My Love / Hate Relationship with Social Media

Written on December 17, 2007 – 4:34 pm | by Shana Albert |

Photo by Fabbio

I love you so much I hate you!! Or, I hate you so much I love you!! Oh boy, is my head Sphinning!! I keep Stumbling over things and getting Mixxed up because my head is totally in the Social Media clouds. Let me explain my battle a bit…

I love you, Social Media…. Let me Count the Ways:

People – I have met so many people from all over World. Many of these people I would consider a dear friend and/or Colleague.
Traffic - With the correct Social Media Marketing Strategies you can bring a lot of amazing traffic to your site.
This is Work?? - I can call Social Media part of my job, but yet it is so much fun.
Voyeurism - I can be a Voyeur and it’s okay…. Watching where my friends have been and what they did while they were there. (StumbleUpon, MyBlogLog, etc…)
Conversations - Conversations via blog comments, Instant Messaging, blog posts, facebook, twitter, blah, blah, blah.
De-Stresser - Take my mind off of my Stressful Work / Life.
Not all about Google - No longer have to rely on Major Search Engines for all of my traffic.
Keep Updated - Easy to keep up with new and updated information on the topics that interest me. RSS Feeds
Link Building - Building Links is fairly easy with Social Media and a lot of fun. No more emailing for link exchanges.
Creativity - I feel More Creative now than I ever was.
Sweet Dreams - I love Social Media so much I even dream about it at night while I’m sleeping.
Opportunities - Joined in on projects with fellow colleagues I have met online
Standing Out - Social Media Activities can make you Stand Out - A successful Article or Blog Post can do very well on Social Networking Sites which can make you stand-out in your Niche.
Social Media Fame - Having a Blog with a Readership can make you feel like a Superstar.

I hate you, Social Media… Let me Count the Ways:

Pressure of keeping up the Pace - Feeling if I slow down I will get lost and no one will be able to find me.
Inevitable that someone will be unhappy - This is very difficult for a people pleaser such as myself. Unable to make everyone happy. If you make someone unhappy you might hear about it in a follow-up post or a blog comment.
Voyeurism - Just like I can watch other people travel through the Blogosphere, people can watch me too. Knowing this makes me feel a bit weary about popping on to someone’s blog or StumbleUpon Profile too many times in a row. Not sure why, but it does.
This is Work!! - Social Media is very time consuming. And, even though it is a lot of fun it is so much work!!
People - Most people that I have met online have been wonderful!! But, not everyone is as nice. Some people pretend to be your friend because ultimately they want something from you. Don’t use me!! I hate that!!
RSS Feed Reader is Too Full - As I mentioned in #8 above I use a RSS Feed Reader to keep updated. However, my Feed Reader has become so full that lately I have been missing important posts. Because my Reader is so full I tend to read the Titles of the Posts to see what sounds interesting enough to read and landed up missing some really wonderful posts.
Poor Time Management - What little Time Management Skills I have had in the past have totally went down the toilet since I added Social Media Activity to my To-do list. UGH!! I think I’ve already complained about this in the past, huh?!
Productivity - Productivity on some of my other duties has begun to slip.
Sleepless Nights - Don’t get enough Sleep. Even my dreams are overcome by Social Media Activities.
Social Media Pressure - The pressure to achieve a certain Social Media Status or keep this status is incredibly intense. Sometimes it is hard to enjoy the fame due to the constant fear of losing it.

I will be following this post up with other posts detailing the specifics on each of these Love/Hate dilemmas.

Technorati Tags:social media, social networking, social bookmarking, sphinn, stumbleupon, social media marketing, blogging

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21 Responses to “My Love / Hate Relationship with Social Media”
By Mark Dykeman on Dec 17, 2007 | Reply

Do you have dreams where you dream about trying madly to catch up on your social media obligations, and then you wake up and you’ve already logged in to Sphinn?
By Michelle Montoya on Dec 17, 2007 | Reply

I totally feel you on this one. I love to hate it but hate to love it. It’s a double-edged sword in my heart. Great post!
By Jon B on Dec 17, 2007 | Reply

Great post. It is indeed a love/hate relationship!
By Mack on Dec 17, 2007 | Reply

Great Post, I think we should join stumblers anonymous soon though before the problem gets out of hand.
By Shana Albert on Dec 17, 2007 | Reply

@Mark Dykeman - Oooh, no that has never happened. Wouldn’t that be cool. It would save me a little time.

@Michelle Montoya - It sure is. Thank you so much for commenting.

@John B - Indeed.

@Mack - Thanks, Mack. If there is a 12-step program for this I am so there.
By Lin on Dec 17, 2007 | Reply

Oh boy can I ever relate! I definitely need a 12-step program, so if you find one, do let me know! I’ve been finding myself waking up in the mornings (if I can sleep at all) and realize my fingers are “typing” in my sleep! Argh!
By Dave on Dec 17, 2007 | Reply

Hmmmmm.. lemme count the ways….Damned Link Fest…Damned Lists…Damned Profile Link Drops…Damn flattery… DAMMIT!!

You are getting sooooooo good babe. All we forgot was a little Holiday Spirit at the end :0)

As you know I can certainly be signed up for the ‘Sleepless Nights’ part… though who would we talk to… ( oh yeah, Bill never sleeps does he?). Also voyeurism was mentioned 2x so I am ALL over that one too… gotta break out my Ninja Networker… hee hee

Thanks for the fun read… I hope it is a sign of positive things :0)

Dave
By Jeff Quipp on Dec 17, 2007 | Reply

Good post Shana (as always) … all of us at SEP consider you a dear friend too. We need to meet up at a conference sometime though. Nothing like a face to face over a couple of drinks.
By Shana Albert on Dec 17, 2007 | Reply

@Lin - I will definitely let you know if I come across one. Thanks for stopping by.

@Dave - I am so glad you enjoyed my post. Yes, I did mention voyeurism twice. And, I must admit that when I mentioned about being a bit we weary about popping on to someone’s blog a lot I totally was thinking of yours…. with your crazy analytics and me flying in on a helicopter when I come to your site. I get this, “OMG, he is totally going to think I’m stalking him” feeling. Thanks for the great comment, my friend.

@Jeff Quipp - That is so sweet of you to say. Everyone at SEP is so wonderful!! It must be so much fun to work there. Meeting up at a conference is a must.
By Jansie Blom on Dec 18, 2007 | Reply

good post shana! it’s easy though. stick to mixx…
By Nick James on Dec 18, 2007 | Reply

Poor Time Management. That’s the one that’s got me over a barrel. I dunno where my days go sometime, I seem to have become totally entrenched in this whole scene. Oh for the days of a normal 8 - 4:30 job (British factory hours). Hopefully it’s all worth it for a crack at Social Media Fame.
Great post Shana. Thanks for the mention, it’s a pleasure to have made your acquaintance too.

Nick
By Wayne Smallman on Dec 18, 2007 | Reply

Hi Shana, good to see you enjoying things.

That wasn’t the case when we first met, so I’m pleased to see you’ve turned things around…
By pat on Dec 20, 2007 | Reply

Good morning
By Veronica Romm on Dec 20, 2007 | Reply

Hi, I love this argument and since I am new to this I am in the love section for now. I actually wrote an article on my blog I would love you to read or I can send to you. Its called Breaking up is hard to do (on the internet) i think you will appreciate it.
By lisa on Dec 20, 2007 | Reply

Dear Shana,

Thanks for the great read. You have my subscribe for sure.

I’m curious to hear more about #9, social media dreamin!

Lisa
By Shana Albert on Dec 21, 2007 | Reply

@Jansie Blom - I hear ya, but I can’t just stick with one. That’s like just having one chip…. I can’t just stop at one.

@Nick James - The hours I spend working on Social Media Activities is ridiculous. I work far more hours now than I ever did.

@Wayne - So good to see you checking out my blog. Yes, a lot has changed since you and I met. Much of it is due to our conversations. So, Thank you… my dear friend.

@Pat -
By Shana Albert on Dec 21, 2007 | Reply

@veronica - Thanks for reading my post and taking the time to leave me a comment. I’m off to check out your post now.

@Lisa - Keep an eye out for it. That will be an upcoming post for sure.
By BizDevMarketing on Dec 23, 2007 | Reply

HI Shana. Just found your blog, (via StumbleUpon, Imagine that!) The “time mgmt” piece is a good point to bring up. I;m currently working on how to develop defined goals so that I can maximize my efficiency with SM. Right. This ones a toughy. I’ll be back for more reading!
By CHESSNOID on Dec 24, 2007 | Reply

Happy Holidays!
By Shana Albert on Dec 24, 2007 | Reply

@BizDevMarketing - Thank you so much for stopping by. Yes, Social Media Time Management is a real tough one. Let me know if you come up with something clever regarding Time Management. Please stop by again.

@CHESSNOID - Hey dear friend. I’m glad you stopped by my blog. I haven’t chatted with you in a long time. I hope all is well with you. Happy Holidays to you and yours.