My Social Media Nip and Tuck

When I talk to people who are not active with social media, about social media, and we get past the lack of time issues, the first question I am asked is, "what should I use?" I say that I blog and use Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn. When asked if they work for me, I answered, "yes."

Then I read Framing Your Social Media Efforts by Chris Brogan. Chris writes for business marketing but he got me thinking about how I use social media as an individual. Not the nuts and bolts of logging in, updating, or posting regularly (or not) but looking at, as Chris says, how well I am "tying them all together. "

A Look In the Mirror

I am an experienced-based kind of girl. If I haven't done it, felt it, and learned from it, I can't talk about it. Table talk topics, Toastmasters impromptu speeches, and off the cuff comebacks are not me. I need time to process and I am so much better on the replay. So, while I love the lens Chris offers, I can't have this conversation with budding social media-ites without first taking a look at my own practices.

My social media use has developed over the past 12-15 months without a long term plan and I am convinced that the tools I am using and the way I am using them is not the right combination to get me to where I want to go. Now, as I am looking into the new year and making plans, it's time to put randomness aside and frame up my social media efforts.

My goals are to deepen and strengthen my connections, collaborate on a professional project and write beyond the blog. So, in addition to reevaluating how I am using the tools I am now, I am going to check out some new ones to see if they'd round out the mix.

A Work In Progress

It's a start. It's part of the grand plan. And it's all good. In the spirit of building connections, collaboration and writing, I'll update my progress here. How about you? Do you have strategies that work best for you? Tell me about them.

The Anti-Writing Demon

Two things I've got on my mind lately are writing and credibility. I took up leadership credibility earlier last week so today I'll toss out some thoughts on writing. 

I just started reading Thinking Write by Kelly L. Stone. Besides thinking the title of her book would have been an awesome name for a blog if I only would have thought of it first, I was drawn to the tag line, "the secret to freeing your creative mind." Now, my mind could use a little freeing these days. I love to write, am committed to writing more, would welcome a little mula for my writing . . . but now I digress.

I am finishing up chapter 2, The Anti-Writer. The term "anti-writer" is basically the doubt that works against a writer and it does not work alone. Along with the anti-writer comes sabotaging actions. Two scary dudes. I am only up to Chapter 2 and already I have an assignment. For the next two weeks, I am to write down all of the negative thoughts and comments about my writing or my abilities as a writer and ways I sabotage my writing efforts. Ach, who needs 2-weeks! I know the voice all too well. I am going to give myself a 2 minutes on each to capture the thoughts and actions right here, right now.

Ready? Here goes nothing:

Anti-Writer Thoughts: Not good enough, others are better, don't know how to do it right, not interesting, not relevant, too much like everyone else, will run out of ideas, can't write more than 500 words, no one would ever pay to read, too difficult to break into the field, not enough time, don't know how to market, too personal, not authentic enough, not original.

Sabotage Writing Efforts: Twitter, Facebook, Google Reader, email, Yammer, laundry, too tired, not enough time, thinking must have an entire afternoon free to write, paper is not quite right, pencil is too dull, pen doesn't flow easily, coffee is too hot, water is not cold enough, need perfect writing snacks, television, have to exercise.

The rule follower in me will continue to capture the thoughts for a few days although I expect them to be variations on the same thing. I already know a few things I can do right now: recommit to posting here at least twice a week, post on Raising Tarah once a week, and carve out 30 minutes per day to write.

To jazz me up, I bought a new red Moleskine notebook that will be at arms length throughout the day.

What tips do you have for me to keep the words flowing? What has worked for you?