This post has very little to do with the words in the title. I'm really just curious to see which ads appear as a result of such intriguing keywords. And, maybe my obvious, brute force attempt at SEO will increase my traffic...or show my complete ignorance of SEO.
I'm several years into using social media applications and I am somewhat amused by my changing patterns of communication and usage. In the past year in particular, I have changed a number of behaviors. Some of those behaviors have changed as a result of my job functions at my last employer, NewsGator, and at my current gig, LoMain Media. But, others are simply due to the fact that I continue to find what works for me professionally and personally. If you are a friend who is perplexed by my newfangled communication style, then perhaps this post will help you to understand that style a little better. Or, you may simply deduce that I am a social media addicted snob who is slowly losing her mind. See? I knew I could tie in the title words to the article content. Here's what I do (or don't do) these days:
- Blogging - well, it should be obvious that I have become a very infrequent personal blogger. The reasons are very simple. At NewsGator, I was writing for the company's blog, as well as Silicon Angle. I recently became the Denver Zen and the Art of Work Examiner on Examiner.com. I only have so many articles in me, so I have tended to do my writing on other more public channels. And, other bloggers keep saying that "blogging is dead" (huh?), so I want to make sure I am following the trends. I'm elitist that way.
- Twitter - this is where addition really rears its ugly head. I started tweeting almost two years ago and at the time I thought it was the silliest thing I had ever seen. That was before I signed up, followed a few people, and became so enamored with the voyeuristic nature of the product that I could only communicate a thought in 140 characters. I have two Twitter accounts - my professional account is @karyngerman and is open to followers. This account is integrated with LinkedIn, which is my professional profile (more later). My personal twitter account is @karlgco and it is locked. This account is integrated with FaceBook (personal profile) and FourSquare. So, the synergy between social media technologies is less about the tools and more about my various circles - professional, personal, spiritual community, etc.
- FaceBook - my FaceBook usage has increased dramatically in the last few months as more and more of my close personal friends are using it. I've also connected with folks from high school, college and previous jobs. Now, if I can only get my husband and best friend to connect to me on any social media channel...
- LinkedIn - as stated earlier, LinkedIn is my professional profile and I use it heavily. In hiring, I expect any candidate for a company such as ours to have a very complete and rich LinkedIn profile. Just sayin'. That is probably elitist. OTOH, I feel no need to connect to my personal network via LinkedIn.
- FourSquare - ah, my newest addiction! I love FourSquare and am trying to get more of my Denver friends to join so that I can frantically try to one up them on the weekly leader board and to see who can get the most badges. I received my first Mayorship today and I am feeling mighty elite.
- Email - um, what is this doing in this list? Just as I was an email/website/e-commerce snob back in the mid-90's, I have become a social media snob some 15 years later. I still enjoy a personal 1-on-1 email exchange when the situation calls for it, but please don't forward emails to me that are intended for a group. The other Web 2.0 channels are so much better suited for this type of sharing and I am trying to keep email to those communications that are 1-on-1, urgent or confidential.
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