My love affair with Social Media seems to be waning. I don’t find myself hanging out on Facebook as much as I used to. And I only am on LinkedIn when something really interesting pops up in my daily digests. Or when I need to moderate something on the group I manage.
And while I want to get over to the VO-BB on a more regular basis, sometimes several days pass and I realize that I have not been over there to check on the latest person to get llama duty. Not much action on the Yahoo Voiceover Email list either these days, so maybe it isn’t just me.
(Ironically, I have bumped up my Tweets a bit. That seems to be easy to do these days when every article you read has a Retweet button handy.)
Perhaps the rest of my life is vying for my attention. The class I teach during the Spring and Fall semester is over for the summer, so you would think I would have more time. But business is going really well, which means more time in the studio and more time in bookkeeping. And then, it is getting pretty nice around here and it is easy to wander out into it, with only my smart phone alerting me to the action over on Facebook.
Maybe it is just that I’m getting older and don’t want to miss anything and something in the back of my head says get out and live!
What I don’t want to have happen is to lose momentum. Just how much visibility is enough so that people remember who you are and your “brilliant” contributions to the conversation? And what am I attempting to accomplish with this visibility?
Is it more business, or strengthening my personal relationships? Probably a little of both, but lately I have leaned more toward the personal relationships – with my family, with my friends (both local and remote), and yes, with business contacts.
Social Media has actually helped these relationships. I have known many of the people I do business with for years and years and Facebook lets us peek into each other’s real world. I love seeing their children grow up! The cool vacations they take. I hurt along with them when tragedy hits. The result is a deeper connection with all of these people.
So, maybe it isn’t that the blush is off the rose, so much as the honeymoon is over. Now we are settling in for the long strong commitment.
A great post Connie. Resonated with me a lot. Thanks for sharing your thoughts and putting it out there so clearly.
Cheers, Victoria
All things change and end. Something new will inevitably come along to rekindle your interests. I have found though that for most of my friends who are still investing large amounts of time in hanging out on social media, “mobile” is playing a bigger and bigger part. Maybe you just need a new smart phone. Or maybe it will just become more important when Google buys China and the two of them take over everything.
Ah, yes, J.S., I am spending more time using my smart phone – a Samsung Galaxy. I love it, but it ends up a bit more passive due to the tiny keyboard.
[…] The Blush Is Off The Rose – Connie Terwilliger […]
Connie, I’m findng the same thing… less time on social media but keeping up by “checking in” every now & then. I think as we get older, other things DO come into play…. like living more, looking less.
Social media is great, but it can be hard to find a balance between your business and your friends/family. I find it helps to have 2 separate accounts – 1 for business and 1 for pleasure – this way I can differentiate easily between the 2.
As you said Connie, I really enjoy social media, yet sometimes I feel by using it, we are perhaps missing out on the actual experience. Don’t get me wrong, social media is a great way to record special times spent with those you love, but there has to be a limit. Really enjoyed reading your article, thank you!