Social Media Equals Isolation? I have read articles where studies show communications via software is isolating us. For some that may be true, but for many of us, it is a device for connection.
I have connected with old friends on Facebook whom I haven’t seen or spoken to in 30 years or more. I get to see my cousin children’s children’s baby photos. We chat and instant message. It’s a connection that I would not, otherwise, have because these people live on the other side of the United States. Some of the old friends who I haven’t seen since high school are sharing their lives with me again. It is a warm feeling to reach out and touch those people and feel connected with them once again. I am not one who lives in the past, I like living for today; but, at the same time, having that sense of continuity in my life is reassuring.
If that was the only human contact I had, it would be isolating. But my business is called “social Cindy” for a reason. I love people (and babies and dogs and cats). I smile and say hello to strangers when I walk my dog. I talk to people in elevators and grocery store lines. Believe it or not, I am actually kind of shy, but my dad taught me early on that most people are at least as afraid of me as I am of them. So I put my fear aside, and instead, I try to make myself and someone else feel better about their day, with a laugh and a smile from a stranger.
I think, for me, blogging is the same as chatting with a stranger in the grocery line or talking about my work when I am walking my dog in the park. I blog with the intent of making a connection, but I am also a business person, and I like to talk about what I do. I like to help other people understand how to do what I do. And if they end up wanting to hire me to do what I do, I like that as well.
Understanding when and how to use this social media thingy is a whole ‘nother bag of tricks. My customers get excited about having a blog and they want lots of subscribers. That is fine, but it’s not always the best use of a Business Blog. The best use of a Business Blog is to promote its services and products, in a conversational way. It is a power-packed punch of keyword and traffic placement. Trying to get hundreds of subscribers is a nice side benefit, but the bigger benefit is Search Engine Optimization.
Like everything in life, we as business owners have to make choices. Is it our Blog that is going to help us make money, or are we going to use our blog to promote our website which in turn will help us make money. Sometimes we can manage to do both…we simply have to keep tweaking our posts to strike the right balance…social or business, business mixed with social…
