A foundation of effective communications is defining a target audience. Your product or service doesn’t match everyone’s needs, so neither should your messaging or community-building efforts online. Communication efforts should be well-targeted, not a blanketed effort. Although I have been taught this concept and applied it in the projects I work on at SocialSphere, I have been neglecting this in my own online life.
I’ve recently found myself ‘hanging out’ on numerous platforms online. It started from a curiosity to understand the ins and outs of each platform. But as time went on, I realized that my curiosity wasn’t helping me focus my efforts or build the skills I need. I have come to the realization that can no longer spread myself so thin. So this past week I’ve started to scale back. I updated and interacted on Twitter less frequently, hit the “Mark All As Read" button on my Google Reader, and skimmed through Tumblr.
Will I lose on a potential opportunity or chance to build on a relationship because my eyes aren’t peeled on Twitter? Maybe. But I think the opportunity to build on my own skills of writing and client interaction is more important. One thing is clear: the technology will change, but the sharing of ideas and ability to connect from around the world won't.
This past week I read an article on Conversation Starter, a Harvard Business Publishing blog that echoed similar sentiments. The end of the post summed it up succinctly: "But most crucial of all, the choice to stop keeping up with all the shoulds and must-haves, and to start choosing technologies that support the goals and priorities that matter to you." When you focus on your goals and people first, whether you are a business or an individual, the technology will be used when it should.
I’ve realized there’s no magic formula. I know I have an insatiable thirst to learn everything about the social web and how to apply it to business. But I’ve realized that curiousity needs to match goals and efforts for my career and personal life. I need to focus on building skills instead of using the technology.
Do we need a strategic plan for our personal online efforts? I think my trial period the last couple of months makes me respond with a resounding "yes."
-Carla
Photo Credit: mfajardo
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tagged as harvard blog, personal online, scaling back, twitter
Love this post Carla. And I think it goes BEYOND just skills vs. technology. I think it goes as far as the right skills for the right focus (whether that's business-oriented or not.) Alexandra's piece from the HBP blog also really resonated with me. The same quote you've high-lighted here was part of the delicious description I used when tagging it.
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