My Social Media Diet

Photo by Miss Lulu

For a while during the end of 2008, I was on my email 24/7, on Gchat everytime I turned on my laptop, Tweeting 20 times a day, and writing about 4 blog posts a week.  I was a social media fiend, looking to expand my reach as much as possible and neglecting my physical life.  It was as if there was no distinction between my virtual and physical life.

Most of my readers may be hardcore social media people as well, so you definitely know where I’m coming from.  For those of you who don’t really own your blog or Twitter, and the only form of social media that you use is Facebook, then my obsession with social media may be a little foreign to you.

Social Media is a viscious trap really (and by “viscous”, I mean it in the most positive way possible).

The Viscous Trap

All forms of social media have a single trait in common: the exponential effect.  In the very beginning, you will have no subscribers to your blog and no followers on Twitter.  Most people start their blog or Twitter profile excitetedly, expecting to get a bunch of followers within a week of the creation of their profile.  To their dismay, they realize that it’s been a week and there are only getting 10 readers a day on their blog.  Most people are discouraged and never post or Tweet again.

The strong ones to more than just keep posting or Tweeting; they’re the ones who build momentum and starting gaining suscribers and followers.  This is when the exponential effect kicks in.  For a while, you’ll be rapidly gaining Twitter followers and subscribers to your blog which greatly lifts your spirits.  The more popular you become, the happier and more motivated you feel.

This is where you can potentially become a slave to social media.

Social Media Slave

A social media slave is a person who completely tailors every aspect of his blog post or tweets for the sole purpose of gaining more subscribers and followers.

But Jun, isn’t the purpose of creating your blog and Twitter to gain more followers?  Isn’t that what you have been teaching this whole time?

Yes and no.

I will admittedly say that I was a social media slave for a while at the end of 2008.  Every time I wrote a post or made a comment on another blog, it was for the sole purpose of driving more traffic to my site and build my personal brand.  Maybe if I drove enough traffic, then I will be able to start generating revenue with my blog!  Wouldn’t that be great.

The bad part of it was that blogging and tweeting lost ALL of their appeal.  I no longer posted by ideas and opinions; instead, I was posting what I thought people wanted to read.  I was posting to get more readers, and not for my personal enjoyment.  Same thing on Twitter; I was Tweeting what I thought people wanted to read and NOT for my personal enjoyment.

Social Media Diet

During the holidays I took a 2-week trip to Peru.  I got my uncle to get wireless internet at the house so that I could stay connected with my laptop, still post everyday, and update everyone on my happenings through Twitter.  Something happened during my trip though.  I was spending so much time having fun with my family and friends that I completely neglected my blog and Twitter.  I didn’t read a single blog post through my trip.

Did my blog die? Did I lose all my followers on Twitter?  Did I completely lose everything that I have spent so much time building?

Nope

It was actually a very liberating experience.  I didn’t come home to check my email and read all the new updates on my Google Reader.  I didn’t spend every second outside the house on Twitterific updating my status and checking out what my friends were doing.

I was free.  And because I was free, I was able to look at Social Media as a non-hardcore-social-media person and realize that there is a clear distinction between your physical and virtual life.  I was able to realize that the world wouldn’t end if I didn’t update my Twitter everyday.

Life is meant to be enjoyed

My philosophy for 2009 is to make money while enjoying what I am doing.  I had a discussion with Derek Halpern last month about making money by doing what you love.  I had the belief that first you must focus on making money in any way possible, even if you don’t like what you’re doing.  Once you get that steady self-automated paycheck, then you’re able to focus on what you really love to do.

My Social Media diet has somewhat changed my beliefs.  I will now focus on doing what I love, AND making money.  This means writing blog posts for my personal enjoyment, working on clients that I enjoy working for and NOT on ones that I feel I HAVE to work for, and most importantly, spend more time with my friends and family.

The new Jun for the new year 09.  Gotta love it!

Thanks so much for coming back to my blog 09 and I promise to have some amazing content for this year 

Tagged as: blogging, diet, facebook, social media, too much social media, twitter