Going Social – Updating and Lifestreaming
It seems that every time we turn around, there is some new Social Media website or application to keep us even more intertwined and attached to the webosphere. If you utilize the popular social media sites right now, you are likely checking about 20 or 30 different accounts per day. There are sites to share photos, sites to share videos, sites to live-stream video footage of yourself, sites to display your GPS your location at any given time, and so much more. That’s a lot of time spent “socializing”. To a business owner, it’s hard to see the long-term benefits of going social. Social media has often been complained as a “time waster” by many of my friends and colleagues. They complain that each social network or site has it’s big shots, and that these big shots leave every aspect of their life on
these social media sites.
This leads me to my ultimate question:
Does “Going Social” mean you have to broadcast every aspect of your life to the internet? Does it mean that you have to twitter or update every time you eat lunch, buy an mp3, or take a walk?
No! In fact, most people tend to be annoyed by these types of updates. Unless you’re a celebrity (the Hollywood kind), people really aren’t that interested in whether you’re talking your dog for a walk, eating dinner, or boarding a flight to Los Angeles airport. Updating, also known as lifestreaming, has becoming an integral part of social media. In actuality, most people aren’t looking for your life’s details, they’re looking for advice, a confidant, or simply a new friend they can meet for latte’s the next time they happen to be in your locale.
Being social really means putting yourself out there. You should be in it to make friends first, and make business last. Social media users are getting smarter and smarter to even the softest marketing tactics, and they have voiced many times over that they want friends, not robots, sale posts, and business icons on their social sites.
If you don’t think people care much about “updates”, just look at Facebook’s controversial new homepage layout. It’s a lot like Twitter, right? Over the past few years, Myspace, Facebook, LinkedIn, and other prominent social media sites have integrated the “update” function into their layout. They have access to all of the stats that likely show how much users like this feature… especially if it’s now being utilized across all major social media websites.
And remember, “What Are You Doing” doesn’t only mean “what are you doing”.
It can mean:
- What advice do you have for your network today?
- What important lesson did you learn today?
- Did anything funny happen today?
- Is anyone in my area who wants to meet for lunch or coffee?
- I’m at a convention… anyone else here who wants to meet?
- How are you feeling, and why?
- Come across any good articles or funny photos you’d like to share?
- Ready to offer a helping hand to someone who perhaps need a Digg, Stumble, or other prop?
- Who can I help today? Let’s chat!
- What do you guys think of this product? I’m thinking of getting one…
Updates are so much more than trivial details. They are making friends, helping others, and a great opportunity to add value.
What is your favorite way to utilize site updates?
Internet Business Consultant, Salesforce CRM Lover, and Entrepreneur. Passionate about brand expansion and customer analytics. 
April 10th, 2009 at 6:23 pm
I’ve seen the power of updates in Linkedin and Facebook to bring me business. Assuming I am networking mostly for business, one question I have is how often to update. Depends on the network, I think. Facebook more often than Linkedin, for example. Do you recommend a frequency?
Also updates have to be mixed, business and personal, to keep them interesting, I am finding. I talk about how it’s snowing in April, and an another day about a recent blog post or project. Mix recommendations?
You don’t mention talking about what you are working on, I find it is useful to mention projects I am working on, because those with like projects seem them and express interest.
Thanks for addressing this neglected topic.
April 13th, 2009 at 11:13 am
Hi Terra!
This is a great post. You’re right, some people think thar Twitter is just a “what are you doing” site and some don’t even try to understand it. Personally, I use Twitter to make new friends, update people on startup business information, update on events, and to have fun sometimes. Sometimes fun+business makes people more interesting. I like to hear a mixture of things from my Tweeps and not just hear someone who is scared to show their “real” self.
Still a newbie to twitter though; learning the tricks. Thanks for the information. Feel free to follow me on Twitter at @startupbiztalk.