My Social Media Secret

Follow me on Twitter
Keeping up with social media is a daunting task. The Number One question I’m asked when I speak at corporate seminars and mention that I recently wrote my 7,000th Twitter entry is “How in the world do you have the time for social media?” The answer: I don’t. I make time.

Here’s the secret: Pick a couple of social networks – mine are Twitter and LinkedIn – and concentrate on those. You can’t be everywhere and you don’t need to be everywhere - unless you want to be like this dog chasing its tail.

Because social media is my business, I try every new platform that comes along, opening an account in each one so I can see how they work, who’s using them, and what kind of usefulness they could have to me or my clients. But I don’t go back to most social networks unless buzz on them picks up suddenly. And I know when that happens because Twitter’s open on my desktop all day. I also check my RSS feeds and Google Alerts regularly.

Email comes last. I hate email. It's out of control. Anyone who is likely to get a quick response from me knows better ways to reach me than email. Like the phone. I know: phone calls! What a concept!

Yes, there are people (like Robert Scoble, who follows 21,000 people on Twitter, and has 38,000 followers there) who manage to be superstars in every known social network.

For us mere humans, the key to effective social networking is to be selective, then listen, link, respond, and give more than we take. And, hey, Rule One is still that social networking is fun.

Related:
- Study: Companies Say Social Media Has Transformative Results
- The Beauty, Secrets and Utility of Twitter for Business
Photo Source: Software Magazine
Copyright B.L. Ochman, All rights reserved.

This is great advice. Now I have a better insight into why folks' eyes glaze over when I do a presentation and start explaining, with illustrations, various social media platforms. Haven't thought to explain that I don't use them all, or even most of them!

And a bonus for me from this post was that I found to my surprise that I wasn't following you. That's been remedied.

This is exactly what I tell corporate clients who always pose the same question. Take a look at Brian Solis' Conversation Prism, for example-- a visualization of just how daunting the SM space can be. What I tell clients is this: pick two or three areas that match your interests-- if you're a travel buff, maybe Flickr, a photo-sharing website, is for you-- and stick to them. Social networks take time and care.
Thanks for this, B.L!

This is really good advice. I join a lot of new sites, but I don't post content or become actively involved in the site unless I am ready to commit to the site. To be effective in social networks you must be selective in joining them.

Great advice! I also have accounts with many sites just to understand them, but at the end of the day you'll find me on Twitter the most. Connecting blog to Facebook and my RSS feed to Twitter has helped ease the pressure to be plugged in at all times. As a business owner, breadwinner, and mom, I need my social networking to have maximum impact without taking up all of my time. Limits are key and yes... FUN is a must!!
:-)