For those who are of a certain age, social networking–Facebook, Twitter, blogging–may seem like a waste of time. Not too long ago, I sat at a dinner party where one person declared that the impact of social media was all a fad. Maybe certain tools will rise and fall but social networking is here to stay and it is and will continue to evolve. For those who dismiss it as a tool for kids, they do so at their own peril.
To be sure, there is a lot of junk on the Internet but you could argue that there is a lot of junk everywhere. It is our job to be discerning consumers and to be a smart consumer, you have to understand what you are engaging in. Don’t set up a blog just to have one. Be committed to it. Look at lots of blogs. Don’t create a Facebook page and then never look at it, update it or try out different features. Same with Twitter. Figure out what it is you are trying to do–share information, learn about new things, promote a cause that means something to you, express yourself. Whatever it is, be clear about what you want.
There are countless blogs and information about social media. Some sources that I like are Problogger http://www.problogger.net/ and Social Media Today http://www.socialmediatoday.com/SMC/85666.
But a word of caution: Poor internet consumption is a lot like poor eating habits. Eat too much candy and your teeth rot and you get fat. In the same way spending hours watching dogs bark on YouTube may be entertaining but doesn’t do much to for your worldview. With all these tools to communicate, it doesn’t mean that we are doing a better job of communicating. But that is not the fault of the tools but of the users. The tools are means to an end. So dive in and try it.
