess is the Starbucks customers never step foot in the Dunkin and visa versa.
I’m going to put a stake in the ground soon to drive all my social traffic to one or two places. It may actually be Google+ and Twitter. I cannot and will not flit around the intertubes all day long trying to pick up a few followers here and there. Lack of focus is a productivity and business killer.
I like this post. I’m crazy with what called Social Media toooooooo!!! I have to promote same articles, same links…. to Facebook, one day I found that Twitter – OK twitter then, whats next? A blog on blogsport and again another one on WordPress…………….. and ohhhhh hello Google Plus – yes, I have to promote on Google Plus then 🙁