Recently, I took a break from Twitter. Yes. Really. On purpose. I did. It was a little experiment, and I learned a lot. Although I love Twitter and enjoy all of the amazing interactions I'm able to have through this application, I began to feel like I was missing out on other things by focusing exclusively on Twitter for my social networking.
As a mom of three, my time is very limited. I realize the importance of utilizing social media as a means of staying in touch with others of similar interests, reaching out to potential readers, and locating a number of resources and opportunities. For this reason, I felt good in the fact that I was spending time each morning with my Twitter friends. Then it hit me - my reach had become vastly smaller by interacting in only one medium, during one time of day.
I realized I was missing out on so many other online activities I enjoy. So I made the decision to quit Twitter cold turkey. For a week and a half. And I learned alot about the way I want to structure my time in the future. I spent time with my Google reader, Facebook, and on the phone with my real-life friends, and I enjoyed myself immensely.
Boy, was I glad to catch up with some of my favorite blogs. It felt like I was finding out what was happening in the lives of old friends. I was really pleased to be able to read the blogs of some of my best online friends. I can't believe how far behind I had gotten. But that happens in life; I know that. I've had conversations with bloggers recently regarding hurt feelings surrounding lack of comments or people not visiting their blogs. I hate to hear that. I know we all try, but we have to focus on all aspects of our lives, and there are only so many hours in the day.
Facebook was fun for me because I got to connect to aspects of my life I hadn't considered in years! I found college buddies, sorority sisters, and pals from high school and childhood. How great it was to see pictures of them and their families. I was able to catch up through Facebook's chat feature and connect with some people I hadn't thought about in ages. I even found out my ex-husband has a Facebook account. Maybe this will be a new way for us to coordinate our schedules! I wonder if anyone else uses Facebook in quite this manner?
Catching up with my real-life girlfriends was awesome. My friends are all scattered in different directions now, and it's hard to keep track sometimes. But they've all got some amazing things happening in their lives, and it was so good to feel connected to them again. It's so easy for me to get caught up in what's going on immediately around me. I know I've neglected certain things. As a matter of fact, through connecting with one of my girlfriends, something beyond words happened - something that caused my online world and my offline world to internsect in a totally unexpected way. I promise I'll clue you in on this development soon. Keep your eyes open for that.
The moral of this story is that it's important not to put all your social networking eggs in one basket. Take a look at your online habits and assess what's working for you and what may need some tweaking. Please let me know if you've found yourself in a similar situation - I'd love to hear your story!
Good for you. I don't think I could Twitter cold turkey. But then again, I do spend a lot of time on A LOT of networks. Hence, the odd sleep schedule I currently have