Digital Media – Avoiding Social Media OCD
By Laura Stack, MBA, CSP

Social Media has become another huge obsessive-compulsive disorder! Like it or not, sites such as LinkedIn, Facebook or Twitter are here to stay. I know that many businesses and individuals are finding interesting ways to use these social networks and interactive online types of media to do pretty amazing things. They use them to build their brands and to get to know their customers. What about you? Where do you stand in this whole world called “Web 2.0”? Perhaps, you have avoided it all together or maybe you’re an addict. It could be really wasting your time at work. Possibly, you are somewhere in between. Most technology, like email and social networking, can be great tools but lousy masters!

What is social media for you? Is it a useful way to spend your time OR is it a sinkhole of what I call “attractive distraction”? You could literally spend all day going from site to site, updating your information and connecting with people all over the world. How does that really add to your daily productivity? I am going to share a few tips on how to deal with all the types of interactive media out there.

1. Understand why you are doing it.

My audiences are from a variety of backgrounds. If you are consultant in social media or an internet marketer, your reasons and uses would be very different than other people. If you’re trying to build a brand as I am, it could really make sense. Therefore, it’s really important to understand exactly what you’re trying to do. The biggest reason that otherwise productive, well-intentioned people end up wasting a ton of time is that they never really sat down and figured out what they were trying to accomplish.