Okay, okay. I know I’m going to convert, but first, as is my way, I need to kick and scream, whine and complain. Forgive me. (I’d be interested in how you take on challenges that are daunting.)
I have committed to becoming savvy about twitter and facebook (LinkedIn can wait–sorry, Linds) and socializing via blog comments. Ugh. Here’s what distresses me. Maybe if I write down all these things, I’ll move on.
Visually I hate the way it all looks. Remember, I spent 30 years coloring in between the lines. (How could I pass up showing my art form on Good Friday?)
I loved the precision of my artwork, how beautifully contained the colors were, and how nicely things lined up and fit together. When I go to comment on someone’s blog, all I see is MESS. Too many options. Too much distraction. No central focal point. Didn’t anyone teach these techies about composition?
Then, I think, how will I ever get noticed, get heard above the noise? If there are already 112 comments in the queue, what possible difference is mine going to make?
I understand that using twitter poorly is frowned upon in the twittersphere. I promise to learn the etiquette and behave appropriately. But, when I tried tweetdeck there was so much noise and constant beeping that I unplugged it in frustration. Plus, all those #’s and bit.ly addresses make me crazy. I don’t know who to follow or why. There’s just too much of everything to sort through. Plus, it seems that anytime I want to find out a piece of information, I’m being sent someplace else. I’ve already forgotten where I was and how I ended up six degrees away.
Because my grown children are using these media effortlessly, I know it’s not genetic. But then, my son Robert was always able to do his homework while sitting in the living room with the TV at full blast and family activity all around. I grew up and studied by finding the most remote carrel in the library. When Macon Leary, the protagonist in Anne Tyler’s Accidental Tourist, got into his car he would turn off the radio and say to himself, ‘They’re playing my song.’ I still adhere to the adage, Silence is Golden.
The survival of the fittest rules, and I will survive by adapting, even though it’s duly challenging the concrete sequential soul inside of me. I’m too committed to running a successful business to not pay attention to social media. I’ve already taken several classes and attended talks as a way to get my feet wet. There was a highly regarded child-rearing book out when my kids were growing up called How to Talk So Kids Will Listen & Listen So Kids Will Talk. I want a version called How to Teach Baby Boomers to Tweet So They Will Want To. Anyone?
What I know I will do, as I did with starting this blog nearly two years ago, is continue to moan and groan as I sloooooowly put the puzzle pieces together in a way that makes sense to me. I will keep up my self-talk (“Jane, you’re smart and persistent. You will get this and be successful at it.”) I will take more classes and try and fail a few hundred more times on my own until I get it. Until it’s in my bones. And I will quit complaining. Promise!
Jane – Your efforts are admirable, and good for you for your persistence. Recognizing that social media is here to stay is half the battle. (Many are still fighting it and insisting that “face to face is the ONLY way to connect.)
Maybe you just need to find your “app.” (Although, you can turn off the noise on Tweetdeck!)
I believe success on Twitter depends on being able to find a community of interesting and interested people. Anyone who can blog (I believe) is more than well equipped to leverage Twitter. Let me know if there’s anything I can do to help. I’d love to fully “convert” you to the Twitter side, and would certainly enjoy your tweets!
Jane,
That was some serious, heartfelt crankiness 🙂
My cell phone doesn’t even take photos, I would rather write a letter than navigate the pages of Facebook, I have to look up the meaning of email abbreviations and I still read a newspaper………..
Social media to me is a great tool for business, but an overused trend when used for personal reasons.
I’m a technological neanderthal who likes “real” interaction with people and things that I can see and hear.
Wendy
@Wendy
Well put! Thanks for witnessing my pain.
@Miriam
You are so kind! I will give you a call next week to make another stab at this, knowing it’s not a one-time effort. Thank you!
Miriam, you made me laugh, and I felt quite old-fashioned when I read your response to Jane’s blog.
To those of us who resist I think it is not quite understanding the point of it all. It seems to be a blur of social trend and need.
Kudos to you for offering to help Jane navigate tweetdom!
Jane, I was you. Then I got some coaching (ring a bell?) on SM from an expert, Jennifer Abernethy, author of “The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Social Media Marketing,” which just happened to hit the shelves yesterday.
Social Media has transformed my life and business. It’s perfect for you. There is some startup time, but soon, you’ll be looking forward to checking in every day to see who’s following you, who’s sent you direct messages, what the latest news is on your topic of interest and discovering new ways to add your voice to the conversation.
There are a lot of pretenders and Jenn is not one of them. Let me know if you’d like an intro or if you’d like to know more about how it’s worked for me.
Best,
Ruth
Jane- as always your writing is so much fun and full of voice! I also believe you’ll get it eventually and be able to appreciate it’s power. There are days (and shame on me the PR pro to say this) I think– why in God’s name are we even doing all this and that although it DOES create unprecedented opportunities and connections to businesses and entrepreneurs – I frown upon the added distraction it’s put on all of us, pondering the thought “even though it’s powerful and useful, was it really necessary” But it is here to stay, and I do get it and enjoy it (more so if I could spend my whole day just doing that, and not worrying about how to fit it into a work day). The key thing to remember in all your tweeting and “social media’ing” it is this: Be yourself, share and seek out – help – and converse with likeminded folks. You did this in the flesh. It’s just another medium to execute your sincerest soul.
Thanks for the post Jane! I don’t feel so alone anymore. I’m still trying to figure out all these different social media outlets and I’m waiting for someone to invent a ‘one-stop social media thingy’ so you can post your message, blog, tweet, etc in one place and it populates all the different media so you can save time. I’m sure some pre-schooler is working on that app right now! But until then, like you, I will continue to work my way through the maze.
I did get one piece of great advice from someone and that was to devote X number of hours per week to social media. That is, take 2 hours per week and update all of the things you are on and that’s it. There’s no need for businesses to be tweeting 24/7 – that’s for kids. Hope this helps.
Jane, I’m a little late to this post (probably spent too much time on Twitter instead of reading your blog). I, like some other commenters, have found Twitter to be of great value to my business. I’m such a Twitter proselytizer, I’ve created a Twittorial to teach local businesses who join Twitter but don’t know what to do next.
You’ve had several offers of help, and please add me to your list. Any time you have a question, even if it seems really ridiculous, please get in touch.
Also, I’ve written a blog post called, “5 ways to tweet like you mean it,” with some very basic but important tips for business people new to Twitter: http://coachlisab.blogspot.com/2009/12/5-ways-to-tweet-like-you-mean-it.html.
Good luck, and please get in touch with any questions!
@Lisa
Thanks for the offer! Your phone may be ringing soon. If you still use one 🙂