I’m certainly not insinuating by the title that social networking being old is a bad thing, quite the contrary. Social networking is firmly established into our lifestyles anymore. I almost can’t imagine a world without the available uber-connectedness and real-time stream of information…can you? Social media marketing for business is quickly coming of age as well. I think it’s safe to say that there aren’t too many out there still screaming from their soapboxes that social media is either a fad or dead, or both.
I’m not here to post about social networking memory lane, or even to talk about social media marketing for business. Today I’m here to talk about me and my own social networking habits as of late. I’m having tons of fun with it and I’m not ashamed to say so. Furthermore, save a few ancillary benefits inherent in a few of the features…none of what I like has much to do with business.
“We have to remember that social networking was never intended to be used for business purposes. These networks and platforms were created to enable everyday people to better connect with their family and friends. We as businesses and marketers hoping to push a message and gain leverage will forever be seen as intruders.” – Me, I say this…a lot.
It all started when I let go of my Blackberry and opted into the world of iPhone ownership. iPhone’s Siri is a game changer in my mind and this is what ultimately pushed me over the edge. More about this in a future post.
*Please do make a note that most of my social media blogging lately has been over on the TrustWorkz, Inc. website. This trend will likely continue.
The first thing I did was to jump right into Instagram with both feet. A social network built around sharing pictures…I’m all over it. You can see some of the images that I’ve been sharing on my Pinterest board. I love the vicarious window into the lives and lifestyles of the people that I’m connected to. I’ve BEEN connected to many of them for quite a while, just not in such a visual and intimate way.
Images really are worth 1000 words sometimes, don’t you think? I also love that it’s so easy for me to take pictures, add a little flair via the cool filters within the interface, and then share them with my connections. More than anything, Instagram has interjected a much needed artistic element back into my life.
Oh yes, I’m there, pinning away like a madman. This new social network has taken the world by storm, and for good reason. I refer to it as the Internet’s new darling, and I mean it. Below are just a few articles about Pinterest that should help you to understand the phenomenon that is Pinterest
Pinterest: Everything You Need To Know Is In This Massive Post
Pinterest: A Beginner’s Guide to the Hot New Social Network
Here’s why Pinterest is growing so fast
Pinterest Becomes Top Traffic Driver for Retailers [INFOGRAPHIC]
I mentioned earlier that there were some ancillary business benefits to be had. Pinterest is where I have realized some great benefit. Currently Pinterest is 8th on the list of sites driving traffic to this blog. This number is sure to climb…I’ve only just established the pin board designed to accomplish this a few days ago…and it is 8th. Are you hearing me?!
Pinterest assigns a link to every image pinned on a board. I simply named a new board appropriately and began pinning the images from my archived posts here. I will pin my blog images from this point forward and I am sure that my blog traffic will continue to increase because of it.
My “The Best Social Media Infographics” board is my personal favorite. I use it to pin only the best new social media infographics. By
curating these I am saving my followers the effort of looking through all of the really horrible social media infographics out there. I believe that this makes my Pinterest board a valuable resource to those that look to me for great info. It doesn’t hurt my feelings that the byproduct of my Pinterest activity has me perceived as an authority on the topic either. Traffic, authority, personal branding, and a growing audience; you don’t have to strain too hard to see the many benefits that Pinterest offers.
Path
If I had but two words to describe Path, I’d use Elegant and Intimate. The concept is simple enough and certainly not new; back to basics social networking. Let’s share what we’re doing, where we are, who we’re with, etc., only let’s do it with those that are the truest of friends and family. Yes, just like Facebook probably was for us all once upon a time before the noise.
What’s nice for me is that my connections (me too) tend to share more “real” and less guarded updates. This is largely because Path limits your connections to 150 people. Path also show me exactly who among my connections have actually looked at any particular update from me. So, I have a limited number of friends that I choose carefully, and I see who is checking out my stuff? I can’t help it, that’s a win for me. Check it out for yourself!
There, that should give you a pretty clear picture of where I’m spending my own personal social networking time lately. I really do hope that you seek me out on some of these and follow along if you aren’t already! My new phone and the things that I’ve listed here certainly have plugged a lot of fun back into social networking for me. I really am grateful for these shiny new things.
