Four Truths to Make You Feel Better About Feeling Behind in Social Media

03 Sep Four Truths to Make You Feel Better About Feeling Behind in Social Media

You know how when a new thing comes along, and no matter how bleeding edge it is, there are always some people who are already really good at it? 

Like the first half-pipe snowboarders with their 720 air to fakie McTwists, or girls who always have to seem just the right hair to pull off the latest style, or (to completely date myself), those early Central Park inline skaters with their boom boxes and bad selves?

Some days that’s the way working in social media feels.  Can we ever keep up?

Case in point: I recently needed to select a suite of online collaborative tools for a client with committee-based decision-making.  So after attending a local tech group session, and following a discussion on the LinkedIn Solo PR Pros Group  (great resource btw!), I had the following completely overwhelming list:

• Project Pier: http://projectpier.org
• Work Etc. http://www.worketc.com/ 
• Google Docs http://bit.ly/dwMre1
• Basecamp http://basecamphq.com/buzz
• Manymoon http://manymoon.com
• Copper http://copperproject.com
• Teambox  http://Teambox.com
• Open Atrium  http://openatrium.com

What to do?  Sink at least a day into researching the best match, create a spreadsheet comparing features and costs, get opinions from experts?

I was helped along in my answer by a refreshing new book written by William Powers,  Hamlet’s Blackberry.  Thesis: the always-connected lifestyles we’re leading are actually resulting in disconnection–from any meaningful inner life, from the charms of family life, from tranquility.  We therefore need to find ways to keep some distance between our wired and unwired lives.

Of the many great suggestions Powers puts forth to help readers find a balance between a wired world and a life lived deeply, here’s my favorite:

At a chain supermarket where we often shop, digital screens have been installed everywhere, blaring nonstop ads.  Sometimes, when nobody’s looking I reach up and flick one off.

My takeaway is that each of us needs to decide how much is humanly possible to stay current with social media.  And here are Four Truths to Make You Feel Better About Feeling Behind in Social Media.

1. There is no such thing as being “done.”  There is always another link to a useful report, video, blog, Tweet.  There is always new content you should be creating–and it should have been up yesterday. 
2. Tomorrow there will be a new “must” app.  Also, the day after that.  And the following day. 
3. Most of us will always be a little behind. 
4. The debt we owe to the folks who actually are out in front is simple to repay: give them lots of Likes, Forwards, Comments and Retweets. 

Any more you want to add?

P.S. So what is the best online collaborative tool for managing projects with multiple vendors or decisionmakers?   I went with Google Docs.