Thursday, November 03, 2011

Frittering vs. Twittering?

These days it’s easier than ever to fritter away time and brain power on the Internet, from watching all sorts of videos, reading countless articles and keeping up with social media. We might think we’re busy, but what are we accomplishing? What are we learning?

Not that many years ago, we might have felt out of touch if we didn’t read the paper or watch the nightly news. Now we might feel out of the loop if we’re not up to speed on sites from Facebook to LinkedIn to Twitter. New options pop up frequently. How many do we need?

Cultural literacy used to consist of, for example, being familiar with classic literature and films. Now it might mean knowing who the latest YouTube sensations are. Why is the media so obsessed with topics such as the Kardashians...if they’re given that many column inches/minutes on the air, who and what are they pushing off the page/screen? How many of us can name all the siblings or know how long Kim was married before filing for divorce, but don’t how much they need to save for retirement?

Though I constantly hear about the value and importance of Twitter, my dabblings have proved confusing, and haven’t yet shown me why I need to be more active on it. At the same time, I wonder what I’m missing. I keep reading that to increase followers and achieve any results, a consistent presence is needed. How many tweets is too many, and how do you stay on top of tweeting, reading, following, retweeting, accompanying apps/tools, etc., and still get work done?  What's the tipping point for gaining useful knowledge, growing buisiness and social relationships, and time suck? 

For more information:
How many tweets should you do a day?

Better time your tweets.

How often should you tweet?

How many tweets is too many?

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