Overwhelmed by Social Media?

I really thought I had found my social networking rhythm a few months ago but the tempo’s been speeding up so fast and I’m caught in a crescendo that just seems to keep building.

Everyone’s so excited about Twitter (I’ll stick to Twitter here because if I add my anxiety about FaceBook, LinkedIn, UTube, etc. we’ll have a novel instead of a blog)! I’ve been in so many conversations lately that swirl around the questions: How many followers do you have? How often do you tweet a day? What topics are you trending? Are you using Tweetdeck? I try to keep up but I just feel I’m sinking deeper and deeper into the mire and am honestly a bit overwhelmed.

I believe in the theory that it’s a “social” network and you use it to develop relationships. So, I am trying not to automate it too much. However, I do see the value in having a program assist you in managing the deluge of information and applications. But what app(s) do you choose? I did finally join SocialOomph because at the very least I wanted new followers to be acknowledged right away and it seemed like the best way to accomplish that goal (even though I always go in at some point afterward and send them a personal direct message). But I’ve only scratched the surface of all the options within this program. I have a list of 28 applications (or supplemental websites) that I’ve been told by one expert or another that are “a must” in managing my Twitter account but as I plow through them (and the list keeps growing) there’s no one magic bullet and not even one that does almost everything…and there’s lots of cross over. For the apps that do the same thing there’s always just one thing missing. So, it becomes a case of hit and miss, trial and error or doing whatever the guru you’re following (or your best friend) is doing.

I love to read and I love to learn (and this is so totally up my alley) but this is never-ending! I just realized last night that I haven’t been checking my @annethewriter page which has been sitting there all along with a nice little link on the right hand side of my Twitter home page. I had a look and there are people who have been trying to engage me in conversation that I have been ignoring! Horrors no! I had just asked myself that question…how do I now truly engage? I immediately set about apologizing for the tardiness of my responses (the oldest I replied to was from March). I didn’t go back any further because I thought I’d just look like an idiot! Oh well, live and learn I always say. If anyone is reading this blog and I’ve not replied to you, please know that it’s only because I’m at the base of this very steep learning curve, climbing diligently upward with pick in hand, not because I didn’t want to engage. I'm reassured by the people climbing right beside and, believe it or not, there are a few I can see coming up from behind. I always try to reach down and give a hand up as well. I love the potential power of this communication vehicle and I will keep at it! I have to as I now have friends and colleagues asking me to help them build their Twitter platform. Lord help us all!