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Well, well, well… We’ve passed that 2/3 mark and we’re now on the downhill slope of this 31dbb challenge. So far, we’ve:

 And when I say “we’ve” that is me using the royal we as I’ve been largely MIA this month for a myriad of reasons, some of which you might know if you follow me on… dun, dun, dun!  Social media.

Speed-dating for bloggers

Social media is the ADHD cousin of blogging — with a handful of characters, you, too, can engage with the online community at lightning speed!  With a single-click thumbs up, you can voice your opinion on the endless, churning tide of social media.  You can post pictures, promote blog posts, answer opinion polls, and make public all of the drunk texts your ex-girlfriend would have gotten if only she weren’t a man-hating she-devil who blocked your number.

A double-edged sword

OK, so we have likely all been lured by the tempting call of the social media siren, right?  I know I have — you’ve all seen the trillion pictures I post of my kids on Instagram, right?  Well, cultivating a robust social media presence is a great way to invite people to your blog, as long as you’re using an appropriate platform and aren’t bombarding your followers with spammy-type-overeager-love-me-love-me-love-me posts.

So, what’s an appropriate platform?  Rowse teaches that “Some networks simply don’t suit some brands.”  And gives the specific example that he doesn’t promote his Twitter tips blog using a facebook fanpage.  You also have to be mindful of the social media platform you audience uses.  My mom?  On Facebook, not on twitter.  So I post all of my raunchy through twitter and don’t have my accounts linked (anymore — don’t ask why). 

I don’t see the problem yet

Psst… over here!  Imma let you in on a secret: social media is instantly gratifying and totally addictive.  Like Candy Crush addictive.  And, with only so many hours in the day to use online, you’ve got to make some decisions about your interactions in social media.  With the knowledge that there is always a next-best-thing lurking, design yourself a social media strategy around the media you do use and the media you anticipate using.  Use your analytic tool (remember the one you installed way back on day 1?) and check your traffic sources.  If you find that you’re spending hours and hours tweeting to your followers for three click-throughs, you may need to evaluate your plan a bit.  I’m not saying that you need to stop the tweeting, but perhaps you should consider it a recreational activity instead of an oft-repeated step in promoting your post.  

Objects in your rear view mirror

The down side to addiction?  You forget your roots.  You spend so much time tweeting and checking in and filtering photos that you have forgotten how to write in more than 140 characters.  Don’t let social media bleed your blog dry, no one likes an underfed blog.  Interact with your friends and followers and consider making a third or even a half of your posts pay-it-forward shout outs to your friends and your friendly competition.  I dare you to give that a try this week — let me know what happens!

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