I walked into the office today and was talking to one of my colleagues and he asked me a question this morning. His question is why do you spend time on Social Media?
This question left me pondering for a bit. Her are some of the reason’s why social media has become a big part of my life:
1. Meeting People
I communicate with friends from all over the word. I have had the pleasure to text chat, email, share blog and even video chat with many of my friends:) The friendships I have made are incredible and these people are very important in my life. It is a pleasure to spend time with my friends. Their is an entire group of people I know from the BC area and as a result I want to head back their to see an area of the country which I love and meet some great people. I have many friends in the US, Australia and England.
2. Learning
I am always learning. I sometimes think my brain never shuts down. Social Media gives me the chance to share idea and learn from others. I can often be found sharing ideas about Technology, The Environment or Sports. I have learned so much from other on social media. The key is to have an open mind and respect other people’s opinions.
3. Keeping in Touch
Social Media has allowed me to keep in touch with people easier and share important moment’s in their lives. I can see my friends picture or find out what they are doing on their blogs or even Facebook. It has allowed me to connect with people I have not talked to in a long time most notably an old friend who is now married and in Atlanta Georgia. We had lost touch for 10 years but Facebook brought us back together.
I keep more in touch with my family on Facebook. My brothers and cousins are all on Facebook. It is great because we share more and stay in touch more. In our case it has
4. Helping People
One of the things I really like to do is help people. I love to assist people with a problem and being able to help them solve their problem. I also like to share my knowledge and information with other people. Social Media gives me one more avenue on being able to share and help some one else learn. I have been lucky over the years to learn from other and I like to share my knowledge and pass it a long.
5. Monetize Some of It
I have picked up a few contracts because of my involvement on social media. I have had people come to my blog and then to my professional services page once they get to know me. They value the information I share, my opinion, my professionalism and are willing to pay for it. Originally I never planned to get into social media to make a profit from it. As social media has developed so has monetizing it for me.
6. Share Information With My Family and Friends
When we have a family event I am normally one of the people who have a camera in their hand. In the old days I used to make pictures for everyone who wanted them. This was a timely process and sometimes could be costly. Now I post the pictures on a photo site and link to them from my blog. This enable all the people who attended the event to view and download the pictures if they want.
When Kelli and I go on a trip, I normally blog every day we are away. I often post pictures and videos of our travels as well. This enable me to share with others my travels.
Conclusion
As you can see I use social media in many different ways. The most important reason is to share time with the friends I have on social media. The key is for you to choose how social media fits in to your lifestyle and how you can use it to suit your needs. The key is to show respect when using social media.
