LOL.. we ALL want to be your friend cuz' we wuv you.  :-)  

Hi Jeff, I agree with Bob.  This one is worth a second read.  I do have one question:  Now that you are on all these sites, how do you keep track of all your friends, fans, connections and Tweeps?  That's a lot of folks to satisfy with all your writings. :)

I mostly have what I post here show up in all the other places too, but also do a bit of stand-alone facebooking.  I do need to have time to actually sell real estate, so the only problem I have is with all of the suggestions I get from others to join other groups and become fans of pages that are completely unrelated to what I do.  I do like becoming fans (or now a "liker") of other Realtors' business pages though.  I am learning about real estate all over through them.

 

You HAVE to enjoy the sarcasm and the humor to read the whole thing Jeff.  I agree with Bob that it was worthy of a re-post.

I was feeling okay about my social media self until Bob Kinney told me about Klout.com.  Wow!  Now I need therapy for low self-esteem!

What happened to the old fashion way when people so each other face to face...

We behave like robots...

And to think of all those years developing systems to stay focused on important effective real estate services advertising. 

I used to complain when ActiveRain members posted so many "feeling" posts.  Then along comes the social media craze.

It ain't over till it's over.

 

Bob - you may have seen me preaching heavily about the importance of Facebook, and even I feel this way some of the time!  One thing I feel strongly about, right now if people only focused on Facebook and tuned out the other noise - they'd probably be ok.  http://blog.roost.com/2010/05/13/facebook-backing-–-biggest-–-horse/

Sorry "Jeff" - !

It's the time sucking nature of it Jeff and the mind numbing drivel that I don't get. You are not alone. I don't want any more friends. Leave me alone for some peace and quiet LOL.

I probably commented onthis post the first time you wrote it. It is very clever. And, social media does make me a little paranoid (which is why my posts are so bland).

I appreciate the sarcasm Jeff and agree there are more sites out there than liars in Washington, but I digress! Anyway, my concern is that if I don't join a site then sure enough it will be the one that takes off (Facebook vs MySpace) and I might get left behind which in and of itself might not be a bad thing. I'll have more time to go out and do some door knocking!

I love the humor, sarcasim, truth or untruth of it............You said what many people feel but are too guilt ridden to say. oh and can I be your friend and follower and I'm standing in line for whatever we are going to be called on the next "In" site HAHAHA!

Jeff,

What gets me is that I'll get an email from Facebook telling me I have friends waiting for me to make a committment.

Hi Jeff, I read it the first time around so why are you making us read it again?!?!?!?

Loved it both times! I have FB and Twitter. That is it and it's enough. And I don't care who likes what on FB. Whatever happened to the good 'ol days of writing letters and keeping the post office out of debt? lol. Everyone of my family and friends know not to leave a message on FB. Call me on the phone.

Jeff been there done that.  Oh wait a minute.... I'm still there (just trying to grasp it all and suck it all in).  It's very overwhelming.  But like you, I'm hanging in there.

After spending several hours in social media training today, seeing this post was very timely. It makes your head swim - but you've got to do it.

Hi Jeff - Dude, I missed this the first time around and I have to say you are my new IDOL!!  WOOHOO!!!

 

I too feel guilty for not having a gwatrillion followers....and then for kicking off followers I get when they seem like they're wannabe porn stars.

 

More guilt than you have time for church for?!?  BWAHAHAHAHAHA!!!  LOVE it!!!!

 

Thanks for expressing so well the electronic angst all us social media dweebs deal with on a daily basis.  LIKE!

Jeff-sarcasism noted and appreciated.  I twitted, no wait I'm a twit therefore I tweeted this morning about feeling overwhelmed by SM.  If you are busy selling real estate which is my #1 job then there are not the hours left to spend time on all of the sites that are supposed to make you even more money.  Arrrrgggghhhh.

Hi Jeff,

I'm still trying to figure it out. Facebook, Linkedin, Linked out. Someday it'll come together!

i agree with you more than I would like to admit.  It seems, I just figure one thing out and then another one comes along.  As for Twitter, I wholeheartedly agree I am not so much into the sharing and if you think I can do it in just 140 characters you are truly nuts. 

Okay deep breath.  One at a time. I can do it......

LOL...yes...sometimes I feel the same way!

Jeff,

I agree in that it can be exhausting....but the consequences if we don't could be pretty steep.

Jeff, 

That is the best chuckle I have gotten reading a blog ALL year!  You rock dude.  I was laughing so hard my teenager came over to read it. 

What is DM though?  It's not easy keeping up with all these acronyms.  

Awesome post!!!!!!  

If there was a judging contest going on about this, I would give it an 11 out of 10.  

All the best, Michelle

Kat - aaawww, I'm fwattered.

Susan - well I will admit to not always doing a good job nor being as consistent as I should...and some folks are. I do some cross posting bu tI do not put the AR posts out everywhere as some do. That get's boring.

Vic - me too. My Klout score was nothing to put out there in the headlines. LOL. On the other hand it's just a number.

Joshua - the times they have certainly changed. And continuing to change.

Jeff

Did you see the south Park episode about Facebook. Very relevant to this post, and just as funny.

Marcy

 

So with the AR powers to be making this a featured post (congrats) does this mean it's now been fatured twice!??

a blog is a social media platform... is it not? 

Jeff, OK, Active Rain is fun.  It gets me business.  But at the risk of sounding old and retro, Facebook and Twitter don't quite do it for me.

Aloha, Jeff. As one of my best friends (in real life, not a fake FB friend) says, "Just because you're paranoid, doesn't mean they're not after you!" Thanks for the  re-post and the sarcasm! Love it! 

Lenn - Indeed. And it will get worse. Now we are seeing the emergence of applications that will help you connect with as ,anny people as possible who are in your email database.

Alex - you are forgiven. I don't agree that FB is the only other site to particpate in. LImit them? Yes. FB alone? Nope.

Gary - some of it get sooo tiring. How many tweets can you read about feeling good, making fast money, helping others achieve, blah blah blah. I DO see the value but much of it is not helpful IMO.

Melissa - your posts are NOT bland.

Jeff

Jeff, who has time?  I'm still trying to figure it all out.  I need to take a class on Social Media.......mainly because I'm not very sociable.  Definitely worth re reading.

Jeff: At the very least, I have a love/hate relationship with all this stuff. And myself, but that's for a different time. =)

Jeff, you are a realist! Say it like it is!

Thats funny Jeff .. I missed it the first time!

Hi Jeff~  I did  miss this the first time around.  The only ones I really make time for are ActiveRain and Facebook!  I guess I am just not really that sociable after all....

Jeff I remember this blog.  It was worth the time to read it the first time you posted it, and it is worth the time to re-read it now.

And just 'cause you're paranoid, doesn't mean they're not out to get you.  And I say this in light of the Facebook's admission that they do . . . mmmm . . . rather, didn't do a very good job with privacy. 

Jeff, thanks for the much-needed laugh!!! I used to feel guilty about the "Linked In Updates" I'd get that said "so-and-so is now linked to Suzy, Paul, Mary, and Spot"...when I had not added any links that week.  I'm over it now though.  :)

One of my link friends was linked to Michael Dell.  I thought, "I have a Dell laptop...shouldn't that count for some linkage??"  LOL!!

When it gets to the point where I started to actually quote myself with status quotes, it is too much.

Robert Earl

Fun post. Haven't been on AR long and feel quite inferior. But instant gratification doesn't last; hard work and enjoying the fruits of the labor seem to... so here we are... working to make the billionth whatever before another thing tops it in popularity! Please don't go away AR I am just getting the hang!

You know, social media is probably not good for those with an addictive personality, OCD, ADD, bi-polar disorder, but us well-adjusted people can handle it - now ran it I have to answer every single comment ever made ot me, allow everyone to be my friend if I can remember how to log in.  But I'm too miserable.....

Wendi, Wendi, Wendi - do you really think I am so stupid that I am going to allow your obnoxious spam comment to remain?

If so , you are more stupid than your post makes you out to be.  Buh-bye! Your comment has been reported and deleted. Please go annoy folks on some other site.

Jeff

Dave - well you have a good point.

Bryan - sure. I'll be your friend, as long as you don't promise to improve my life immediately or make me millions instantly.

Deborah - or lots of emails. And then they have other suggestions. Some of which ARE worthwhile pursuing,

Jackie - Ha ha. I'm not taking on that guilt trip. You read it on your own...TWICE!! LOL. But you're right, communication HAS changed in many ways. The phone, and a written note, asr STILL a very good thing.

Charita - there are moments when I wonder what it would be like to NOT be involved. But the guilt...

Jeff

Jeff, this if funny because it's so close to the bone...

I would venture a guess just about anyone on here who tries to keep up with the Joneses has some of these thoughts, inadequacies, concerns and reflections, I know I sure do.  That old two steps forward, one step backward adage, I feel each week that:

I am taking .000002 steps forward and 99999.888887 steps backward as the pace of change far exceeds the peanuts I have in my head that pass for brains.

Perhaps if the next technology was a fiber-optic cable that could directly connect to one's synapses and there could truly be:

No inhibitors between one's beta waves and [tongue,keyboard,social media site #___,etc] then I could keep up -- but then again, everyone would BLOCK it, so I think I'll just stick with trying to create some good blog posts, get better at SEO and try and enjoy playing baseball with my son everyday!

I tweet, therefore I am. I rather like social media, but I dislike it when perfect strangers with 46,071 friends add me as their friend. 

While this was done in fun... there is a lot of truth here! LOL  My personal favorite and oh so true...I HAVE LOST MORE SLEEP than I ever imagined I could survive without.

Jeff - I just started using something called Nutshell today, which consolidates Facebook/Linked In/Twitter into an e-mail.  I can see everything at a glance and post replies on social media via the e-mail.  I wish I could control the number of e-mail updates.  Once a day to deal with social media would be just perfect, but now I have a new headache, the Nutshell e-mails.  Is there no end to this?  The sarcasm was warranted.  Some days you just want to be a social media hermit.

Jeff, read this the first time but apparently wasn't feeling social enough to comment! lol Just another new psychosis for them to write books about for some of us...I'm with Gail on the social media hermit stuff.

I hate social media as much as you do -- especially when people call me and want to TALK ON THE PHONE. AGHAST - don't they know to text, twitter, facebook, and finally email me?  :-)  LOL

Fun post - keep it for a year from now  ;-)

Love the post and yes for us newbies, glad it got revisited.  Keep em coming.

Hi Jeff. I have the same feelings about the various social medias. Really like your sense of humor! jay

Jeff, excellent, love your sense of humor, thanks for sharing it.

funny, funny and I do so agree with you 100%.  I do love active rain, and spend more time here than other social networks.

A great re-post Jeff and I love the humor and truth!  How much can one person stand!  Technology is running rampid and more and more Social Media is probably right around the corner. 

Sue of Robin and Sue

Jeff, Jeff, Jeff.  Do you seriously believe that I would use a MS e-mail platform that would make any type of e-mail database accessible???  

No, no, no. 

Jeff, maybe somebody needs a little breaky......take the rest of the week off!

haha very funny.  Not fun but you gotta do it!

Thanks for the humor/truth

 

Tom

Jeff I remember this article from when you 1st posted it and it still makes me laugh.

Jeff: I spoke with a fellow AR member the other day and we were on this subject. We both decided it was mainly for the business aspect. Enjoyed your unique wit.

I really enjoy the FB part that has connected me with my old friends and relative, I am still trying to figure out how to keep track of the rest.  I agree with you on this one.

Jeff:

Was that really nine months ago? My, my, time certainly flies when you are having fun.

Although it is tongue-in-cheek I have to go along with too many tweets, too many friends, too many social media outlets. I have to do in a contained way or I get completely confused.

 

The social media thing really is exploding.  Moderation in all things.  Too much is too much, where a moderate amount of anything can go a long way.  I don't want my clients to think I spend all my time on Facebook, Twitter, etc.  I want them to know I'm out there working for them.  I can imagine THEM imagining ME being like one of their teens, with a smart phone in hand at all times.

Social Media is all good as long as the image should be congruent with the Real you!

Jeff,

The laughs now are as deep as they were during the first blog on this. The rumor has it that the divorce rate is on the rise because of social media. Figure that one out.

Jeff,

I love it!!  Poking fun at the web is a great thing to do every now and then.  Afterall, it does deserve it! =)

Jeff, Thanks for re-posting!  Your observations are right on....perhaps we will soon have a CRM (client relationship model) like to SalesForce or Goldmine to help up manage all the Social Media sites.  Then we could use the dash boards to evaluate the matrices of each specific site.  After we get done tweeting, making friends and blogging away we could "slice and dice" the data to figure out if any of it makes any sense!  LOL!

Sometimes you get a chuckle. Sometimes you get reconnected with a long lost friend. Sometime you just enjoy other's point of views.

Very funny!  You left out the part about when you finally have the energy to try to log in and do something and the sites don't work!  That drives me crazy

FB and Twitter are my favorites -- although I'm careful what I post -- it's just fun insight into people.

According to my Klout score, I am not spending nearly enough time on social media.  I enjoyed your tale.

Hi Jeff!  It's the emails that kill me!  I love socializing when I have the time but, you know, I don't visit with my friends in PERSON nearly as much as I am oftentimes 'guilted' (if you will), into visiting online.  I feel horrible when I get a message my Blackberry that someone has commented and I can't reciprocate--so, we deal with hundreds of emails every day and feelings of guilt on top of that.  Social media can be QUITE stressful and it keeps us from the face-to-face interaction that is just as important, if not MORE so.

EXCELLENT post, Jeff!

My husband feels the same way about FB.  He wont even sign up on Twitter.  But he does great in Real estate business.   As for me, FB helped me find some long lost friends.

Jeff, there's nothing  better than a wonderfully sarcastic post! Thanks for the chance to chuckle since I missed it the first time. (speaking of guilt...not spending enough time here on AR...)

I love the irony of this blog: Using social media to lampoonn and criticize social media.  Delicious...

My personal tip on using social media: Let go. Just use it and try to forget about it. Social media is not e-mail or personal conversation. Social media is zero-commitment communication. You put your content out to the world, and they can choose to consume it or not consume it. You are not in control, the recipient is.  Let it go, and then concentrate you limited Facebook/Twitter time on sending the next piece of content.  Trying to transform the media into a conversation is both maddening and nearly impossible.  There is simply too much going on to manage so many conversations.

Social media is only consuming if you let it become consuming.  Analyze what you want it to accomplish, and then make your choices from there.  Don't try and be everything, everwhere.

Jeff - I'm with you - there are way too many social media sites already - and more arriving every day.  Realistically - I don't think it's possible to keep up with all of them.  I'm thinking - focus on a few - one of them being Active Rain!

Jeff:  GREAT WRITING!  Truth always makes the best humor.  Congratulations.

I'm so over it to!

So funny, yet so true. Love the way you told the story. Thanks for posting.

I don't feel guilty at all about 'hiding' FB friends who are boring. After reading your post, I doubt you're ever boring, but I'm going to do you a favor and NOT try to 'friend' you!

Hi Jeff - Love it!!  I get anxious just thinking about what I "don't" know or what I "do know" that's obsolete!  It was great to see you at Rain Camp!  How's Debbie?

 

Susan - swim, yes. Feel like you are drowning sometiems, yes. Good luck.

Coleen - HA ha. Your comments made me laugh.  Seems others have some similar thoughts, at times.

Cindy - LOL. Isn't that the truth. But then if you follow some Twits' advice you will make millions and won't HAVE to sell RE.

Patrick - hopefully so. But it keep changing, at least FB does. As soon as you think you have it figured out they do something new. Or another site pops up.

Lesley - Saying I can do it and doing it are two different things for me. But we keep trying don't we?

Sharon - I imagine many folks do as well.

Lori - I would agree with that. And you don't have to do it all, nor should you. Finding the balance is the challenge.

Michelle - what a nice compliment! I admit I make myself laugh sometimes. Is that bad?

Marcy - no, I don't watch the show. But I may have to see if I can track it down somehow.

Duane - guess so.

Lawrence - indeed it is.

Pat - that's honest, and I suspect reflectw what many feel. Some feel that way about blogging, too.

Hawaii - glad you enjoyed it. Twice.

Jeff

Hi Jeff! Social Media is a complex environment, but can be effective if you keep it simple. Just stay in touch with your sphere of influence. That's the point.  Don't worry about making friends around the world. And, yes, there are people in your sphere of influence who could care less about Facebook so don't communicate with them in this fashion. However, there are two entire generations knee-deep in it and they are your future customer. So, the point is, use Social Networking to communicate with your customers/prospects/Sphere if they communicate that way. If they don't, figure out how they want to be communicated with and do it. 

P.S. Use ActiveRain for professional contacts and Facebook for your sphere. Don't worry about the others.

This was definitely worth a re-visit! Great post Jeff!

Gotta run. I need to go de-friend some people on Facebook!!!

Great post!  It is completely out of control.  And the tough part is, it's probably only going to get worse!

I too think you can over do it. Find the couple that you like and stick to learning them completely, you can't be everything to everyone, but carve out your niche and enjoy. Remember there is an off switch to these computers from time to time as well, so don't ignore the family. Great post btw and got a good laugh!

Loved the post - Just to let you know, I am leaving Facebook - don't understand it - don't have time for it - don't have a need to let everyone know when my emotions spill out - and I don't feel guilty.  But I do Love AR

Terrific read or should I say re-read! Once went to a seminar and the speaker said you have to be on a minimum of 5 social media sites and you never spend more than a total of 20 minutes a day. Ha..it takes 20 minutes to log onto 5 sites.

I am sticking to the one that allowed me  to meet Jeff Dowler in person! Now that  is the real benefit of social media.

Margaret

 

Jeff, I am in R.E offices every week, or on Webinars( i am a vendor) with agents. A growing number are getting frustrated too and spending otherwise productive time on being Social... Many of the ones that confide in me tell me they are spending 2 hours per day in Socialsphere. They are convincing themselves that its WORK.. or will lead to immediate listings and sales. .. that everyone is doing it..so it must be valuable. I'm Philly the other day at an office.... there were 24 agents in the room, 16 doing some kind of social play and the manager asked them all - raise your hand if it put money in the bank the last year. .. YES that was a pin that dropped...you just heard it.

 

I am not anti social  . it not for all but every convention now is using it as a reason to drop your next 200$ on "creating your social foot print boot camp" Remember the Blog craze 3 years ago...  Just my 2c.

Al Clark, Home Actions Relationship Tool

 

     HA!!  Entertaining and well-written and a GREAT summation of trying to keep up with the constant need to be in contact and not miss a new opportunity!  I'm a relative newcomer to social media and have not developed the habits you outline to the extent you describe so vividly - guess I still don't get it enough to know that I should be an addict!  I'm working on it, and can only hope to be at your level of "paranoia" one of these days!  Thanks for repostihg!

Loved your post!!  Very funny, witty, and loved the sarcasm.  I have pretty much stuck to Facebook at my main social networking site.  It brings me lead after lead after lead and I don't think it's going away anytime soon.  It works for me because my personality translates perfectly, but I understand it definitely doesn't work for everybody.

For those of you that say FACE TO FACE is much better than "acting like robots"...   Facebook is an incredible way to create FACE TO FACE.

I Tweet....therefore I Am.  It just boggles my little mind.  The good thing about all this is that it's free advertising and you never know where you'll find your next clilent.

Although my husband doesn't think it's possible, not everyone out there knows about Staging and they just might be trying to sell their home.  I'm trying to connect with those people who might Digg me or StumbleUpon me, so I Yelp and reach out to Klout them.

THERE ARE TOO MANY SOCIAL MEDIA SITES -

Response: Ignore every single one other than Facebook and Youtube. Maybe pay attention to Twitter if you like it, but it really isn't that relevant in real estate.

 

AM I A TWIT, a twitterer, tweeple or a tweeter? Am I tweeting or twittering?

Response: You are a person, you are tweeting.

 

THE GUILT around not having enough followers, friends, connections or links is enough to keep me in church 7 days a week.

Response: It's not all about the numbers, it's all about what you do with them. I'd rather have ten friends and sell a home to all ten of them than have a million friends and sell a home to six of them.

 

I FEEL ASHAMED I don't feel like sharing intimate details of my bodily functions...

Response: post only things relevant to your personal social life and your career, ignore/hide any posts or people you dislike.

 

THERE ARE MORE FRIGGIN' QUOTES out there from famous people than you can possibly keep track of...

Response: Most of these quotes (as well as the email forwards people post as notes) are totally bunk and worthless. There's a quote to reinforce every belief and opinion under the sun, because if that belief exists, there are quotes about it that probably sound prettier than they should. Eloquence does not translate into truth. Forget the quotes and cute proverbs...if it isn't true to you, it isn't worth reading or repeating.

 

I DO NOT GET THE FRIEND THING.

Response: It's not about being friends, it's about networking. Thirty years ago you might have joined a conversation at a cocktail party if the subject of real estate came up. Today, it's not a cocktail party, it's Facebook. And you're the one starting the conversation, and you want people you DON'T already know to join in because hey, they're potentially new clients.

 

I HAVE LOST MORE SLEEP than I ever imagined I could survive without.

Response: Unless you're a teenage drama queen, you shouldn't be losing sleep over social media. Do you lose sleep over gun club meetings? Do you lose sleep over real estate conferences or company sales meetings? If not, you shouldn't lose sleep over social media sites. They're just virtual congregations of people, standing around, talking about things - sometimes meaningful, oftentimes pointless.  Interacting on Facebook is no more important than interacting with people in any other setting - at the pet store, standing in line at the DMV or anywhere else.

 

PARTICIPATING IN SOCIAL MEDIA MAKES ME AS PARANOID as...well, you know.

Response: Double-check your privacy settings, realize most people would gain absolutely nothing from hacking your social media accounts (since they don't include SSN, CC#, DL#, etc) and there's really nothing to be paranoid about.  What are they going to do, change your favorite movies list on Facebook? Post a link to porn on Twitter? Not much to worry about.

Don't be scared, my friend...the world of social media is just like the rest of the world, except now you can talk to more people at once about the things you like to talk about, and it's easier to find people you agree with in the process. It's a good thing!

Some of the most successful business people I know don't do social media at all.  And I'm talking about people in Generation X and Y and not some old fart that doesn't know how to work the internet.  Social media when done right can generate a fair amount of leads, but it is also a huge time waster.

Love it Jeff! Just say "NO" to social media! Or at least some of it! I spent hours doing it yesterday!

 

Well, that was funny.  I do admit to sometimes becoming obsessed. But actually I like FB and Twitter.  But what I actually detest is email.  Why won't anyone call me.  I could die and my friends wouldn't know it because they email me and when I don't see it because I get 100 or more emails a day, they think I was being rude and just ignored them.  It takes longer to type than it does to type and I'm a pretty good and fast typist. Thanks for a thought provoking yet humorous read.

After this, I think I'll switch from "quotes" to "jokes" but sure to offend someone with that!!! I started doing social media about a year ago and quickly realized that it is the biggest "time-waster when we should be getting our jobs done so we can get out of the office" media today. BTW, I have too much to do to continue this thought. Thanks for the laughs!

Everyone that hates social media for the reasons cited please send me all of your friends on FB and then delete your accounts...we have made more money than some other traditional forms of prospecting. We love social media!!

Jeff,

My first read, funny and so true!  I think I'll go "old school" and knock on a few doors for awhile.

I appreciate the humor, and you definitely raise some things I have thought of when updating my social media outlets!  Sometimes Tweets are foolish, and I really dislike "Farmville".  Also, I can really "waste" A LOT of time if I let myself.

But I love socila media, and I really want to see where it goes next!

Kay - well like there are sites, there are a zillion social media classes, webinars, and instructors (I teaach it myself). Just one more way to feel inadequate...LOL

Aaron - LOL. That's a good way to look at it.

Dena - some would say otherwise. :)

The Woodlands - well at least you didn';t have to be bored twice. LOL

Vickie - I don't think that's it al all. Seems like you do what you like and what works for you. Nothing wrong with that.

George - yeah but would you read it a third time?

Carla - so true. You have to wonder what else is oging on that we doin't know about.

Sonja - absolutely. And I feel the same about Linked it. Never feel linked enough. Is that bad or good? It's all one big guilt trip. LOL

Robert - that's scary. Coudl be a sign...

Jeff

 

stop micro-managing. ping.fm

::hugs::

So true. I want to keep up but not give up all of my free time trying!

I love it and totally agree - i don't care what you are doing or how you are feeling, etc.....

Your blog was too long to read, but what I did skim was hilarious.  I agree I have the guilt of inadequately updating my social media sites as well.

 

 

Jeff, your post is so good I'll reblog it on

Reddit, Digg, Del.icio.us, StumbleUpon, Technorati, Ning, Squidoo, Furl, Tubearoo, WikiHow, YouTube, Ma.gnolia, LinkedIn, Ecademy, Focus, YorZ, Xing, Facebook, Care2, Gather, MEETin.org, Tribe, Ziggs, Plaxo, NetParty, Pixel GroovyMixx, Tweako, Small Business Brief, Sphinn, BuzzFlash.net, HubSpot, SEO TAGG, Wikipedia, Newsvine, 43 Things, Wetpaint, Twitter, Yahoo! Answers.

Tomorrow I'll tackle the rest:

http://www.blinklist.com/

http://del.icio.us/

http://www.fark.com

http://blogmarks.net

http://smarking.com/

http://segnalo.com/

http://www.shadows.com/

http://www.gifttagging.com/

http://www.simpy.com/

http://www.wists.com/

http://www.feedmarker.com/

http://lilisto.com/

http://ma.gnolia.com/

http://www.faved.net

http://www.spurl.net/

http://www.blummy.com/

http://myweb2.search.yahoo.com/

http://buddymarks.com/

http://feedmelinks.com/portal

http://www.hyperlinkomatic.com/

http://www.linkagogo.com/

http://unalog.com/

http://tag.zurpy.com/

http://de.lirio.us/

http://www.furl.net/

http://www.linkroll.com/

http://blogmarks.net/

http://www.givealink.org/

http://www.looklater.com/

http://netvouz.com/

http://simpy.com/

Content Rating:

http://www.slashdot.org

http://doggdot.us/

http://www.listible.com/

http://www.digg.com/

http://www.blogmemes.net/

http://www.blinkbits.com/

http://www.netscape.com/

http://www.spicypage.com/

http://www.shoutwire.com/

http://www.youhypeit.com/

http://reddit.com/

http://www.rojo.com/

Social Networking Sites

http://consumating.com/

http://www.blogcatalog.com

http://www.linkedin.com/

http://www.ning.com/

http://www.facebook.com/

http://www.myspace.com

http://allconsuming.net

http://www.othersonline.com/

http://www.mybloglog.com

http://www.tickme.com/

http://www.orkut.com/

http://standpoint.com/

http://www.meetup.com/

http://www.43things.com/

http://www.43people.com

http://www.43places.com/

http://www.efamilyties.com/

http://www.9rules.com/

Video Networking Sites

http://youtube.com/

http://www.broadcaster.com/

http://www.dailymotion.com/us

http://www.metacafe.com/

http://vsocial.com

http://www.springdoo.com/

Micellaneous Social Sites

http://alexadex.com/ad/

http://www.jot.com/

http://www.spinspy.com/

http://googlemark.org/

http://www.meebo.com/

http://www.slawsome.com

http://www.stumbleupon.com/

http://rollyo.com/

http://quimble.com/

http://www.twitter.com/

http://metawishlist.com/

http://www.seomoz.org/ugc

http://www.rawsugar.com/index.faces

http://www.squidoo.com/

http://wink.com/

http://kinja.com/

http://tailrank.com/

Wiki Sites

http://swicki.eurekster.com/

http://www.wetpaint.com/

http://pbwiki.com/

Job Sites

http://www.jobsinsearch.com/

http://cssbeauty.com/

http://www.pagebites.com/

Organization Sites

http://hipcal.com/

http://www.backflip.com/login.ihtml

http://www.connotea.org/

Tagging Sites

http://www.citeulike.org/

http://www.tagtooga.com/db.tag

http://tagalag.com/

Photo Sites

http://flickr.com/

http://www.slide.com/

Music Sites

http://odeo.com/

http://www.mystrands.com/

http://www.last.fm/

http://upto11.net/

Political Sites

http://gabbr.com/

http://www.newsvine.com/

http://www.blogniscient.com/

Shopping Sites

http://www.judysbook.com/

Program Sites:

http://www.campfirenow.com/

http://www.basecamphq.com/

Feeds Sites

http://www.feedburner.com/

http://www.tagsy.com/

http://www.feedmeme.com/

http://technorati.com/

Maps Sites

http://www.wayfaring.com/

http://www.frappr.com/

 

 

Great post and so funny I wanted to cry... Just gave a class yesterday on Social Media. My prediction e-mail will fade and more professionals will spend there working day on sites like these. :)

Amen to ping.fm

DM stands for Direct Message on Twitter.

Thanks again Jeff for a great post!

 

What are you a old man? well, crankiness will certainly not get you friended and if don`t want to stay with the crowd you can always go to the phone book advertising and door knocking for your leads to the non-computer using crowd

Jeff thanks for cracking me up! I think most of us get it and I do wonder when some social media addicts sleep. I refuse to to let the guilt take over. Is Brian for real???? Or is that a little dry humor I didn't get?

I'm having a tough time with social media.  It is way too time consuming and not nearly as productive as blogging.  I do broadcast my blogs on places like Facebook & Twitter. But I stick primarily to Facebook, Youtube and Twitter.  Facebook is probably has the potential for being most effective but it is the biggest time suck out there.   I have messages and "friend" requests coming out of my ears.  Mostly from agents.  I want to push myself locally more - but all the messages from agents crowd out the local stuff.  It really can be a pain.

I get so many request on facebook from people I don't even know wanting to be my friend I'm about ready to close my account if I can figure out how to!

Absolutely hysterical Jeff!  I for one love your sarcasm.  Plus you said all of the things I never would!  I am on all of those site too and I tweet on twitter but sometimes I just don't get the point.

~Amber

Jeff,

I am glad you posted this again, as I too missed it the first time. I know it's meant as sarcasm, but, sadly, I have many of the same feelings.

Why anyone would care about the contents of my breakfast is beyond me, as is what follows the breakfast.

Sorry for the brevity, but I need to go find a house for a buyer.

Great post!  Most of us are with you!  I'm trying to narrow down to just a couple and focusing on quality, not quantity.

On a related note - I think - I received a text message from a client and then a co-broke.  Funny thing though.............I didn't have text messaging on my phone????????????????

After getting a friendly, loving reprimand from one of my favorite clients, I decided it was time a take the plunge.  I practiced on my grand daughter who was absolutely thrilled that I could text.  She couldn't wait to tell all her friends about what a cool grandma she had.  I guess that alone was worth it.  I do text regularly now -mostly business, but still prefer live conversation by phone or in person. 

Found out the hard way that have to actually make sure the name on the phone is the one you are trying to text!!

Pick your poison 'cuz unfortunately I think it's here to stay.

Tweeter, twitter, texter, blogger.....what's your pleasure?

Linda

Very good article!  I couldn't agree with you more about how difficult it is to stay on top of all of the sites, and still be "SOCIAL"

My thinking is that people should pick the best 2-3 social sites to be social and use the others to promote yourself and/or products.  Every now and then, change it up for awhile.

I've been in the Social Media business for a few years now, and know that the task can be extremely daunting at best.  There are many companies like mine that offer Social Media syndication for Businesses and Real Estate.  There will never be enough time to do it all by yourself, and still be productive.  These types of services can be extremely helpful and effective, and provide a great ROI.

I'm not trying to tout my company at all here, but it's important that more people know that there is always a biz that can help with anything...  and Social Media is no exception.

Thanks for the post!

Nathan Strauch

I going to skip around and respond to several comments out of order.

Dave - I have mixed feelings about keeping your comment with all those sites, although it does demonstrate quite vividly how many sites there are out there. I appreciate that you felt it might be worth reposting but I'm not sure listing all the sites is necessary. But maybe I'm just being cranky. It just seems to be a little overkill.

Brian - whoa, dude. I feel like I just attended a seminar on social media in your comment. I appreciate all the information - a lot of seriousness amidst quite a bit of joking around. Did you think I was being serious?

Jeff

OMG...I think you said everything we all wanted to say so many times. I loved it! Seriously! LMOF I don't tweet half the time because I don't know wether to tell the truth or make it all sunshine. haha

 

Still LOL an hour later... I soooo relate!  Do you do stand-up??  Would surely pay to see the show...

Ralph V- geez, lighten up. I was joking. You sound crankier than I did. Or are you joking, too?

I have no plans to give up SM despite messing aroung here. It works.

Kristen - keep plugging away. It works and you'll get better and better.

Jeff

My question is: Has anyone even gotten a real closed deal through this kind of so called marketing?

I can see grabbing a few FHA buyers that want you to drive them around town month after month and write offer after offer..... But I am talking about a real transaction-

Gene Leveque:  I have picked up at least 6 listings in the last few months through Facebook.  I have closed at least 5 in the last few months as a buyers agent to leads from Facebook.  I can't even tell you how many "friends" I have helped find Realtors in their part of the country and gotten referrals out of it.  So my answer to your questions is a resounding YES. 

HILLARIOUS!!!! and somewhat true. To Tweet or not to Tweet...That is my question. It can get overwhelming... and to those who took this too serious... Relax, someone on facebook told me it's gonna be a great day.

I don't think social media should be the end all, just one tool.  You don't need every site, just one or two - just like you don't need a million blogs just one effective one.  You will be found and discovered by quality not quantity.  That being said, there is a whole market that has evolved with the under 40 professionals that the only real way to reach them is through a social media type site.  Target a profile you want to "friend" under a business page and you will start seeing results.  Remember, just like a website - don't give it all away, give them enough to want to know more about your service or product.

Good luck.

After the news on Facebook promising to let us change privacy settings came out this week, it looks like there are so many layers to the settings that they make it very time-consuming to set it up.  And if you are on a myriad of sites, you could waste a lot of time that could be spent on selling real estate.

Love it, great post!!  I'm ok w/Facebook, ActiveRain, & LinkedIn, but not so much with some of the others.....if I can learn to Tweet I'll be ok......LOL

My thought has always been that FB was a class reunion that won't stop...then I heard some stats about the number of people using it - 25% of the population! So I have done an "about face" and am running an ad on there, and when everybody has some type of presence on there, it got my attention. I am off to build my fan page!

I will keep you posted and update on any results.

 

Thanks,

Tom

 

 

Thank God someone said it. Thanks for being the voice of reason, Jeff, regarding the crazy, impersonal, and often meaningless world of cyberspace.

Loved it all and so true! 

I have decided that I'm so valuable that I'm charging people to become my friend.  Just $0.50/month deducted directly from your checking account.  If you want to subscribe the the live skype or oovoo feed of me typing on my computer in my office, it's $2.00/month.

Good thoughts.

OMG!! LOL

I had thought that I was the only one. I just got into a hugh ordeal with a very popular website (not this one) and how my blog was leaning towards advertisement and they were taking down blog post. At the same time they were awarding me a VIP status for the number of people I was bringing in to their site! It is quite amazing how you are guilted into the whole "Social Media" idea as a Realtor, in fact I have recieved far less clients via these sites then when I knock doors in my farm.

I however will probably keep doing it, as if I do not, others will get my clients attention. LOL

To only find that happy balance. When is enough, enough?  You almost need a separate support staff just to keep the Social Media going, so we are out there doing what we all are so good at.  If we spend all our time doing administrative work, we are defeating our purpose.

I will be thinking of this next time I head to Twitter or Facebook - LOL!  Thanks for brightening my day!

Cindy Jones said it! My primary job is real estate! You have to engage in social networking to stay in the loop, but it certainly can leave less time and take the focus off selling houses! 

Great article Jeff.  I was a little skeptical at first; however, all of your points are valid.  I think the problem with social media is when people refer to social media they mean all social media.  Social media is not currently based on each websites independent value. 

"Experts" say you must be on social media and social networking to be successful is today's marketplace.  Experts (notice without quotations) will tell you which social networking site to be active on and which ones provide the most impact for you advertising costs (side note - Social networking is not free.  Time is much more expensive than money.)

Here is an analogy with traditional marketing to hopefully clarify my point.  The term print media is a broad term similar to social media's broadness.  It would be like saying you must advertise in print media and not differentiate between the types of print media.  A quick look at print media gives me national, regional, local, hyper-local and topical newspapers and the same for magazines.  That is 10 different potential areas of print media without diving into specifics. 

Charleston, SC has 1 state, 1 local, at least 6 hyper-local and at least 3 topical newspapers.  That is over 10 print media outlets in one category of print media. 

Also take a look at radio advertising.  There are national, regional, local and college radio stations.  Plus an advertiser must consider time slot, day and program to advertise in. 

As social media develops so will our use of it.  The fringe social media websites may never go away.  Heck, one of those sits may be the one you should be one.  Spend some upfront research time to figure out what works you and let the rest go.

It is better to be the best at one than mediocre at all of them.

Aaron   

I just love Facebook, as I can stay in touch with my friends, especially all of there informative (a.k.a. MIND NUMBING) comments like:

"I think I'll have an egg sandwich...mmmmm!"

"I LOVE Coffee in the morning!"

"My leg itches!"

and, my favorite...

"Anyone else out there glad it's Tuesday?"

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAARGH!

Well, I still check it every few days to keep up with birthdays of people I hardly know.

I confess that even though I'm the author of the Home Stager's Guide to Twitter I often long for the days before social media just because of the tremendous amount of time all this takes up.

Generally I prefer Twitter because I find it a much lower time-suck than Facebook, for example, but the bottom line is all these tools can be used to expand your business. That's why I use them!

I have kept my social networking to AR and Facebook and the rest is a why bother. You can tell me till I am blue in the face about twitter but I could care less. And now foursquare, like I want anyone knowing where I am at unless I really want to brag about something really cool.

Well I just started to use AR. I use Facebook because I make sure people I know hear what properties are out there. Now I advertise on oodle and it goes out to facebook market and twitter. I have gotten clients that way.I dont tweet so other then oodle twitter does nothing else for me. I do add people to my network you never know who someone else knows that is in need of a property. So I try to join groups on FB that have to do with sociallizing and meeting up. I network that way too. I also use Linkedin to tell investors about larg investments I find are deals out there. I hope this helps you to think differently about these sites.

Jeff,

I am an office manager/owner, sell with a Team and currently have 15 deals in one phase or another together with new listings and buyers on a regular basis. I am the online chair for our local Relay for Life and send out emails 2-3 times a week as well as keeping the website updated and attending meetings. I tweet, I don't blog that much but I like it and I write a column for our local throwaway paper. I say all that show you I am not one of those people that do nothing all day but I do find time to Facebook on a regular basis. I have my personal site, my office site, our Relay site and our Bark for Life site. I get it all on my Blackberry and am in touch at all times of day. I know that some people don't like the social media but I think it is the way of the future. I think we need to be informed as Realtors and keep up with the times. Leaving out Social Media is like saying you refuse the new 10 page RPA because it was just fine when we had the 2 page RPA. Progress is progress and if we want to keep up with our changing times and the Gen Xers & Gen Yers we MUST do this. I have my clients commenting on my services often. This not only feeds my ego but it goes out to my friends, their friends and their friends friends. What better marketing can you get than free publicity. I also post our new listings on the office site to give kudos to my agents and to market our new listings. Again remember, it doesn't just go out to my 250 friends, it goes out to their friends & their friends friends. (Sort of like 2 X 2 = 4 and 4 X 4 = 16 and 16 X 16 = 256) Can't buy that concept any cheaper than FREE!

 

Because of the current economic conditions, three of the largest Social Media sites, YouTube, Twitter and Facebook, have decided to combine efforts in a cost-cutting measure. Their new name: YouTwitFace.

Great post and good responses.

Thanks Jeff for highlighting this social media madness.

I agree. But since I have no hope of keeping up with all the existing sites, and I know there are others out there who feel the same, I'm going to start a new one which will eliminate the need for the others. I am still thinking up names, but so far the winner is "IDon'tNeedNoOtherSocialWebsites.com" Be among the first to join and win an all expense paid trip in your own vehicle to the front door of your local Bank of America branch.

As a charter member you will be entitled to make information and observation deposits and withdrawals without charge. Plagiarism will be encouraged. Join now to ensure that you get a low number!

Ashamed to admit it, but don't know what "DM" means or for that matter "AR" -- LOL btw I thought LOL meant Lots of Love for the longest time. YIKES>

To Tweet, or not to Tweet? I think Twitter is as sophisticated as you make it. Meaning, it's your choice to fill your page with the tweets that you want to read. I un follow the people that I don't find interesting. I find it a great way to stay on top of breaking news.

To Jeff at #117 regarding my post at #107

I was just trying to illustrate and support your point by listing a fraction of the sites out there. It would take a week 24/7 just to figure out how sign up on all these blogs and who knows how long to post, although there are robots or widgets that can help you spam  post on all the sites.

Some Realtors know how to harness social media to get more clients to closing tables, but many are just addicted to social media and lie to themselves that they are actually working.

 

Wow! Just left a great reponse and submitted it and got response that I didn't submit right graphic with it and it was erased!!  Need I say more to demonstrate the frustration of any kind of social media!! 

Poor Donna,

You're not alone.  I did that several times before I learned to copy the dang thing before I hit the submit, just in case.

I don't know where some people get all the time they devote to social media.

In any case, this is a great sarcasm piece on the evils of social media.  I enjoyed reading it.

Wow Jeff hysterical! Lol omg rotflmao btw fyi dm ne1 u no about this.

All kidding aside face to face is still how it all works out at the end even if you connected on line or.......

To #144 Judy Luff, I think DM is "direct message" on Twitter as #108 Linda Yates pointed out.

I believe your post sums it up in a nutshell!  I feel exactly the way that you described.  Not one sale to attribute to it either.  Just lots of people following me that I don't necessarily want following me and honestly I don't care what they had for dinner! Excellent post!!!  At least you were honest enough to say it!

You got a great big chuckle from me & still smiling. Thanks

Great read Jeff. Thanks for reposting.

Read my recent AR blog --->If your not on Facebook, you should be.

-Paul

Simple Solution: Virtual Assistant (VR). 

Read the 4HWW (Four Hour Work Week) by Timothy Ferris and/or Work The System by Sam

I'm going though this process to eliminate ME as the bottleneck and become more productive in 4 hours that YOU in 40 hours. Yes, it can be done if you systemize. 

Before you blast me, (since I wrote in this tone on purpose to make a point) read the books (or re-read it if you've already read it, why? I had to re-read it again year later to implement it), then comment. 

Example: As IT Guru, I make 75-125 an hour, at Graphic Designer I can make $40-60 hour, as Real Estate Investor I make $0-10000 an hour, blogging i make $0 an hour (only to hope to make more though a lead or sale...yeah right, too much time. Diminishing return). I choose to outsource extreme photoshop task to India for $5 per hour which ends up being $2 per picture. What in the world would I do anything for less that $xxx per hour if I can outsource it?

Of course, I just responded to this using my own time vs. a VR. DOH! :) (mini break checking my email which I only check twice per day.) 

From an former IT GURU turned Investor who is going on an INFORMATION DIET,

Ron

 

Hi Jeff,

This was hilarious!  You are on point with this because it seemed everyone was telling me to get on facebook, myspace, linkedIn and the thousands of others out there.  Where do you start?  I knew I had to do just a little something and I did not want to appear as though I was blowing these folks off, so my response to them was this.  "I joined linkedin and activerain.  I'm on the social media ride now.  Oh, by the way, I pretty much use it only for business marketing purposes, so if you join, don't freak if I ignore you.  Just send me a regular email".  None of these folks have bothered me since about it.  To me, since the evolution of the computer, anything you do on the internet is quite risky and a bit scary and yes I have heard of too many horror stories , so that is why I narrowed it down to a couple social media sites.  I do not believe it is necessary to lay out my life history over the net in order to make a business connection.  Very nice post!

 

Anita

 

Hey Jeff,

Just read your note on "Why I hate Social Media". I am in my later years of life and, although I feel I have to keep up with the rest of the young realtors, it sometimes keeps me up at night and thinking how else I can reach the customers (buyers/sellers that is). So I can relate to everything you are expressing. I sometimes feel as though I am spending my entire day, updating, writing and doing other things online.

Where has the good old time gone, when we used mechanical type writers and carried MLS books that weighed a ton????????  !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

Sigrid Egan at HomeSmart Real Estate, Phoenix, Arizona

 

Hi Jeff...Like everything else, I try hard to find a balance with time on FB (minimal) and Twitter (almost non-existent).  It works.  I cannot do everything.  I realized that a long, long time ago so I gently stepped off the treadmill.

Kate

great --post -- missed it first time around . so glad for re-post--- jest or not, I feel the same way--worn out, over whelmed, and how do we stay on the every changing "merry-go-round" of new tech. & staying in touch.  In response to egan -- above-- I am glad we don't have to carry around mls bks, that weigh a ton -- but beyond that I am on social media overload, & trying to keep up. 

Speaking of which-- finally  set up Breakingsavnews, web/facebk, & twitter site, via the help of pat kitano,At  Domus Consulting.--He is taking social media to the next level. If you want to take things to the next level you need to get in on his courses/ webinar's they are super.  If you need info. contact me -he knows what he is talking about for the next level of social media marketing.  and building a site for your community-- not the typical web-- all hyper local---

andrea re, mopper-stappen realtors, sav.,ga.

 

 

 

 

Maybe it's time for you to start a new site called justleavemealone.com for the people who just want to be left alone.

Well you know what I hate?  People who put little thought in the comments they leave!

Hi Jeff,

I unfortunately try and keep up with all the social media sites but am crazy in doing so.  It is very time consuming if you let it.  I will say though, that my email takes way more time than anything.  Not sure where any of it is getting me but I keep trying to keep up!

Thanks for you post,

DeeDee 

I love this - and while I agree, I can't say I've found your dedication.

Facebook leaves me confused and bewildered. I have no idea what to do with it. I don't want to play games or send someone farm animals. Or is it vegetables? I don't know. And when I get somewhere, I don't know how to get out again, except to use that handy little red X at the top of my screen.

And yes - why do I want to be friends with people I've never heard of? They might be axe murderers for all I know.

But even funnier is when someone I've known and considered a friend for 20 years or so logs in and asks to be my friend. And then when I say yes, I get a cute message that says "You and Sally are now friends."

Did we need Facebook to tell us that? Maybe I just object to the terminology.

People keep telling me that LinkedIn is a great place to network and find new clients. Well... maybe it would be if I had some clue about how to use it. But I don't. I just respond when someone sends me a message... because it wouldn't do to ignore people, even though I don't know them.

But... there is one social site that I try to visit every day... and that is Active Rain. This one makes perfect sense. And so far I've never seen anyone discussing their bodily functions or their lunch menu. That's refreshing!

Thanks for the great post!

I do believe we all do whichever suits our needs. I love FB to just chat with all the people I know from AR. I love FB because it helped me to connect with relatives on the East Coast...since my dad past away in 2004 I am happy to have those connections. I also 'found' a real friend from high school and she came back here last month.

Bottom line...there are just so many hours in the day....and I have found it hard to get here every day as I used to. .... AR success story :) :)

Jeff, They say love is lovlier the second time around.  Ditto for posts!  This one is just as juicy as the 1st time I read it.  I'm beginning to think though that there's more truth to it than intended....  it certainly hit a cord with a lot folks here in the rain! 

Jeff,

I enjoyed reading your post and you do have some good and valid points. I used to hate Facebook and Twitter and still have a little bad taste in my mouth about them both, due to the fact of what it has turned into, the "look at me, I need attention" sites. To make unproductive people feel important! However, it is good for catching up with old friends and family members and for business advertising as well! But like most fashionable things it gets taken out of context and abused, this is where my dislike for social media begins. There are thousands of social networks to chose from, the best way to filter them out is only using the ones you mostly hear about, that is an easy way to weed out the ones you need and don't need.  

Too funny!!!

Jane - you crack me up

Lynn - I thought so as well.

Joe - it's good that ypou are focussing on the important things, especially family

Philip - and there are lots out there. Often you see that they follow lots of folks but not the reverse. No surprise.

Joan - well I am actually getting better about not staying up so late for these things.

Gail - haven't heard of Nutshell. But I suspect the emails would drive me nuts, so to speak.

Sharon - I like that idea myself. Glad you are feeling social this tim around. LOL

Susan - Well as I'm sure you know I don't REALLY hate it, just aspects of it. :)

Billie - it WILL be interesting to take  a look again in a year or so.

Paula - thanks, and Welcome!!

Jeff

You expressed what we all think!

Love it!  Absolutely hysterical...and bang on.  Plus, the word barf really make me laugh.  Thanks Jeff!

You just can't be everywhere Jeff, give it up!

kk

Jeff - TIC or not it is the truth .....  life was much simpler before social media ..... I Knew Who I Was, Where I Was Going and Where I'd Been .....

Now the trick is to Remember Where You Are

and that everything you post is out there forever

In an Andy Rooney Tone:

I think Social Networking was really designed for the teenagers. Remember when we were teenagers and how we just wanted to Socialize, even if we were anti-social we still had our little groups. As teenagers, we would embrace anything that made it easier to talk about nothing and appear cool. Back then it was phone 3way and conferencing. In my day it was BBS's (modem days). Remember Prodigy?

So, today, it is the Internet with websites dedicated to social networking. As adults, we are trying to find ways to use it productivly with our business and end up getting swamped with the sheer size of trying to keep up with everyone, everhthing, and things we don't even know we are supposed to pay attention to. Geeze, this reminds me when email exploded. Jokes and chain mails became a huge time waster.

Sadly, I could care less that what someone ate last night (unless they got food poising and had the funny story to go with it). I don't care that a Realtor had another showing today and ate at Panara (unless, of course, the store was robed and they got a free lunch). I don't care that someone just got a new black cow for their farm (unless the really got a REAL black cow, and only if it pooped a lot in their back yard, ate their flowers, stepped on the cat, and broke the fence). Pattern here? IT HAS TO BE FUNNY and SIGNIFICANT. 

There are some useful benefits of Social Networking and that is, of course, with your REAL friends and family. We just get caught up with wanting to be friends with everyone so we don't miss out. And NO - that extremely attractive woman from Russia, with the scantly clad photo, who wants to talk to you, really isn't going to be a good friend (except to your your wallet).

So, I GIVE UP on social media. It's over rated. It's a waste of time. It isn't that fun. And because I don't give social media that much importance, I'm going to OUTSOURCE my responses and maintenance to a virtual assistant. I really don't care what they say for me (has to be legal of course) because it probably won't matter to anyone else. I'll let the VA have all the fun! And who knows, my ghost writer VA may actually say something profound and important that people will take notice in little ol' me! Just leave my wallet out of the picture...unless that Russian bombshell really comes to visit me in Oklahoma!

Too funny (and true!).  I too enjoy some of the sites (especially FB)  but it is a "time suck" as someone else said. I'm not as consistent as I should be either. I don't feel bad about it not being a priority - life it too short, it takes time away from what is most important (my family for one).  There are other efforts which are effective for getting business (how about the old fashioned concept of picking up the phone?) where one doesn't feel like they are going in so many different directions (FOCUS is key!).  Then to see the list that Dave Halpern posted, good grief!

Very funny. You're right though. I had about 20 friends on my facebook before getting into real estate. Now I'm not even sure how many I have. I had to turn off my SMS notification because my phone was dying in 3 hours every day. Well said!

Hi Everyone - I might as well jump in being the new kid on the block and not good at Blogging! So, all these SM site are a bit overwhelming! I am just doing Facebook.  We paid a good deal to an SEO company that did not produce leads so if nothing else, we can get our Fan/Business page up and runnng and post video blogs on that and have some listings - I understand that will push us up in the searches better than SEO!!! 

Hi Jeff , Stop felling guilty or obligated, I think by Law if you were born in the 50`s or earlier your not required to blog on more than 2 sites, you don`t have to tweet - twit or what ever it is and you can`t expect people of our generation to remember more than 2 or 3 log-in names and pass words, I just tell people when they ask why I can`t remember all of this stuff that, my memory is full and until I delete some things nothing else is coming in. If you were born after 1960 , well Good Luck keeping Up.

There is soooo many sites now.  I only use 2.  The 2 that I like and that I have got business from.  I used to twitter, but I never got any business from it. 

I missed this first time around, and I got a big kick out of it.  One of my big AH HAs at the first RainCamp in Seattle was the smart guys saying that really, out of the zillions of social media sites there are only three that you really need - AR, Linkedin and Facebook.  That took lots of pressure off, and I focused on those.  Now, in RainCamp Bellingham last week they focused on Twitter a lot.  I suppose I will get that one figured out too....

I'm a bit late with a comment but just had to chime in - Wow! I know how you feel. The whole social media thing is a bit too much sometimes. I've been spending most of my time out in the forest hunting down the perfect mountain get away for clients and when I get back to civilization just answering the emails and phone calls I've missed takes up the rest of my waking hours. Alas, like everyone esle here I do participate, just not as much as I used to - too many other things that have to get done.