3 Tips To Better Manage Your Social Media Addictions

The other day a friend of mine told me she had something she needed to tell me. I tensed up. She sounded serious enough to have me worried that something was really wrong. 

“I’m addicted to social media. I have not said this out loud before, but its true. Addicted. In a bad way.”

Because I am a good friend, I did what good friends do. 

I listened. 

I didn’t judge. 

Besides, who am I to judge? I question my own addiction to Social Networks most every day. I have to be there. I’m a marketer. I’m an author. I’m a businesswoman.  So part of my time is justified for work. But all of it?  If I tell the truth - the honest truth - the whole truth - and nothing but the truth - the answer is no.

I am as guilty as the next person of scrolling a Facebook feed aimlessly in avoidance of doing work that might matter, of comparing myself to Twitter posts of people I don’t know, of looking to see who viewed my LinkedIN profile and didn’t reach out and then being so exhausted I need a nap after which I wonder why nothing is getting done. 

The question becomes - is that a true addiction?
The answer is - I’m not sure - but it might be.

My friend told me she had spent two hours on social media that morning. That made me feel better. While there is no doubt I spend at least that much time in the course of the day social networking, I generally don’t do it contiguously. Despite the fact that according to eMarketer we are both above the US daily average of 1 hour and 7 minutes I decided if we both had a borderline addiction, maybe mine wasn’t as bad as hers.

In any case, being the self-proclaimed Goddess of time management that I am, I offered my advice. 

Given her business - cold turkey is not an option. 
But putting oneself on a restricted diet is.

Which is how I have managed other similar addictions I have to things like shoes - which I am currently limited to buying only when on sale and no more than two new pairs a season. 

Here’s what I told her:

#1 Limit your social media intake to a half hour, 3x a day.  My days in radio and television have taught me to always live life in dayparts so I suggested morning, midday and afternoon drivetime - the theory being that different people engage at different times in the day. 

#2 Use a timer. No surprises here. Timers are my thing. Especially the old-fashioned kind that make an audible sound. For me it makes the time I’ve allowed seem longer. Plus it offers accountability.

#3 Turn off the alerts. On the phone, the iPad, the Desktop. There is no reason that everytime something happens in your networks you need to know that second. Just because someone liked the picture you posted of yourself in the seventh grade on #ThrowbackThursday - you don’t need to know that very second - much less respond. It’s distracting. It will suck you right back into your addiction and let’s face it - it’s just not that important! 

She liked the idea. 

I felt like a good friend.

Everyone was happy.

Then the oddest thing happened. 
As soon as we were done our conversation I got back on my computer and in less time than it took you to read this far I was on Twitter star gazing until my own addiction hit me squarely between the eyes. 

So I did what I had to. 
I listened to my own advice and have put myself on a restricted diet. If you notice otherwise, it’s a sign I’ve gone off the wagon.

How To Decide What To Share On Social Media

I'm not a yeller. Nor would you expect a slew of four letter expletives to fall from my mouth.  Therapy and lots of personal transformational work has quelled the bursts of emotional ranting that were common in my younger years. In other words I’ve learned to press pause before I open my mouth.

The exception to all this is when I drive. When I get behind the wheel of a car, all bets are off. My fuse is short. My calm and grounded persona disappears and my emotions flare. I have less than nice things to say about every car and driver that cuts me off, changes lanes without signaling and makes a sudden stop without warning. 

It's as though an alien power takes over my body and I flip back and forth between the woman who practices meditation and the one that emerges like the Loch Ness Monster when another driver does something stupid.

I warn people who have never driven with me. 

But sometimes I forget. 

In which case I explain after the fact, apologizing profusely until the color returns to their face, their body starts to relax again, and they stop gripping the door handle.

While this is a part of what I like to call my multifaceted persona, it is not what I consider my best and most engaging side. 

Which is why I won't be tweeting an episode anytime soon. There will be no requests for my passenger to video the outburst and post it on Facebook or Instagram. 

Why then, you might ask, am I even bringing it up here? 


To make my point. Not every aspect of who we are, where we go and what we do needs to be shared. 


I might not have control over the person I become when driving, but I do have control over what I choose to share on social media. 

When deciding what is share worthy these are the questions I like to ask myself:

• Is it useful?
• Is it relevant?
• Is it representative of whom I am as a brand?
• Does it educate,entertain, inspire and/or convince?
• Is this something I wouldn't mind seeing on a billboard?

The person I become when driving  would never make the cut - unless I am using it to illustrate a point - which in this case is that not everything is worth sharing.

How Digital Tools Can Work - A True Story

One of the requirements in my NYU graduate class is creating a blog. It serves two purposes. A place to complete the weekly homework assignments and a vehicle through which my students can learn experientially what it means to create and publish content.

I encourage them all to tweet out their posts and to interact with influencers online. That's always a challenge and one I easily relate to. It's one thing to complete a homework assignment. It's quite another to put that out into the world and to try and make friends with strangers. It's a scary place, not unlike the one I wrote about earlier this week.

But this is what can happen when you do.

The assignment last week was to find an example of newsjacking, a term defined as "the process by which you inject your ideas or angles into breaking news, in real-time, in order to generate media coverage for yourself or your business" and popularized by David Meerman Scott . One of my students wrote her post on what the London Hilton Hotel did to ride the news cycle around an event called Blue Monday,  a concept created a few years ago to spotlight what is considered the most depressing day of the year - the third Monday in January. 

Here's how Sonia used social media to get more attention to her post.  She tweeted the link and included David Meerman Scott in the tweet. David is one of those rare marketing people that actually practices the concept of social engagement - as opposed to just talking about it - which is just one of the many reasons I choose his book, The New Rules of Marketing and PR as the text for this class.

He read the blog and tweeted her back. 

This accomplished a few things. It made Sonia very happy. She got to see first hand, in real time,  how social media can connect. It's also a great example of CRM on David's part. David is a marketing influencer and Sonia now feels a greater and more personal connection than she did before and is more likely to help spread his messages.  And it put her blog link into his Twitter feed with his 104,000 + followers. 

When I saw what had happened I had to jump into the conversation. David already knows I use his book as our text but I wanted him to know Sonia was one of my students. 

The moral of this story is that this stuff works! Digital tools allow us to make new connections, expand our sphere of influence and overall - improve our digital profiles. 

In this case it also gave me material for a blog and a great segue to promote my new workshops! Your Digital You - the blueprint - a workshop designed to improve your digital presence.  

The Danger of Content Sounding Like A Sales Pitch

Have you noticed how it seems everyone is trying to sell you something?
All day.
Every day.

It gets tiresome.
Especially this time of year.

Email solicitations.

Sponsored Facebook posts.

Interstitial ads that you have to sit through before getting to where you wanted to go.

Commercial breaks on TV and Radio that include five advertisers in one pod.

Direct mailers stuffing your mailbox.

Pop up ads at the bottom of that FREE phone App.

It's hard not to shut off and stop listening to the noise.

Which is what most of us do. 

According to McKinsey until some trigger sets us off on the path to purchase we are pretty much not paying attention to anything. 

Which is the big challenge for marketing in the digital age. To create that trigger so we start paying attention.

Content marketing is today's first pick to set the customer journey in motion.  As Jay Baer, author of Youtility Marketing says "Content is the fire. Social media is the gasoline." That's how today's word of mouth referrals work.

But you need to be careful. 

Content is not a sales pitch. 

Yes, a call to action at the end of a blog post is a good idea. But a call to action is not necessarily a sales pitch. It could be something as simple as asking people who like what you wrote to share it.  

The danger occurs when every blog post starts out as good, useful, perhaps even thought provoking content and quickly turns into a pitch to get you sign up for something that costs money.

The result - your message as an authority gets diluted.  

The one we get is that what is most important to you is making money. Your message is merely the vehicle.

I will never dispute that making money is important. It is after all, the end game to all this marketing. 

But when everything sounds like a sales pitch it's not content marketing. 

It feels pushy. 

It gets annoying. 

It sounds inauthentic.

It creates distrust.

It's so last century.

It's not even a very good sales pitch. 




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The Lengths Some Folks Will Go To - Day 26

Last Sunday Twitter was a flutter over Chipotle's tweets. Something had gone awry - as if someone had hacked into their account or a disgruntled employee had caused the feed to go "loco."

Chipotle has been celebrating their 20th Anniversary so there was speculation it could be part of a promotional stunt. 

But the company was silent as to whether this was intended or someone had indeed hacked into their account. The only explanation was this: 

Until Wednesday, three days later when the truth was revealed to Mashable. It was all nothing more than a marketing ploy intended to garner more attention to their anniversary promotion.

And it worked. 

That day they added 4000 followers and had 12,000 retweets. The earned media continues to pile up - this blog just adding on to the tab.

Or did it?  

Do you build customer loyalty by a hoax?

Or do you annoy and create distrust?

Are these the sort of antics necessary to rise above the noise today?

Will any of those new followers represent new customers?

Or were they just curious to find out what all the Twitter uproar was on Sunday?

As for me - lying is not something that endears me personally or professionally. I am no more likely to visit a Chipotle than I was before. Perhaps even less likely now. 

Unless of course - as I wrote yesterday - George Clooney asks me out and that's where he wants to take me. In which case the odds shift.

note: This is Day #26 of the 30 Day Experiment.   Here are the details on how it all started.

French Women's Secrets To Using Technology

I first met Jamie Cat Callan back in my corporate days. I had signed up for a Saturday writing workshop she was teaching at NYU. She incorporated a lot of great exercises into what would later become The Writer's Toolbox. Miraculously, that day she got me writing. Just as much of a miracle,  Jamie told me that yes - I was a writer. You see, at that time in my life I wasn't convinced. 

I hold a special place in my heart for those I've met along the way who encouraged me to pursue to my art. So I try to stay connected. Which these days thanks to the miracle of social media makes it much easier.

When I heard about Jamie's latest book,  Ooh La La! French Women's Secrets To Feeling Beautiful Everyday I had to get me a copy.  And as you know when I come across something worth sharing - I like to do just that!

This delightful and insightful read is part self-help, part self-discovery and part travelogue of Jamie's adventures throughout France. At the end I wanted to go buy a new perfume and book a trip to Paris! But I also wanted to know more. I wanted to know how French women were adapting to the digital age. So I asked Jamie if I could interview her for my blog.  She graciously accepted. Here's are her answers to the questions I posed.

What do French women think of all this new technology? Are they fans of 24/7 connection? Do they have Facebook pages? 

This is such a great question, because the answer is really a yes and a no.  And that’s so French—to live in a kind of grey area.  Still, I would say that French women are definitely not into the 24/7 technology and while many French girls love their smartphones, they don’t participate in as much social media as we do.  It’s not unusual for a French Woman to pull herself off Facebook and suddenly become very mysterious.  This is especially true if she’s fallen in love!   

Do you find French women as attached to their smartphones and tablets as we are? How does a French women incorporate her smartphone into her sense of style?

In recent years, the smartphone and the tablet have replaced the intriguing paperback book a French woman might carry with her on her walks.  A French woman will position herself in the park or at an outdoor café and then she’ll check her smartphone (one with a artsy case that reflects her personality).  That said, she would also be sure to look up from time to time to catch the flirtatious glance from the man at the nearby table.  It’s a matter of balance—so she will not get so hooked into her gadget that she forgets there’s a big wide world out there. 

You write about how French women feel permission to be completely themselves.  Do they extend that to their on-line interactions or are they more guarded?

While French women do give themselves permission to be completely themselves, they may not be so willing to share all the details of their lives.  I have many French women friends who are simple not on-line in terms of blogging, Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest, etc.  But, the French women that I do know who participate in social media have something amazing to show or tell.  They create beautiful style blogs, or post the most amazing travel photos on Facebook.  For French women, it’s about having something interesting to share and the presentation is important.  This is part of the French philosophy.  Micheline Tanguy, a charisma expert I talk about in Ooh La La! told me, “the French like to put a flower on everything.”  And I think this is true, even when it comes to on-line interactions. 

You talk about fashion being a conversation and how it often starts with a photo snapped by The Sartorialist. I’ve been a big fan of his from when he wasn’t so famous. How does a French woman react when it is her whose photo is being taken and then posted on a blog for the entire world to see?

I’ve actually taken photos of stylish French women, Sartorialist style.  It seems to me that younger French women, especially women who are in the beauty and style business, don’t mind having their photo taken and then shared.  (You just have to ask permission).  I find that older French women are much more reticent, so I try to respect that.  I also travel with a postcard of my book, with a barcode scan for my Facebook page, so that the woman I’d like to photograph can see that I’m serious and artful about what I do.  The truth is, I think Bill Cummingham and The Sartorialist have paved the wave for street style photographers all over the world, and stylish women are much more open to being featured on-line.

Without giving away your adventure at the end of the book – how did it feel to be without internet connection for so many days?  Do you recommend the respite?

I did have quite an adventure—and while still remaining mysterious, I’ll say this—I spent nine days in a hospital in Toulouse without internet or phone (although I could receive the occasional incoming phone call).  It was hard to be so out-of-touch at first and it almost felt as if I was coming off an addiction.  I did find that I could stay grounded by writing notes in my little notebook, keeping track of the time with my wristwatch (yes, very old school!), taking lots of photographs of the doctors and nurses and all my French hospital meals (which were delicious!)  And finally, I found that staring out the window to see what the sky was doing and how the changing colors brought with them the passage of time was very soothing, indeed. 

Lastly, you write that French women transfer handicaps to assets.  I just love that philosophy! Do they see technology as a handicap or an asset in their allure and mystique?

I’ve met French women who completely embrace technology and use it artfully to share their particular passion—whether it’s making their own macarons, or designing landscapes or following fashion trends.  I’ve also met French women who seem completely off the grid, living in ancient farmhouses that they’ve restored themselves using river rocks for walls and reconstructing wooden beams from the 11^th century.  And so, in terms of allure—I believe French women know themselves.  They embrace their uniqueness with great passion and confidence, whether this involves using a smartphone or not. 

If a French woman does embrace technology, she will “add a flower to it” and yes, this love of technology will not be a handicap for her, but an asset and it will add to her mystique, because she is in alignment with her truest self. 

And this alignment--that’s really the secret to ooh la la.

Thanks Jamie! 

To find out more about Jamie Cat Callan visit: www.jamiecatcallan.com

To buy Ooh La La! French Women's Secrets To Feeling Beautiful Everyday (which I recommend you do!) click here!

Authenticity: Ain't Nothing Like The Real Thing

I follow a lot of people on social media networks. I've learned from many of them. When presented the opportunity I'll try to hear them speak live.

Which poses problems. Sometimes when I see them living and breathing in front of me I fall more in love. Like way back when I first admitted to a big crush on Seth Godin. I still have not gotten over it.  Even when I don't agree with him, I hold his opinions in high regard. It's his authenticity that does it. It's the real thing.

But there have been others it would have been better to have never met. They know who they are. 

In person they disappointed. The projection of who they were that was so live and vibrant in the words they wrote on their blog or the posts on their Facebook page fell flat in person. The energy was just not there. Which made me question who they really were. 

I mean, you can pretend to be authentic in social media, but in person, there is no hiding the real truth. If you can't pull off with genuineness and ease on stage in front of real humans what you have been conveying through your tweets and blogs and Instagram pictures, then you are nothing more than a cardboard cutout of yourself. 

Last Tuesday I got to hear Chris Brogan speak at ImpactNEXT. I was not disappointed. In fact, it was pretty similar to how I felt when I first met Seth Godin. I liked him even more than I did before. His online persona was no different than his real one. Smart, real, charming and pretty funny. Authentic. The real thing.

Which all leads me to this. A vibrant and robust digital profile is essential today.  But when you create yours, make sure it's yours. Not some made up, inauthentic version of you. 

If you don't, eventually you'll get caught. You'll find yourself standing face to face in front of someone you intrigued enough to want to meet you. And then they'll wonder where you are. Because you just don't seem like the image of you that your social presence created.

That may be okay with you. But it doesn't work for most of us. It's not smart marketing. It does not build relationships. It breaks them down. 

Authenticity rules. The real kind. The kind you can't pretend to be. Even on April Fool's Day.  There ain't nothing like it.

A Lesson In Branding

I’m all for changing things up. Renovation. Reinvention. Redress. Redo. Rebrand. Whether it’s an individual or an organization it’s a good thing to do when things aren’t working or when things get stale.

But it can also be a dangerous path. Especially when things are working.

I’ve been thinking about this a lot since I heard that NY1 News, the 24/7 local newschannel dedicated to serving the five boroughs of New York City is purported to be changing its name after twenty years. I admit to having a soft spot for the channel. I admit to having worked as their Director of Sales for seven years. But I write this as a marketer who believes change is often necessary and can be a very good thing when done right.

According to varying reports the impending change was announced last Thursday as the result of a marketing study revealing that the average NY1 News viewer did not know that if they opted out of their subscription plan with Time Warner Cable they would no longer get to drink their coffee while Pat Kiernan reads In The Papers. The viewer is not aware this is a proprietary channel that can only be seen if you are a Time Warner Cable household. Because they are not making this connection, Time Warner Cable is losing subscribers to alternate cable providers.

So they are planning a rebranding, which will include all seventeen news channels across the country, to something approximating Time Warner Cable News. What exactly?  That's still unclear.

The plan, as reported, is to call it something warm and inviting like Time Warner Cable News.  Because after all, doesn’t everyone just love the cable company? Doesn’t everyone just dance with joy when that big ol’ bill arrives in the mailbox every month? That will stop the erosion of its subscriber base for sure.

Right. The parent company. The brand that does not have a loyal following. The ones that are not well liked. At all. The ones that people are constantly complaining about, be it price or service. That will fix it.

This is where it gets dangerous

Based on what I have read, the rebrand has nothing to do with a problem with the NY1 News brand or product, but rather with the Time Warner Cable brand and with customer retention. It has to do with alternate cable delivery methods and a digital landscape where a younger generation is not even sure they need a cable provider anymore. It has to do with price points. But NY1? Not much wrong with that brand. A little kitschy for sure. It’s part of the charm. But it works.

So what happens next?

The decision is announced and the uproar is loud. That’s what happens today. The rules of marketing have changed.  Do something they don’t like and people have easy access to platforms where they can be heard. They have the power to create PR nightmares.

Consider the #saveNY1 Twitter streams. The outpouring of articles. The angry viewers that Pat Kiernan is trying to calm down, assuring them the content will be the same. The fresh rage from the Time Warner Cable haters. There is even a Save NY1 petition that has surfaced.  Which may sound a little overdramatic. NY1 News is not going away. Really.  But the damage from a PR debacle in today's landscape takes on a life of its own.

Changing things up is always a good thing. But it has to be for the right reasons.

Seth Godin says we are living in a connection economy, “projects that create connections, and those that don’t.”

That means a lot of things. It means the old rules don’t work anymore. Your customer wants to be heard. They want a good product experience. They want to be engaged with, not talked at. They want you to pay attention to their needs. They want a relationship with you. They don’t want to feel used.

When it comes to NY1, they’re doing it all right.

Under the leadership of Steve Paulus (who it is reported to have fought the decision) it has grown to a station with a national reputation that spawned others like it in cities across the country, a dedicated newsroom, a loyal and engaged viewership, a history of breaking stories and a strong connection to the community that solidified in its superior coverage of 9/11.

You don’t fuss with a brand that is working. You hone it. You polish it. You make it shine brighter. You keep its recognizable name.

The brand you work on is the one that doesn’t glitter quite so brightly. You start by understanding the rules of marketing have changed. Today they are about engagement, user experience and customers feeling connected to the product. You start to work on improving that relationship. You don’t start by doing more damage to the shaky one you already have.

My 8 Rules Of Social Media Engagement

Someone asked me recently to tweet something for someone they were working with.  It was a new product, one I had no hands on knowledge of. I love helping and I love spreading good stuff. Still, I said no.

I had my reasons.

I'm careful about what I attach my name to. It's a reflection of who I am and what I think and stand for. And I know that what I put out there, stays out there. Forever and then some. No matter how much I'd like to believe that delete button really works, it doesn't when it comes to the Internet. So I'm thoughtful about what I share and suggest to my followers. I keep it to the stuff I care about and know about and have intimate knowledge of. 

For instance just the other day I shared a link encouraging people to vote for Laura Zigman in the Shorty Awards. I love her Annoying Conversation series. They are clever and well-written and they never fail to make me laugh out loud. I think she's deserving of winning.

This other request did not fall into such a category. At least not for me.

But I know everyone is not like me. Like everything else in life, many share on Facebook or Twitter or Pinterest because they think by doing so there is something in it for them. They shout outrageous things in 140 characters or less, they might not say if we were standing in front of them. They post a picture on Instagram that guarantees they might never see that promotion they had their eyes on. They have interpreted having an authentic voice to mean typing whatever comes to the top of their head with absolutely no filter, followed by quickly hitting the send button without a care as to the repercussions their words might have. Again, things they might never say at a dinner party. Or maybe they would.
(note to self: do not invite those types to any I'm hosting)

In any case it got me thinking it was time to share the rules I like to follow when engaging in Social Media. 

1. Think before you post. To Twitter or Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram, Google+ or whatever your social net of choice is.
2. Post with integrity. By definition integrity is the quality of being honest and having strong moral principles, moral being the difference between right and wrong.
3. Remember that what you put out there will stay there. Forever. And a day.
4. Your on-line engagement is a reflection of who you are. So think before you post, who do you want to be seen as?
5. Being authentic does not mean posting the first crazy thought that pops in your head.  At least not without taking a long, deep breath first.
6. Being creative does not mean being outlandish, cruel or thoughtless. 
7. Don't share what you have not read or viewed. Sounds so obvious but it happens. All the time.
8. Don't share what you don't believe or think has value or is worth sharing. The great thing about our new digital age is that really great ideas can spread quickly. So can bad ones. Your opinion can help to make that happen. So use it. Wisely.

Not Just For Dummies

I confess to being a life long information junkie. Before the online world imploded with sundry sources from which to gather information, I read two newspapers a day and a stack of magazines a month. Which is probably one of the many reasons I took to the social media landscape so easily. I suddenly had access to more information than I could ever dream. Easily. Plus I had a real fascination as to how all these tools had an impact on a brand.

The result is that I know enough about social media, digital marketing, and online branding to be considered an expert.  But in today's world where it seems as if every day someone is introducing a new technology deemed to be the next great thing, it can be hard, even for the experts, to keep up.

Which is one of the things I love about Online Reputation Management for Dummies. Even someone like myself, who knows her way around the virtual world, can learn something from the book.

If you've been sitting on the sidelines, waiting for all this online "stuff"  to go the way of the horse and buggy, the mere mention of managing your online reputation probably terrifies you. But if you're also smart and still interested in earning a living it is most likely starting to get it through your resistant head that it is time to get with the program.

The question is where to start? 

You can sign up for a Digital Profile Makeover with me. And you can get yourself a copy of Online Reputation Management for Dummies. My suggestion is a print edition although it is also available electronically. The reason I suggest print on this one is that it is the kind of book you are going to want to make lots of  notes in the margins. More importantly you will want to keep it readily accessible to your computer when you try out the author's easy to follow instructions on how to do things like set up your Google Alerts and use AdWords for keyword research.

Online Reputation Management for Dummies is comprehensive and informative. It is loaded with countless tips offered in user friendly language. You can buy the book on Amazon and other smart booksellers.

Lori Randall Stradtman is the author as well as Creative Director and Founder of Social Media Design. You can follow her on Twitter @Lori_Randall or Facebook @Social Media Design.

The Rule You Never Want To Break

Most rules are made to be broken. In fact many can even evoke a little rush of pleasure when you do. But every now and then one comes along, you really don't want to break. The consequences are far too severe.

For example, in It Takes An Egg Timer, A Guide to Creating the Time for Your Life, I created one I call The Twenty-Minute Rule. It's designed for those things you need or want to attend to, but if not careful, will suck you in and take you away from the really important stuff you want to be working on. Like landing a new client. Or writing that book proposal.

Social media needs attending. It's got a value, especially if you are self-employed or an entrepreneur. But it can also be one of the biggest time wasters out there. It's a  Twenty-Minute Rule. It's something you must set that egg timer for. If not, hours can be whiled away looking at the 200 pictures your ex's new girlfriend posted of their recent trip to China. In the meantime  you have done nothing that will create any new revenue to pay down your Amex, which by the way is still suffering from  all that retail therapy than ensued when you broke up with him.

Give your favorite social media site  twenty-minutes each time you sign on. Anything more is too much. It's a rule you never want to break. You just can't afford the time it will waste.



This and more on the use and misuse of time can be found in my new book, It Takes An Egg Timer, A Guide to Creating the Time for Your Life , available in paperback and Kindle on Amazon.

While You Were Out

In case you haven't noticed we're living in a time where things are changing so fast that keeping up can be pretty exhausting. I needed to slow it down the other day and instead of completely shutting it all off,  I did something old fashioned and decided to read my print version of the New York Times instead of the one on my iPad.

I caught a little blurb in the sidebar,  that four new print magazines are launching next week that will advise business owners how to use social media tools. I know it sounds funny, doesn't it?  Starting new print outlets in this age where supposedly that is dying as fast and furious as the trees used to make the paper.  And all with the purpose of teaching ( translate: making money off of)  those companies that haven't been paying attention the last three years how to use use platforms like Twitter, Facebook, Google and LinkedIn to their benefit.  But apparently, it's true.

The owners, GSG World Media have a website with a big headline "social media's about to get down to business" that I am sure will be chock full of all those things that new media marketers have been talking about on their blogs and in teleseminars for free the last few years while those companies were out doing something else, diverting their attention to things like downsizing their organizations and I am sure hoping this social media thing was just a passing fad.

That's  what happens when real change abounds. The majority of us tune it out, hope it goes away and long for the good ol'days when you didn't worry so much when you left your office about all the "stuff" you would come back to. A time when things like phone messages were written on a pink slip of paper by a human being and email was barely a glimmer in someone's eye.

But sometimes the noise gets too loud and we are forced to pay attention. Sometimes that leaves us behind the eight ball or in this case with the option of paying $7.95 a publication at your local Office Depot.

I am the first to tell you social media will not replace and make extinct all other forms of media, just like FM radio in the eighties did not make AM stations go away nor did cable make people stop watching broadcast. The pie just became more fragmented. Instead of indulging on one big wedge of apple crumb, you can have a sliver and still have room to try the blueberry and the pecan if that is your taste, never changing your caloric intake. Or like me, you can embrace the change, mix up scrolling on your iPad with some good old fashioned newsprint on your fingers  while you search the sidebars for interesting tidbits with which to write a blog.



How do you react to change?
Do you wait until you have to adapt or are you an early embracer?


BTW...Have I mentioned my debut novel, The Secrets They Kept is now available on Amazon AND Barnes and Noble in print and e-book! And please, feel free to use your social media of choice to help spread the word and the book sales!