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My 3 Social Media New Year's Resolutions

Today is the day for new year’s resolutions.  For most people, this means the inevitable pledges to get healthy, lose weight, work less and spend more time with family.  Like any good blogger, though, I have several social media resolutions for the new year.  In no particular order, here are my three big ones:

  1. Comment more. In the rush of client work and blogging, the easiest thing to stop doing regularly is reading and commenting on other posts.  Putting out content that people are interested in is great, but the best way to participate in the conversation is still frequently commenting on other people’s blog posts.  Not just thanking someone for a link, but reading blogs that I normally wouldn’t and extending my community (as well as my mind).  I know that I discover many new blogs through the people who leave comments on my posts.  Other bloggers are just the same.
  2. Answer the phone less. In order to have time to comment more, something else needs to give.  For me, it will definitely be the phone.  I have caller ID and can recognize calls from family, colleagues or clients.  If the number doesn’t show as any of those three that I recognize, I don’t answer.  Ever.  In the latter half of 2007, I started doing this and it helped to avoid time-sucking calls.  For anyone interested in ever pitching me anything, the worst possible way to do it would be to call me.  Best would be email, and that will likely continue into 2008.  Technically speaking, I realize this is probably not a social media resolution as much as a general one.  If that bothers you, feel free to call me.
  3. Make better friends (and be one too). The first thing I should clarify is that this is not a criticism of online friends that I have now.  The danger is, with all these social networks and invites flying back and forth, there are people who are now my "friends" that I don’t know very well.  My third resolution is to try harder to get to know them.  Though it’s tempting to get into a race where your aim becomes to reach 1000 followers on Twitter or and equally high number of Facebook friends, it doesn’t offer anything more than a temporary ego boost.  I want to be friends with people that I have some sort of personal connection with, and who feel the same with me.  I should be able to send each one a note to ask for help with something, and they should feel the same ability to do so with me.  That’s what I mean by better friends.

I figure, if I can do those three things then I’ll be on my way to a great 2008.  Well … that and eating better or exercising more often, of course.

17 thoughts on “My 3 Social Media New Year's Resolutions”

  1. I decided to skip New Year’s Resolutions in favor of recommendations for 2008.

    Recommendations are powerful statements which like networking require that you endorse an idea, person or concept. Your endorsement of an idea or service puts part of yourself out there on the line. There is no better way to get to know a person then to do so by getting to know those things that they value enough to endorse.

    Interestingly I came up with a couple close to yours which I thought I would share:

    Be a loyal friend. Your investment in this effort is always worth while.

    Walk through you life and your days with your head up and aware of what is going on around you.

    Setup an RSS reader like Google Reader and spend a fix amount of time per week keeping your virtual head up.

    Be a positive force in your own life and that of others. Don’t waste time on the negative.

    Thanks for sharing your resolutions and now I have shared in one of your by commenting here.

    Reply
  2. I decided to skip New Year’s Resolutions in favor of recommendations for 2008.

    Recommendations are powerful statements which like networking require that you endorse an idea, person or concept. Your endorsement of an idea or service puts part of yourself out there on the line. There is no better way to get to know a person then to do so by getting to know those things that they value enough to endorse.

    Interestingly I came up with a couple close to yours which I thought I would share:

    Be a loyal friend. Your investment in this effort is always worth while.

    Walk through you life and your days with your head up and aware of what is going on around you.

    Setup an RSS reader like Google Reader and spend a fix amount of time per week keeping your virtual head up.

    Be a positive force in your own life and that of others. Don’t waste time on the negative.

    Thanks for sharing your resolutions and now I have shared in one of your by commenting here.

    Reply
  3. I can certainly identify with #3 Rohit. It is too easy to just be a geek and pound away at the keyboard while forgetting that real business is always done with people and never without.

    To start this year off right, I made a list of my resolutions and turned it into a sale at resolutionsale.com, my first sale ever! So far the sale is going somewhat slow, probably due to the holidays and my difficulty in reaching JV partners, but the sale is converting at 3% and the OTO is converting at 85% so I can only hope that will keep up!

    Happy New Year, blessings to all!

    Nelson Minica

    Reply
  4. Firstly Happy New Year!

    Isn’t it amazing that your 3 Social Media Resolutions amount to traditional – being a better friend – resolutions?

    You’ve gotta love this world.

    Reply
  5. Hey Rohit –

    Happy New Year to you and yours. I don’t know how you’ll manage to do all of your Social Media Resolutions, work and blogging responsibilities, and manage family life, especially with children in the picture. More power to you – I hope to learn and implement pointers from you and others this year, and continue to strive towards life/work balance and harmony (is there such a thing?).

    Here’s to a banner 2008!

    Reply
  6. Hey Rohit –

    Happy New Year to you and yours. I don’t know how you’ll manage to do all of your Social Media Resolutions, work and blogging responsibilities, and manage family life, especially with children in the picture. More power to you – I hope to learn and implement pointers from you and others this year, and continue to strive towards life/work balance and harmony (is there such a thing?).

    Here’s to a banner 2008!

    Reply
  7. I do keep reading lots of interesting and knowledgeable blogs from so many great people around. But hardly ever try to comment. So here’s to motivation after reading your resolution on commenting (though indeed resolution are yours still… )
    Your blogs are really worth commending. But a couple of times I found them more of chatter or the dump from idle thinking. No matter what I still love reading them.
    Keep blogging and have a very happy new year ahead.
    cheers!

    Reply
  8. Interesting enough! Both of us share the resolution # 1 for this year! Very important aspect of blogging, which most people simply ignore. Cheers for giving proper recognition for “commentshphere”.

    Whoops! Did I invented that term? “Commentshpere”

    Reply
  9. Interesting enough! Both of us share the resolution # 1 for this year! Very important aspect of blogging, which most people simply ignore. Cheers for giving proper recognition for “commentshphere”.

    Whoops! Did I invented that term? “Commentshpere”

    Reply
  10. All essential reading, to say the least, as they already occupy a sizeable
    corner of my “reading tableâ€￾! Might I suggest three additional resources that I
    have found very helpful as well:

    1. Health diets reviews and related information at  

    https://www.DietInstitute.net

    and diet pills ratings at

    https://www.ConsumerDietReview.com

    2. The newly launched adipex health and weightloss website by the NIHH at

    https://www.Phenhermine.com/Adipex

    3. Also for more Adipex reviews see  

    https://www.PhentermineReviews.com

     

    Reply
  11. All essential reading, to say the least, as they already occupy a sizeable
    corner of my “reading tableâ€￾! Might I suggest three additional resources that I
    have found very helpful as well:

    1. Health diets reviews and related information at  

    https://www.DietInstitute.net

    and diet pills ratings at

    https://www.ConsumerDietReview.com

    2. The newly launched adipex health and weightloss website by the NIHH at

    https://www.Phenhermine.com/Adipex

    3. Also for more Adipex reviews see  

    https://www.PhentermineReviews.com

     

    Reply

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