Social media is a space that mystifies many and intrigues the rest, no matter what side of the fence you are on it is something that is here to stay, although it will evolve over time; partially due to the fact that it is still in its infancy and otherwise due to people’s interest in manipulating it to see what it is capable of doing.
On the mystified side of the fence, you have people that are mystified that people waste their time on social media and the other people that are mystified as in they don’t understand how to use it. I would argue that most of the people that find social media to be a time waster probably don’t understand how to use it. I know people involved in social media that have made great friends and others that have made money, and those that can do both are really ahead of the game.
The one thing that I notice is that it is a space that is changing every single day, with the advent of new social sites, management tools, etc.; you really have to stay up to date on the changes if you’re a business or a personal brand. That’s what I find exciting, I am introduced to new tools, sites, people, and blogs every day and it’s fascinating to be a part of.
My biggest struggle is that so many people are stuck on the ROI (which I completely understand, the world we live in is all about dollar bills), but as an analogy; one of my businesses is a painting company, if I meet someone today and all I care about is getting a painting job not only will I turn them off of a potential friendship but I most likely won’t get the job either.
Every time I am introduced to someone I am not thinking about painting, I am thinking about that person…the one thing I know is that the ROI will come instantaneously in the form of a human connection or friendship, and may become monetary in a year and a half when they ask me to paint their home. Is this a waste of time? Eff no it isn’t, so what’s the difference?
Whether you own a painting company or Comcast, your life blood is nurturing relationships and making sure people are happy. It comes down to this, some things in life aren’t about a tangible (monetary) ROI that appears instantly. Learn, grow, nurture, and care…so long as you also have a quality product or service, money will come.
Amen! Human nature tells us to quantify everything and put labels on it. That’s hard to do when you’re dealing with connections, conversations, relationships, building community, etc. All of which are vital parts of social media. Maybe we need to develop a tool to measure relationship quality and that can be our ROI!
Maybe ROR is better, Return On Relationships. Who knows, I’m just tired of everything having to have immediate ROI (money) for it to be considered valuable.
Excellent points, Matt!
I also find it exciting that we are all figuring this out together — trying to get the most out of social media now, but also sharing ideas about where it’s all going. Interesting times!
Sincere thanks Paul. And that’s part of what I love about SM, we are all in the same boat, traveling down an uncharted river all while having different opinions about what to do…and therein lies the fun!! Buckle your seat belt brother!! lol Thanks again man.