Social
Media, is like managing a three ring circus.
Between
the blog, Facebook, tweets, twittering, linking in, linking out,
podcasting, Instagram, webinars ... The jugglers throw so many balls
in the air, I am kept in constant activity of spinning wheels,
needing to add one more hula hoop while maintaining the balance of a
tight rope walker. My father used to get anxious watching the trapeze
artists fly through the air without a safety net. He thought they
should just lock them all up and put them in prison. He did
not want to see anyone plunge to their death while he sat on the
bleachers with his popcorn. Social media has moved the circus from
being a spectator sport to a participatory one
Social
media experts say the blog is 20% about what you write and 80%
marketing. (Stats vary with site) You may write well, but if the
marketing is not put in, few will read what you wrote.
And
how can one person manage all the acts? The novice writer is a one
man show. Social media appears the way to go.
At
a job interview, I was asked if I found large projects overwhelming,
and how did I manage them. I cannot remember my exact response ...
although I went over it for a few days, kicked myself for not seeing
that question coming. My response should have been: “I break big
projects down, and do them one step at a time. And I relegate tasks
to others as well.”
As
a mother I learned to do many tasks, I was chief cook, bottle washer,
domestic engineer with a flair, social worker, encourager, therapist,
buyer and seller of goods. Who could argue that I have not managed
three ring circuses before.
But
this business of Social Media seems like another game.
Perhaps
I don't have to buy into the whole package. I need to focus on the
aspects of what works for me, and be willing to move and grow in the
other areas.
I
also believe this world needs more genuine communication as opposed
to more noise. Social media often adds noise without adding value. In
my travels, I have picked up a few foreign language greetings ...
that led me to pen the following lines.
Guten
Tag, wie geht es dir?
Danke
es geht mir gut.
La
Bess? Bon Jour,
Konichewa,
Salemm alla Kum
And
you? How are you?
We
learn the greetings by rote
And
the answer is all the same
The
universal language
of
that familiar greeting game.
'How's
it going? It's good'
Needn't
bother to listen
the
answer will be the same
Cover
up with pleasantries
Just
add a different name
With
all the new technology
Everyone
can keep in touch
In
touch without touching.
A
smiley face symbol
And
a texted XX
Meant
to let someone know you care.
But
can we care enough to
hold
a hand, give a real hug, pick up the phone?
When
the going gets tough
I'll
take someone who cares over a
Forwarded
message of hope.
Chain
letters of encouragement
oft
veiled with a threat
if
you don't pass it on
something
worse to expect
The
sea of faces have blurred with despair
All
wanting to know, someone does care.
The
more time we spend interconnected via a myriad of devices, the less
time we have left to develop true friendships in the real world.”
― Alex Morritt, Impromptu Scribe
― Alex Morritt, Impromptu Scribe
The
traveling circus I grew up with may have moved out of town, but
Cirque du Soleil is the Social Media version—great ideas taken to a
new level. And many are running away from home to join the circus,
while I'm still munching popcorn, like my father.
Jocelyn blogs at:http://whoistalking.wordpress.com
She is author of Who is Talking Out of My Head- Grief as an
Out of Body Experience
