Are you a social media lurker?

Are you a social lurker?

I’m not criticizing.

Seriously. Just asking.

Did you set up that twitter account months ago and then never return?
Are you on facebook but never post about your status…or never comment on others’ posts?
Are you on LinkedIn but you don’t invite people to join your network; you just accept invites?

I’m not calling you out, here.

I’m calling you in.

I want to know what is stopping you from joining in.

I’ll go first…I’m anti-social by nature. But here I am, rallying like a lunatic for social media. What was the thing that had been stopping me from getting into it sooner? Time. I didn’t think I had the time to engage. It’s also a little scary putting yourself “out there.” Few of us are immune to the fear of criticism. (And I’m not sure I believe those who say they are.)

So, “time” and “fear” were my personal obstacles. BUT, my drive to overcome obstacles was and is stronger than the two of those “stoppers” combined.

So, tell me, what’s stopping you?

I happen to think that, together, we can overcome just about anything. But, first, you need to speak up. I’m here for ya, listening… But I’m getting old. So you’re going to need to speak louder.

The Facebook Phenomenon (stillsecureafteralltheseyears.com)
Jumping Into Social Media (mediabullseye.com)
My Social Media Trifecta (link to a previous GrayMatter blog post)
What My Kids Taught Me About Social Media (seohack.site88.net)

Tags: Facebook, LinkedIn, Social Media, Time, TwitterSmart

This entry was posted on Thursday, January 29th, 2009 at 2:48 pm and is filed under Social Media, Time. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

13 Responses to “Are you a social lurker?”

Nithya Says:
January 29th, 2009 at 3:08 pm
OK…so I do update my status but rather sporadically. Most times it seems like everyone knows everyone else on twitter and I can’t seem to quite make a connection. I guess that’s what’s stooping me from participating.
It’s great to read all the conversations and interesting news stories and posts on a wide range of topics which is why I signed up on twitter.
But, I do need to attempt to make that connection and get over the fact that I may say something really dumb. I’m going to try.
Eddie Says:
January 29th, 2009 at 6:08 pm
Hello again! Nice post.

I have no idea why, but I tend not to really send invites – I don’t think its a fear thing though – more shyness?

Looking forward to some insightful comments here!
minutemaker Says:
January 29th, 2009 at 9:57 pm
Hey Nithya,
Excellent feedback! Not to worry…I say dumb things all the time on twitter. Have no fear. It’s ok. It’s true that there are groups of people that all know each other chatting on the twitterstream…but there are also opportunities to jump in the conversations and meet new people. Before you know it, you’ll have your own “group.” Give this a go: just pick one person who’s twitter posts you really enjoy and reach out. Then another. Then another. Always do your best to send a personal DM thank you to new followers…I meet a lot of new people that way.
Check back in and @ me so we can chat some more.
-Renee
minutemaker Says:
January 29th, 2009 at 10:12 pm
Hey there, Eddie.

Nice to see you again. So you don’t send invites. Hmm. I’m not buying “shyness” … you’re website is FULL of personality. Shyness just doesn’t seem likely…you can’t sport “hot pink” as your corporate color and be shy. It just doesn’t jive.

Twitter is easy enough to “follow” people, so I’m guessing you’re talking about LinkedIn. For the record, I am not suggesting to anyone that random invites on LinkedIn are a good idea. But if you’ve made a connection on Twitter, or met someone at a business meeting, I think that’s an excellent opportunity to go back to the office, find them on LinkedIn and send an invitation. (Kind of like the one I just sent you. Don’t feel pressure to accept, I’m just underscoring my “insight” with action.)

I’ve also found LinkedIn groups to be valuable. But again, you’ve got to participate.

Cheers, mate.
-Renee
Eddie Says:
January 30th, 2009 at 5:01 am
Hi Renee. Ta for the invite!

You’re right, Twitter allows me to follow folk without any real immediate connection and therefore I feel its so much more passive. Its always nice to hear personally from them and the people I engage with more do so. BUT LinkedIn for me is a lot closer to networking in the real world sense and again I’m not great at that. Perhaps its just bad networking experiences that has clouded my perception of LinkedIn.

I try not to assume – I’ve been wrong far too many times to do that, but I was actually excited to have received your invitation today and dare I say it, if a recent connection has been made via Twitter, a blog comment or even a business meeting, connecting via LinkedIn is far less daunting if its done quickly. If I’ve accepted requests in the past and really only engaged with them 6 months plus ago, I’m far less excited about it.

Your point about our website is interesting! Our website pretty much sums up the personality of my company – not me. With a group of friends I’m full of bravado, probably annoyingly loud and love the attention, but on my own or with people I don’t really know I am really quiet and shy. My wife doesn’t understand it!
Your Worst Nightmare Says:
January 31st, 2009 at 4:58 am
You want me on that wall, you need me on that wall. At social situations, you talk about freedom and justice. I work 24/7 to protect people from ear wax impaction, rectal impaction and artery impaction. You can’t handle the impaction. You will let me lurk and you will like it! Kristie
Skip Says:
January 31st, 2009 at 9:34 am
Yep, I lurk and sit on the sidelines. Bashful isn’t the issue, it’s more “what to say” and “Who cares what I post”? Then of course there’s the ever present, what if I say or do something wrong or make a “jerk” of myself? I’m getting comfortable with this but still don’t know what to expect, what to do and then how to do it.

Facebook, LinkedIn, Tweeter even a blog. Yep, I got ‘em, I go to Facebook frequently, that’s where family is. LinkedIn go there too but that is to join discussions in Groups I have joined. Tweeter, I still don’t really embrace what it does or how to find anyone.

Looking forward to educating myself and then JUMPING IN!

If there are sites which help novices or that mentor them, let me know
Renee Lemley Says:
February 2nd, 2009 at 10:57 am
For the record, “Your Worst Nightmare” is actually a dear friend. The nightmare is that she is a physician. Scared? Don’t be. She’s not likely treating patients in your community. She’s stationed abroad and I’m quite sure I’m more thankful for her service to our country than her patients.

Skip,
I will get in touch so we can help you find the right people before you jump. For starters, go to http://search.twitter.com/advanced and type in keywords or phrases that relate to your industry. Take the time to look at the profiles of those who come up in the search, THEN look at who THEY follow. This is a good start to finding like-minded peeps in search of the same type of valuable info in the content that can be culled from twitter.
And I promise you, someone, somewhere will think you’re a jerk sooner or later. (I know this because I’ve earned the title myself…but have come to accept that being misunderstood is inevitable in this medium.)
After reading Seth Godin’s book, “Tribes,” I realized that you’re *supposed to* feel “UNCOMFORTABLE” … which was validating, since I do… with every post. The trick is, apparently, to post anyway.
Look fwd to speaking with you more.
Hop, Skip, then Jump, my good man. (Sorry, couldn’t help myself…had to be said.)

-R
Fullworx Says:
February 6th, 2009 at 7:07 am
Very interesting stuff here. I have been lurking for months, not knowing that was what I was doing. I am a professional networker and I didn’t even realise that I could have been doing more to connect with people. I recently began to change my approach to this on-line networking, (all my experience was always live networking), and the results have been nothing less than dramatic.

I now have my own networking web-site and Networkers Tool-bar and use it constantly to flit between all the networking web-sites. I am networking continually from morning to night and the folks that I’ve met since I developed my on-line strategy have been just great. There’s a lot people that I choose not to network with directly. However everyone is welcome to my bridged networking community.

I’ve subscribed to your newsletter and look forward to your next post.

Keep up the good work, I’m glad I found your site.

Alec
Network Manager
Fullworx Networking (.co.uk)
Renee Lemley Says:
February 7th, 2009 at 6:46 pm
Alec,

Glad you found my site, too. I checked out your UK-based networking site:
http://fullworxnetworking.co.uk/
Love your toolbar…great way to extend functionality and boost members’ consistent usage.

Also checked out your blog:
http://agbellbusiness.livejournal.com/

Good luck with everything. Definitely keep me posted. (Couldn’t find your twitter account name… @fullworx is still available!)

Best,
Renee
Renee Lemley Says:
February 7th, 2009 at 6:48 pm
Alec,
Found you! @fullworxnetwork
Now following.
Cheers, mate.
-R
TK Says:
February 10th, 2009 at 8:58 pm
R, how do you feel about letting others Twitter & Facebook for you? We have a divisional Twitter & Facebook page in my department and one person tweets & posts for all of us.
Renee Lemley Says:
February 10th, 2009 at 9:51 pm
I don’t think anyone should tweet for you as an individual, but it is not at all uncommon for one person to be the voice of the “brand” … sounds more like that person is representing your company, not you personally. (Two different strategies, obviously, determined by your objectives for being on any given social network.)

If you visit my Resources page, ( http://tinyurl.com/74wr55 ), you’ll see a list of corporate examples under both “Social Media & Business” and “Twitter for Business.” There you can see how other companies manage their online “profiles.” Peter Kim’s wiki is a great resource, too: http://wiki.beingpeterkim.com/ .

Here’s a few quicklinks to online profiles being managed like your department’s:
http://twitter.com/nordstrom
http://twitter.com/starbucks
http://twitter.com/NYTimes

And here’s a few brands that name names:
http://twitter.com/RandomHouseCA
http://twitter.com/tysonfoods
http://twitter.com/AlgonquinBooks
http://twitter.com/rubbermaid

Same deal on facebook. The level of transparency is going to differ from company to company. Transparency = Personal Accountability and, apparently, that still freaks people out.

Hope my feedback is helpful. You know where to find me if you’d like to discuss further.
You know me… love to talk.

-R