Tag Archives: Social media

Unplug Well by Collecting

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Last week I told you that it was OK for you to unplug. However, that’s not going far enough. You need to unplug.

Unplugged Unplug Well by Collecting

Of course, saying it is the easy part, actually unplugging is difficult. It’s especially difficult if you’re afraid you’re going to miss something important. However, especially in terms of your electronic interactions, you can use technology to collect stuff that’s important while you’re unplugged. Then, when you plug back in, your important stuff is, in the words of Richard Marx, “right [there] waiting for you.” (yeah, I’m that old)

OK. I want to unplug. But how do I collect stuff?

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Unplug – We’ll Be Here When You Get Back

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Rain on Window at Starbucks 300x3001 Unplug Well Be Here When You Get Back

Do you feel like you’re missing out if you ever unplug? Like you might miss one important status update or offend a friend by missing a tweet? As though you’re a bad citizen and friend if you’re a few hours (or a couple of days) late to find out that a friend is engaged?

Well, if so, here’s your free pass.  Use it wisely.

It’s a Place

Social media is a virtual space – a place or a destination. I think of it like going to church or to Starbucks. While you’re there, you can interact with people and do stuff together. And, unless you’re a community life director, you don’t need to worry about it while you’re gone. Continue reading →

Don’t Network Like This

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Bad Network

If your efforts to network look like this, you might have a problem.

In this view of networking, people and relationships are utilitarian. They’re used and not honored. While you might achieve a level of success using this method, it dehumanizes, devalues, and dishonors people.

60f98b28788211e180d51231380fcd7e 72 Dont Network Like This

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A Question of Influence

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I want to hear what you have to say about influence.

What is Influence

It seems like many people equate influence with popularity – and popularity can certainly be part of influence.  Online we use tools such as Klout and PeerIndex to measure influence (if it’s really influence at all).  And we use social media channels such as Facebook and Twitter to spread our message.

But I question whether that’s more influential than just sitting down to have coffee with somebody.  After all, sitting across the table with your friends or someone who’s asking for advice, looking them in the eye, and holding them accountable for their actions (and allowing them to do the same) is a lot different from scheduling quotes from Mark Twain, Ghandi, and the Bible.

This is for real

In fact, just today I was sitting down with a friend to discuss business strategy.  Sure, we could have handled it by email (and we did email before and after our lunch).  We could have tweeted back and forth.  But there was a certain immediacy and intimacy in the moment.  There was a certain earthiness and power in being together.

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Does Facebook Cheapen Your Relationships?

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Have you ever wondered if Facebook cheapens your relationships? Seriously, have you thought about whether you’re building relationships or just serving some narcissistic need to feel informed, important, and connected? About whether you really care about people or are simply using social conventions to get ahead in life?

Note: If your approach to Facebook and other social media is just lead generation and selling stuff, you probably won’t care about the rest of this post. But if you value relationships and care about your friends and acquaintances as people, keep reading and then leave your opinions in the comments.

278281188 69cf451d39 z Does Facebook Cheapen Your Relationships?

I love Facebook.

I think Facebook (and social media in general) is great. It’s great that I have an easy way to keep up with my friends from high school and church and to meet new people. Sure, there are some things that just can’t be replaced – like being in the same place at the same time – but there are a lot of things that it does really well.

In many ways Facebook is like CRM for my friends and acquaintances. It’s how I can keep up with what’s going on in their lives (or at least what they share). It’s how I remember birthdays and anniversaries. It’s even how I often learn about prayer needs and social events.

And it requires so little effort. I love that.

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By Request: A Follow Friday Extravaganza

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3242828279 970541054d m By Request: A Follow Friday ExtravaganzaToday’s post is a special edition “Follow Friday Extravaganza” requested by Aaron.  

I follow every one of these blogs and tweeters, and, though I may not always agree with everything that’s written or how it’s presented, they always encourage, challenge, and inspire me.  I think they’ll do the same for you.

There are LOTS of great blogs and tweeters out there.  If you’ve found other killer blogs or tweeters, why not leave a recommendation in the comments?

The Blogs

Michael Hyatt

Michael’s Chairman of the Board at Thomas Nelson Publishers and writes consistently about intentional leadership.  In a word, his posts are amazing.

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Follow Friday Retweeters + Interesting Blogs

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14bdbe7da4594f8aa9f81d1ba390e06a 7 150x150 Follow Friday Retweeters + Interesting BlogsThe world is full of interesting people.  Here are a few people you might want to check out and some interesting blogs from this week.  Check them out, keep what’s good, and let’s all make the world a better place.

Retweeters!

I’d like to say “thanks” to some people who thought I was interesting enough to retweet on Twitter. I appreciate the love!

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Be Intentional with Facebook Friends Lists

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I don’t know about you, but I like to be very intentional with the time I spend on Facebook.  Well, really I like to be intentional about how I spend my time on any of the social media tools I use.

I don’t want to log in and spend hours browsing – after all, you can’t have fondue on Facebook.  I do want to log in, do what I want to do, read what I want to read, and get out.

One of the ways I do that is by organizing my friends into lists so that I can keep up with people based on the nature of our friendship (friends from High School, friends from Church, colleagues and networking “friendlies“).  Then, when I want to see what my Church friends are doing, I’ll check that list.

Note: I also use lists to control who can see me as “online” for Facebook chat.

I Realized it was Missing

Or at least I did until the recent Facebook layout change.  In fact, the new Facebook home was enough of a redesign that I forgot that I couldn’t find my old filters.  Until today.

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What’s Your Life Strategy?

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4457430704 cf87cfdbc7 m d Whats Your Life Strategy?I’m sure that you want to have a great life – I know I do.  But do you have a plan for an effective, victorious life of God’s very best?

It’s OK to have a plan – a strategy, if you will.  It’s even right to have a strategy.  But I think most people misunderstand strategy.  Football players understand strategy and so do generals in the army.

Do the rest of us understand strategy?

What Isn’t a Strategy?

A shortcut isn’t a strategy.  We think it’s a strategy because we’ve misunderstood what strategy is.  And most often, what we’re looking for is a shortcut – an inside track to success – rather than a strategy.

A quick Google search yields a number of people willing to sell you their social media “strategies” for success.  A similar search will find you any number of “secrets” that will make your life amazing, fulfilled, and all-together unbelievable.  We look for these magic pills to fix our marriages and make ourselves look slimmer without diets or working out.

Can you believe that we buy into that stuff?!

Maybe not all of it, but some of it.  And why?

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Changing My Media Diet

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Over the next few days or weeks, I’m going to change my media diet. I’m not talking about going on a “media fast.” But I think it’s time for a change.

Why the sudden desire for change?

To be completely honest, I’m wanting to change my media diet (not unplug completely, just make a change) largely because I feel disconnected.

  • I don’t feel as connected to God as I would like.
  • I don’t feel as connected to my wife as I would like.
  • I don’t feel as connected to God’s purpose in my life.

And I deeply want to feel connected. I want for my passion for the purposes of God to increase. I want a renewal of vision. And I want deeper intimacy.

Further, I get the sense that I’m bordering on having media in control of my life than under my control as I submit to God. I find myself wanting to watch that next episode of a sitcom or wanting to check my Facebook or Twitter accounts more than I find myself wanting to play a card game with my wife or spend a few moments in prayer with God.

I don’t believe it’s God’s plan for me to be controlled by my circumstances. I believe it’s God’s plan for me to be devoted to and obedient to him.

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