In every session I conduct about social media, I am asked the question: How do you find the time (to be online, chat, tweet, update statuses, use geo-location, etc.)?
When most Americans watch TV
While most settle in at night to watch network news, reality shows, and weekly series, I get online. Sometimes this online activity is serious study—learning, listening, investigating, engaging in online discussions or contributing to wiki or other collaborating works. At other times, I am more relaxed. I browse the news of the day that I may have missed or read something that hits my personal interests. In most cases, the TV is on while the family watches, and my daughter is in the same room online too.
For me, watching network news and television shows flow too slowly. Commercials every few minutes are very distracting. I want information and news without forced interruption. On a side note, I also find that most of the time, the inflection of news broadcasters and background mislead the importance of a point or lean one to feel an emotion that is not based on fact.
I would rather spend my time consuming information at my own pace and be able to select what I consume. I would rather fill this time, making a contribution, finding out how friends and family are doing, and having interactive fun—not waiting for TV media to pour to me.
According to Clay Shirky in Cognitive Surplus (see this post for video and transcript), Americans watch 200 billion hours of television every year. Trillions of hours of TV are viewed worldwide each year. What if 1% (or 5%) of this time is spent contributing online content, public bookmarking what you are reading, and another 1% (or 5%) of this time is spent connecting or socializing with others? What if the time spent watching advertisements was used in producing or contributing to online projects? Some groups of teenagers are adapting in this way. These teenagers are spending less time watching TV than their parents. These teenagers are creating storylines, music, or artistic works, learning to work others, building leaderships skills, and having fun.
When I have dead time
When waiting in line at Walmart, or in the car (parked) waiting on the kids, I quickly check Tweetdeck to find out what is being said on Twitter from those I follow and in the categories I have set for searches. If possible and if my response would be meaningful, I will work in this dead time a response. I may also browse Google Buzz comments.
Of course, during these dead times, I also check email and read my favorite friends in Facebook that have been fed to my Facebook application.
During the day, I periodically check the continuous stream from Tweetdeck
Though some find a continuous pop-up Twitter stream distracting, I have learned that I can ignore the tweets during my busy times and choose to read a few when I feel like it. At my desk, I glance at the automatic feeds or wait until I have more time, I scan my Tweetdeck columns.
I seldom go to the Twitter.com page.
When certain groups have Twitter chats (they make use of hashtags), I may keep up peripherally if I don’t have time or I may wait until later and check the stream.
I don’t read everything every day
I follow roughly 2,000 people. I also track different terms using the search feature in Tweetdeck. For instance, I have searched columns for “military families”, “#milfam”, “ag”, “#agchat”, and “#coopext”. I periodically add search columns for topics that are more relevant for a short period. Additionally, I have columns for retweets and direct messages. Because I can’t see every tweet, I prioritize the accounts I follow. On days that I don’t have much time, I look at the columns that I feel are the most important.
So you may ask “When am I not online?”
I can be online in some form about anytime I want to be. It is also up to me to decide when I get offline as it is up to families to decide when the TV is on or off. There are times that simply having face to face conversations mean being attentive with the most important people in my life and work. Also, it is up to me to find time to move, exercise, jog, walk, read, write, pray, and think alone. However, these times do not always come in the after 5 and on weekends. I choose when I am offline and online—making sure I get my job done well and serve my family well.
Balancing my time is not easy, never has been. And, I am certainly not always successful, but it is my responsibility to find the balance. There is no reason to sit in the recliner every night and be purely a consumer of information and entertainment.
Relaxing online
Sometimes, when I am online, it is for entertainment or purely social reasons, playing scrabble online, chatting with friends in Facebook or watching or reading something that is for my enjoyment and has nothing to do with work.
Understanding filters and priorities
Filtering and prioritizing are ways of managing the flow of tweets, Facebook statuses and comments, Google Buzz, and Google Wave. Though I have talked about Twitter, it is only one of many tools.
Twitter gives me the greatest diversity of information. Most of the time tweets only hit the surface, but will lead me to find greater depth on a topic, current issue or debate.
Prioritizing which conversations warrant my attention helps me stay focused on busy days.
Importance of mobile devices and computing
I certainly could not keep up without a good smartphone and understand how to integrate different social media tools and applications.
Why do I do it?
As an educator, part of my responsibilities are to keep up with new information and research and to continuously learn. Also my responsibilities include developing relationships that in turn create trust and credibility. Being part of communities that create content and develop ideas is another way of being an effective educator. I can’t be effective if I don’t participate online. Thus, finding ways to consume information, process it, and collaborate with others is a must.
6 comments:
Great post, Anne! I appreciate hearing that it isn't necessary to see EVERY single tweet that is thrown out...
I, like you find the little moments to grab a quick view and broadcast an update. Makes for a pretty good strategy in my opinion!
Thanks for the post.
Hey Anne! Great post.
I have to laugh when people complain about not having enough time, yet they can tell you everything you'd want to know about who said what on the Bachelor.
It's all about knowing where you spend your time & making sure that lines up with your intended priorities.
Nick, I think the flexibility of knowing when you check out social media outlets and when you don't have to is key. It is possible that people want to read this content like we expect people to read and respond to email. We should respond to those things that directly affect business and the other can be like those articles you scan or don't read in the newspaper.
Bo, Thanks for the comment.
LOL: My worst personal critics happen to be TV hogs. OH well.
Nice post. I have heard many people say that they would do anything if they could play music/dance/run/etc. like someone else. That's simply not true. Those who have perfected their craft have often dedicated all their spare time, even their lives, to practicing and perfecting. I think that some folks who are literally hooked on texting, FaceBook, etc. I guess it kind of bothers me that the technology has overwhelmed our society so much that many are addicted to it. Sometimes it's a spiritual experience to sit quietly and play the banjo, listen to some calming music, reflect on what's going on, and notice what's around us. I see too many people walking around with their heads down texting, or better yet, driving erratically through town texting. As a farmer friend told me, sometimes I sits and thinks and sometimes I just sits. Thanks for the post.
Thanks The Monks Family for the thoughts. I believe sometimes we should just sit. For me, I find great solace in a long slow jog (and I mean slooooow).
There is one thing I want to bring up. While it may appear that people are addicted to texting and technology, I believe that people are addicted to staying connected. They are not addicted to the technology; they are addicted to the social connection or the need to stay informed.
Watch teenagers who are texting. They are conversing, maybe venting, and maybe reading about the happenings of close friends (or not so close friends).
I believe there must be a balance in staying connecting to those who we don't see and those who are right in front of us.
Of our close friends--those who are near and those who are away--neither should be ignored.
Thanks again for stopping by.
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