Rounding a Social Media Curve

Social Media is about engagement, right?

Yes, but maybe you started off with social media the way I did; quietly listening while learning the ropes, lurking and not really being social at all!

In fact, my first tweet was on October, 26th 2007. Great, except- I sent 15 tweets in the first month and not one was an @ message! I wasn’t talking to anyone… I wasn’t there yet.

Today, I am somewhere between participation and relationship building with regards to social media. I’ve made the mind shift from 1-way to 2-way, although I sometimes find myself reverting back to my old 1-way ways.

This almost implies tuning out a little, doesn’t it?

In order to concentrate on providing value, I may need to block out some of the noise. Perhaps stepping out of the echo chamber will allow me to focus on the task at hand. A Tim Ferriss’esque idea -no doubt.

During my own adoption of social media, I focused heavily on reading and listening, so much so- that this has become a comfort zone for me to run back to. Recently, I have stopped reading my google reader everyday. Instead, I am going to do some thinking of my own and stop relying on old meme’s to create new content.

I hope that by eliminating distractions I will be able to provide quality information and value to my network.

Where are you on the social media curve?

-MikeToner

www.MikeToner.com