Business and Social Media – When Worlds Collide

About two years ago, I listened to one of these casually dressed internet gurus sorts inform me how social Media will exchange my international. “Nothing can be equal. It will alternate commercial enterprise forever!” I idea to myself (insert sarcastic tone) Oh incredible because I love the truth that once my blackberry goes off at ten at night, human beings suppose I should gleefully solve it. In the imply time my company’s Chief Marketing Officer is going on and on approximately the approaching revolution, about groups and open verbal exchange and blithering on roughly what it manner to our commercial enterprise.

 Social Media

Me, I’m now not a high-ranking type of guy. My function in lifestyle is more comparable to that of the leader cook and bottle washer type. But I stay in the tech global, so a new era isn’t all that frightening to me. At that point, admittedly, I’d been on Linked In for several years and My Space for a bit. One stored me in contact with a global filled with my expert contacts which made perfect sense. It is not constantly what you already know in income and commercial enterprise, but who you know. On the alternative website online, let’s admit I changed into a web loser. I had my dad, my sister, wife, one daughter, and a host of bands, filmmakers, and comedians who desired to be my buddy but no person actual. The horrible flashbacks to life as an unpopular nerdy boy in grade school aside, I continued. Had my first experience with social media been a singles bar, not handiest might I be going domestic alone; however, my buddies might have ditched me, leaving me in a questionable community without cash and no ride. Fortunately for me, it becomes just the internet.

So, like a great soldier, I listened. I ran out to enroll in Facebook, sold a copy of the Clue Train Manifesto (which I am positive buying something with the word manifesto in it places you on some government watch list)and Wikinomics, and waited for my professional life to start a Groundswell and take on a noticeably worthwhile cyber fueled digital life of its personnel.

This time around, I brought a few people I knew from paintings, and my pals listing grew modestly, then I joined some networks, and it grew a touch more. Over time a few vendors found me, then some clients. It looked like something else you get out what you put into it, except you had an honestly hot image of yourself. Amazingly enough, even on the internet, a man in blue polo isn’t taken into consideration excessively warm even though he leaves his pocket protector at home.

Being reclusive, I did my quality to disregard the software invites. Things like joining my mob, send me a drink, and other nonsense seemed like a frivolous waste of time at this point in my lifestyle. Then it came about some university friends brought me. Then some extra. Sometimes it felt tremendous to listen from them, but it changed into a why inside the global do I care what they may be doing now. Bus nevertheless I widely wide-spread their requests no motive to be impolite. A few Ex-girlfriends came with the aid of to mention hello. I’m older, wiser, extra-worldly, so why would I care. It’s innocent.

Besides, the time has been kind to me, and I have a pretty beautiful life. And that’s while it hit me do I need the female I favored in kindergarten to understand what my customers are pronouncing, and more importantly, do I want my commercial enterprise friends, customers, and co-employees to understand whatever approximately my beyond based totally on comments from those who knew me once I was young, dumb, and awkward.

There’s no longer a whole lot that I hide from. Still, the concept of me in a hideous healthy my mother made me wear for school photographs as 12 years old is probably one in every one them; there has been one wild weekend at college once I gave the impression of John Belushi on a bender that became no longer indicative of my intellectual ebook computer virus nature, or worse but for me and my collection of other dweeb buddies gambling Dungeons and Dragons on a wonderfully precious Friday night time in 1985. Yes, I performed D&D, and I was regarded precisely like the usual stereo man who played D&D did. So my worlds collided but just a little at a time. Is Facebook the basis of all evil? Time will inform. Will our tradition turns out to be ubiquitous, open, and tolerant of the teenage geek who grew to become a married expert? The unsightly duckling becomes the proverbial swan, and maybe, however, it’s not going. Most of all, do I need to prove to the fellow who beat me up inside the 5th grade that his inclinations approximately me were indeed accurate three many years later and that I am, in truth, a geek.

 Social Media

NO! People still tell me every day that social Media goes to exchange the world. That commercial enterprise and life are bound to grow to be inexplicably connected. To which I say thank you; however, no thanks. The business hasn’t come rolling in. Social Media is probably an incredible way to move if you’re hawking get rich short schemes or connecting with already installed customers; however, in the meantime, I’m now not finding wild and new distinct markets and clients to promote to, and in turn, they’re now not locating me either. With all the incredible things the internet has added to my lifestyle, social Media isn’t always one in all of them. So call me old skool; however, I’m just satisfied I can order books on Amazon at a discount, get loose delivery, and not pay sales tax...For now.

Read Previous

Leveraging Social Media With Enthusiasm

Read Next

Make Money Collecting Used Cell Phones