Sometimes it gets too easy to look for that “easy button†in the social media landscape. That all-powerful, easy to use, fast, tool that lets us quickly grow valuable & worthwhile relationships with fellow social media explorers. I say “explorers†because there are no real experts in social media, but there are many knowledgeable people who advise and recommend strategies.
The reality is that there is no such thing as an “easy button” of course, but there are several valuable tools that we can use. Among the most flexible and productive is the venerable blog.
A blog is one of your best investments in time for creating a social prescience on the web. Instead of canned pages, color schemes and applets that don’t represent you very well on platforms such as MySpace or Facebook – it’s you who gets to create the content. You get to decide how to present ideas, talk through your points of view and explain things. You also control the type affiliated content (ads, guest writers, etc…) that is published alongside your message.
A blog has the ability to connect to all services and tools that you’re currently using. In fact, a blog can be the portal to all things you on the web and help people get to know your story better. Think of how powerful that is. Instead of a service suggesting what “associates†or “related content†to readers, you have control of it.
Sure, a blog is a bit of work. There are no two ways about it. However, for many people, once you’ve got it set up, there is very little maintenance to do – just write and publish. Add a few links to your other social media/networking tools (Twitter, LinkedIn, Xing, Plaxo, FriendFeed – whatever) and keep up on blogs from similar bloggers or friends.
I can’t stress enough how much keeping control of your own content reflects on you – call that part personal branding. The important part is being able to publish your thoughts and comments in a place that is uniquely yours and not lost in someone else’s idea of social nirvana.
What’s your take? Have you taken the jump and started a blog, or are you content with the services that others provide?
As is usually the case, the way we use tools changes over time. I’m wondering if how I use Twitter is going to change because of some of the issues that have been discussed this weekend. Probably not, I’d been starting to change how I use Twitter about a week or two ago.
While Twitter has had some problems in the past and certainly is having another round of troubles, I too have problems that need fixing. I’ve found that the way I’ve used the service in the past does not scale well, and clients such as Twhirl have added to the problem.
It’s TOO EASY to keep flipping over to my Twhirl window whenever it “pings’ at me, scrolling through up to 20 messages to see what’s going on. Like some mad Pavlovian subject, I have to see what’s been updated. Now that FriendFeed is also in my Twhirl stream, it’s gotten much, much worse.
So I’m changing how I use Twitter. I’m shutting off the notifications for the bulk of the Twitter and FriendFeed updates. I’ll keep notifications on for Replies and Direct Messages. I’ll check in when I have a few minutes and review what’s in the last page or two on the website, but that’s the extent of it.
Twitter has become extremely important as a social and communications tool, but it’s also become too big of a time sink to keep on top of during the day. I know several people who shut it off during the main part of the workday – something I’ve put off as much as possible – and tune back in after work hours.
I still encourage everyone to contact me through Twitter first and foremost. A DM in Twitter will get directly to me (they are all forwarded to my phone) and I respond to every Reply, so don’t think I’m not monitoring it if you don’t see me Twittering a lot.
I’m curious what techniques you may be using to manage your Twitter stream? What can you share with our Twitter friends to help ease the volume of information that speeds past?
As governor, the State Capitol will stand for unity and common sense.
In addition to the POW/MIA flag that has long flown over the State Capitol, we will fly two flags when I am governor: the Wisconsin state flag and the American flag.
