The Jeff Pulver Blog: Looking for "Balance" in my Social Media Life

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April 26, 2009

Looking for "Balance" in my Social Media Life

“I go to extremes.” - Billy Joel.

“me too.” - Jeff Pulver

- - -

Since launching this blog on July 6, 2003, despite my sometimes hectic travel schedule, somehow I found a way to have at least one story posted each and every day until earlier this year. Never did I miss posting two days in a row when I was not in transit or otherwise traveling. NEVER. Until now. And for me, the ironic part of my lack of blogging comes from being caught up with other things taking up the time I used to have to think about what to write about and what to share in this blog.

There is just so much time available to us during the day to get things done. For myself, this is time that I sometimes balance between being mobile and being on broadband. When I am mobile it means I will try to review incoming messages, respond to the most urgent of them and otherwise try to remember the people who I want to respond to once I am on broadband again. I don’t see or respond to all of these messages but I try to do my best to respond to those that I can. When I’m mobile it has been rare that I would attempt to write a blog post on a mobile device, but there have been times where a blog thought was started on my Blackberry. I usually leave the writing to when I am home, connected and in front of a laptop.

Since the Spring of 2007 I have been active on both twitter and Facebook. Never did I think one of the “costs” of becoming active on social media platforms was that I would one day have to choose where and how to spend my time. When it comes to social media, there have been times where I know I have gone to extremes.

There have been mornings where the conversations on twitter have been compelling enough to me that what time felt like a blink of an eye was in real life three hours and all of my available time to do anything more online was just gone. There have been times I have been on Facebook in the morning spending time responding to messages while I also made an effort to wish friends a “Happy Birthday.” Again, what felt like just minutes were actually hours. And who hasn’t gotten tied up while writing and reviewing their emails? And during all this time I was obsessed with keeping the continuity of my blog, if for no other reason than it was something I took pride in and something that I felt I had to do. So I did so. Until now.

The past couple of days I have been searching for the magical, mystical balance point that will provide parity in my social media life. The points where I know I have put in just enough time on twitter, Facebook and my blog so that I feel comfortable with what I’m doing rather than feeling compromised with my thinking and my thoughts. And while I haven’t found the right mix yet, I do know the cost of going to social media extremes. Spend too much time on twitter means I am not spending the same quality time on Facebook. Spending too much time on Facebook and twitter and I don’t have time to write. Spend too much time thinking about what I want to write about and I disappear from both Facebook and twitter.

It is easy to start to rationalize things make excuses for the actions taken, but when you are doing things for yourself, the only person who you short change with such thinking is YOU.

As I start this new week, I am more focused and more aware about how I like to spend my available online time. My challenge remains to discover the balance while knowing it is fine to go to extremes when needed as long as in the end I up up slightly left of center but on course for the next something.

- -

What about YOU? Do you find yourself going to extremes? How do you balance the time you spend in social media? Where are your limits? Have you noticed your habits have changed in recent times? If you blog, are you spending more or less time writing blog posts when you are otherwise engaged on the social media platforms that are meaningful for you?

Tags: twitter, Facebook, Social Media, Jeff Keni Pulver

Posted by jeff on April 26, 2009 08:09 AM | Permalink

Additional resources: #140conf events | Watch the Jeff Pulver Show | Jeff's Qik Videos

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Posted by: cdasc at June 5, 2009 03:14 AM

Jeff,

This is an astute observation.

I find it especially difficult when so much of my work is on the computer, too, and it's very easy to "drop over" to a Twitter window, check a Facebook message, or something like that only to get lost in cyberspace yet again. I think it's akin to getting lost in hyperspace back in the early days of the web.

It requires far more discipline than many people realize, plus a budget of time that corresponds to tactical and strategic personal and professional objectives.

Thanks for bringing this out. It's a key for many people as they begin to learn this new set of media that has new capabilities... and temptations.

Posted by: Stephen Hultquist at April 27, 2009 01:53 PM

The challenge of multiple parallel conversations is significant (and I almost can't comprehend the volumes you function at most of the time).

Posted by: John Fleming at April 27, 2009 12:43 PM

I never got into Twitter or Facebook, and you might just try stopping them altogether. What will you miss?

Posted by: deevan at April 26, 2009 03:20 PM

It is really an issue of how you want to be perceived (marketed). Some social media tools have stengthens in different areas and you need to have a plan of what you want to acheive rather than just posting wildly. With all do respect, not all these drugs (I mean social media tools) serve good. A little bit here and there can be fun, but I do find an overdose happens often with little or no payoff (read tweeting into this).

Posted by: Steve Goldner at April 26, 2009 11:56 AM

In the last 9 months my blogging has gone down, and coincidentally I have a 9-month old daughter! It's "easier" to tweet than write a blog post, which for me starts with writing it in Word. Also, I have reconnected with long lost friends on Facebook, which has also accounted for taking some of my time from blogging.

But you are right Jeff - as a small businessperson myself, I am cheating myself. Sometimes I write "ahead" blog posts, and many time I write them in my head and never get them to keyboard.

You have inspired me - I will try to get out 1 a day this week!

mp/m

Posted by: Mike Maddaloni - The Hot Iron at April 26, 2009 10:12 AM

Actually I AM in extreme since I have joined Twitter and my education on internet marketing speed up. I want to learn everything - I spend most of my free time in front of pc.
Greetings Jeff,

Posted by: Anka at April 26, 2009 09:09 AM

As a man who also goes to extremes, I can completely relate to your dilemma. I write 3 blogs and a newsletter. all while trying to stay active on Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn. It's tiring, but it's not as deliberate as it sounds because I don't look at my social media activities as separate pieces, but more of as a part of what I do. All of these activities inform my work as much as they create work for me. They have also lead to concrete business connections and have helped me do my job in countless ways. Relationships, virtual or otherwise, require attention and care, but the rewards are worth the effort and social media has become a natural part of my work cycle throughout my day.

Posted by: Ron Miller at April 26, 2009 08:30 AM

I gravitate between my blog and Twitter. I gave up on updating Facebook, for various reasons.

On Twitter, you can post a link (like you did) when you do blog, and folks can click. On a blog, I can be visual, "designer-ly", and talk with more than 140 characters, so I am still quite addicted to blogging.

Posted by: Leora at April 26, 2009 08:28 AM

Very true, Jeff -

The social networks/media have become "immersive environments" - you are actually living your first life and second life; both there.

You may not offend anyone (say) by not posting a blog post for a day or two but surely by not responding to friends on twitter or facebook.

This feed thing is driving everyone crazy and it's really hard to catch up with the lifestreams of so many.

From need based to feed based; it was bound to happen. :). We invited it.

- Santosh

Posted by: Santosh Maharshi at April 26, 2009 08:23 AM

Just as a tightrope walker achieves balance by training, I try and do the same by training myself to stick to a timetable;
so much time each day for Twitter, Facebook, Blogs etc.When the time is up - move on otherwise you chase your tail! This way you cover all the angles and keep control.

Posted by: Allan Younger at April 26, 2009 08:11 AM

April 26, 2009

Looking for "Balance" in my Social Media Life

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