Posts Tagged: social media

infographics / social media / technology — No Comments
31
Jan 12

infographics: pinterest

click the infographic to enlarge

Source: Monetate

culture / infographics — No Comments
23
Jan 12

infographics: american identity

Source: Hasai

social media / technology — 10 Comments
30
Dec 10

returning to social media

After three months, my social media sabbatical is officially over.

Interestingly enough, when I unplugged at the beginning of September, I was certain that I would be sitting in a corner like a crack addict, itching to post a status update. While I cannot say that I didn’t have something resembling withdrawal symptoms at first, the obsessive/compulsive urge to check in and see what’s happened in the last few moments fell off rather quickly. To tell the truth, being away from social media was quite liberating. Without the benefit of Facebook or Twitter, I was forced to actually pick up the phone and call people if I wanted, or needed, to have a substantive conversation. Email is pretty much still my default method of communication, but it was nice to hear people’s voices — particularly the laughter. There is absolutely no comparing “LOL” to hearing the heart-felt laugh of a friend or family member. In fact, just last week my buddy Dotch and I shared something that, in the scheme of things, was rather innocuous, but we laughed for probably five minutes straight. Had I made the joke in email, in a text message, IM or on Facebook, it just wouldn’t have been the same.

This exchange led me to question just why I was jumping back into the fray. It’s as simple as this: there are just as many people that I don’t get a chance to talk to during my time off and I miss them. Social media is a good way to keep up with more people than I have time to call. I think what I’ve learned from my sabbatical is not to lean to heavily on Facebook and Twitter for interaction with friends. It cannot serve as a substitute for a phone call or email. The convenience of social media, at least for me, lends itself to the disconnect. I don’t think this issue is limited to me, but I won’t project.

As I suspected, the things that I did miss were different for each mode of social media. Facebook provided the more personal updates about friends, their kids, and family that I appreciate. Twitter had become my news ticker. Without Twitter, I found that I merely spent more time online scanning news sites and blogs. Google Buzz served as my outlet for engaging in substantive discussions and debates. This void was filled with forums and blogs.

As I mentioned in my piece when I signed off, I realized that social media was really more of a symptom than the disease. I am easily distracted, and it was probably too convenient to blame social media for my persistent habit of checking in.

With that said, the time off was a great breather. I suggest that everyone who logs into Facebook and Twitter multiple times a day to give it a try. It helps put things into perspective. As I return to the social media sphere, I have an idea about how I plan to re-engage. Much like just about everything in our lives, there has to be boundaries and limits. I think what friends will see is that my engagement will now be much more predictable. No longer will I be dropping into Facebook throughout the day. Twitter is a little different, because I still see it as akin to peeking in on the news. The key is to peek in, do a quick scan and then move on. Google Buzz, which tends to require more of my attention, is something that will have be reevaluated. Even when I logged off, there was some discussion about its longevity. Perhaps time has resolved that debate. Google Buzz is either going strong or interest and participation is waning.

As I sit here typing, it occurs to me that I don’t really have anything too profound to share. I’m sure many of you have thought about, if not acted on, these this issue. I reached a burn out point with social media, and though I’m returning, it’s definitely with approach. I may, in the end, decide that the return only confirmed that my time off was the right thing to do, and I’ll just shut the whole thing down and return to calling and emailing my friends. That’s actually my preference anyway. (I never understood why people sent me messages through Facebook when they knew my phone number and/or email address.)

I’m happy to answer questions, if you have them. Otherwise, that’s it. No great fanfare. Just a quiet reentry into the fold. So, without further ado, here’s where to find me in the social media space.

If you followed me on Twitter before my exit, you’ll need to find me again. Unlike Facebook, I couldn’t deactivate my Twitter account. It’s pretty much an all or nothing proposition. Google Buzz appears to have retained who I followed, and those who followed me.

social media / technology — No Comments
6
Dec 10

seesmic for android update

Even though I am in the midst of a social media sabbatical, I still keep up with what’s happening in the tech side of social media. When it comes to Twitter, I think that Seesmic is one of the better clients out there. (desktop, web-based and mobile)

In the mobile space, Seesmic for Android just got a lot better with some recent updates, including an improved user interface. Check out the video to see the improvements.

If you’re on Twitter, what is your preferred way to access Twitter on your computer? Native Twitter? TweetDeck? Seesmic? HootSuite? Brizzly?  What Twitter app do you use on your smartphone?

social media / technology — 9 Comments
9
Sep 10

taking a break from social media

This may strike you as odd  that someone who is a self-professed tech nerd (or maybe just a nerd, generally) and early adopter wants to push back from the social media buffet. For quite some time, I’ve wondered if I suffer from an undiagnosed case of ADD, because I am easily, and frequently, distracted. The exponential speed at which the digital medium is growing , has thus become the grandest of distractions. To take this a step further–social media is the ultimate challenge to a person easily drawn in (I don’t want to keep repeating the word ‘distracted’) by various forms of  media.  Facebook…Twitter…Google Buzz…LinkedIn. You name it. I’ve tried it. I have been incredibly active on the first three.

Active sounds so nice and harmless. However, what I discovered is that being ‘active’ really translated into near-obsessive participation. At any time during the day, I felt somehow compelled to check in on one, or all, of these social media outlets. I used different sites for different things. Facebook was for keeping up with family and friends. Twitter was for tracking photographers and technologists. Google Buzz was, well, something of a Twitter extension. It was a place where I could engage in dialogue, often with people I’ve never met, about technology.  Each site had it’s own lure for my attention.

I tried using some programs or websites that can, in some form, aggregate the information feeds from each site; but having all the information in one place was no less distracting and time consuming. Now, by distracting, I don’t want to suggest by saying distractions that the information being shared by friends and “follower” on these sites was not worth my time or attention. My issue really is that it’s just too much information. I couldn’t believe that I was reaching a point of information overload.

After finally acknowledging that even my insatiable curiosity has become oversatured, the question then turned to: “Just wat do I do about it?” I didn’t really consult with many friends about this, because, frankly, none of my friends are heavily into social media. Well, not to the extent that I am engaged. Instead, I turned to doing a search online.  The results of my search turned up a lot of articles and blog pieces about quitting a particular site–namely Facebook. My thing, though, is that I’m not quite sure I want to quit the sites, I just need some help gaining control with the, seemingly obsessive, need to put my eyeballs on the sites. As some friends will remark, I tend to be an all-in person. I’m either all in or I’m out. I am trying to change that and practice moderation. This social media bug,  however, may need that “I’m out” approach. Fortunately, after digging around for a while, I came across a very well-articulated piece by Edan Lupucki on The Millions. Click on the title below to read the article.

Ceasing to Exist: Three Months in the Social Media Detox Ward

I had an Aha! moment when I read the article. Or, perhaps I just appreciated that I was not alone with this issue. Whatever the reason, the more I read, the more an idea of a going on a social media detox really resonated with me. This could be a medium between my normal, “Ahh…the Hell with it!” approach, which doesn’t always stick, and not doing anything to address what I perceive to be a problem.

So there it is. I’m going on a social media diet, if you will. Actually, I’m also starting back with Atkins at the same time, so I’m doing a lot of consumption reduction right now. I intend to sign off of Facebook, Twitter and Google Buzz for three months. (I don’t really use LinkedIn in a social way, so that’s a non-issue.) It will be an interesting to see just what I learn about myself. I suspect the issues have far less to do with social media, and much more about how my mind works. I’ll post an update at the end of the year to share my experience.

Funnily enough, as I was trying to gather my thoughts for this post, a link to this following short video on TED popped up in my inbox.

The timing of this video is/was rather eerie, but probably serves as a good reminder to go about doing what I plan quietly instead making pronouncements about my goal(s).

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