Part II: Swimming Against the Social Media Tide?

Did you see my last blog video interview  “Swimming Against the Tide? Part I”? Now read below and let me know if you’ve encountered or identify with these types:

Did she take this pic for the scenery or the lifeguard? hmmm

Life Guard people say: “Yikes! I don’t want anyone knowing where I am , what I think or to see pictures of my family”

Sunscreen will help avoid sunburn:The day I posted “Part I” a successful social networker’s  Facebook account was indeed hacked! She is not going to stop using it as the benefits are far too many.  Here’s the thing, it’s rare and if you take precautions it can be avoided.  Facebook and Twitter have numerous  privacy settings.

SDR Photography

Beach Closed people say “I already have enough pals and talk to them via phone/email.  Also, I don’t want my work and friends mixed.”

Really? In these tough economic times its vital to keep your reputation strong.  Show people who you really are through small talk on social sites.  They’ll connect with you as a real person, not just a Monday dreading coworker.  Make it harder for them to fire and easier to promote/hire you.

SDR Photography

Swimmers Ear people say “Blog Humbug! I don’t want to hear about what you have to say. That’s just people rambling on and on. It’s not a necessary part of a website.”

Hear me out: Blogs are an avenue to get to know your community. Its vital to have a relationship between you and the people you built the site for in the first place. Blogs add content as a way to increase traffic. (SEO anyone?) You do want people to keep coming back, not just the one time, right?

This fish is surely out of water! Yum!

Fish Out of Water people say “Bah, it’s too time consuming! Besides, I don’t need to hear Susy’s thoughts on clipping toenails! I want to talk politics or personal life , and only with certain people.“  Or worse: “Its a great direct sales tool so I blast my network all day about my product!”

Now hear this: Either extreme is not the way to swim. Try this floating device and keep the social in social media.

Rude Awakening #1: People on social media beaches are enjoying the sun while you are home cleaning the fish tank.

Technology is bringing us closer, allowing us to deepen our connections.  Ask someone for help to get you started and you’ll see that in minutes a day you can engage with your community.

Define yourself or be defined. One wave at a time.

BTW, can you think of any other types who don’t embrace social media? If you don’t, why not? If you do, what is your success story?

Tags: blog, community, engage, Facebook, LinkedIn, social networking, Twitter