With a new year nearly here, it’s time to resolve to behave better on Twitter, Facebook, my blog, and whatever other social media gets invented this coming year.
- Ask, don’t tell. I’ll try to remember that I don’t know everything and act accordingly. I might even learn something.
- Leave more comments. Bloggers put a lot of effort into their craft. A thoughtful comment can be the best reward. I know I appreciate comments.1Oh, that was
almosta pitiful plea for comments, wasn’t it? ;-) - Respond. When someone comments here, I’ll respond. Same if someone @replies on Twitter or tags on Facebook. Not all responses need to be (or should be) in the public stream.
- Less posting. That’s right — less. Less stupid stuff, less politics,2None? fewer links that die. And maybe a little more long-form blogging, though no promises there.
- Less snark. Yeah, snarkiness is fun, and even funny sometimes. I’ll just do less of it. Or do it better.
- Less complaining. Facebook will do what Facebook will do. I’ll just quietly sit in my corner blocking apps, ignoring page requests, and offer only helpful suggestions.
- No drive-bys. Tweets and status updates I disagree with are not an invitation for debate or correction. People have the right to be wrong — even me.
- More IRL. Online social media is fun and a great way to meet new people, but it’s no replacement for shaking someone’s hand, sitting across the table, and talking. More Tweetups, Ignite Portland, etc. I recently made my contact information easier to find if you’d like to contact me. Just check my Contact link.
- Understand Twitter. Okay, that one’s impossible.
Are you making any social media resolutions? If so, what are they?
- 1Oh, that was
almosta pitiful plea for comments, wasn’t it? ;-) - 2None?
Comments
17 responses to “My Social Media New Year’s Resolutions”
Indeed. Great list. Good luck.
Ha! Thanks. :-)
Well Brent, I've read your list and its a good one. I'll be waiting anxiously for you to complete the last item on your list, at which time I will be trying to practice the first item on your list and learn it from you <grin>.
Yeah, I've admitted up front that understanding Twitter is impossible. It seems everyone uses it differently. Best I can figure out is find a way that works for you and go for it. The people who end up following you will like it.
I think I disagree, just a bit, with Item 8: No Drive Bys. I think there are many opportunities on Twitter, Status Updates, or on blogs to have a conversation. I think the hard part is, and will continue for some to take the perception of "You're attacking me" vs. "You're debating the issue". I hope you won't cut out all opportunities for discussion/debate. I think that's one of the greatest powers of any Social Medium, the ability to have a discussion, get different/opposing viewpoints, so everybody can and should be more informed. Where's the harm in that? (Who needs feelings?) :-) Otherwise, Happy New Year! (Oh, and thanks for putting a spell check on the comment box.)
You're exactly right: there is a difference between a conversation and a drive-by. I think Twitter makes it very easy to see something I disagree with, make a derogatory comment, and move on. If instead, I ask for clarification, I might be able to engage. Or not…
In reality, I don't think engaging with those I disagree with is very easy in 140-character bites. Blogs make it much easier with longer posts and comments.
Also, on a blog, I don't care so much if people get engaged in a long conversation. On Twitter, two people going back and forth can get annoying if it goes beyond a few tweets. YMMV.
(Btw, I'm experimenting with Intense Debate for my comments. ID offers the spelling plugin. Unfortunately, ID also put your first comment in the moderation queue instead of posting it. I did edit it, very slightly: I changed "Item 8" to "Item 7." I think you'd approve. I've left your second comment "pending" because it essentially duplicates your first one.)
Thanks for the correction. I noticed it in the second post when I double-checked. I did duplicate it, there was no notification that it submitted the post. So I thought it had gone off to lost-post-land!
Yeah, I guess I've been involved in a couple of conversations/discussions via Twitter that I've been constricted within my argument and forced to be a little more precise/direct because of the lack of space to ramble around what I'm getting at. It makes it a lot easier to misread/misinterpret the intent. So I guess I could argue both sides of this. :) (By the way, I want to pop the balloon!!! It won't let me!) :-)
Ha! Leave my balloons alone! ;-) Yesterday, they were commemorating my anniversary, and for the next couple of days, New Year's day. Then I'll return to a single falling snowflake. :-)
Sorry about the confusion. I have a love/hate relationship with ID. I think when it works, it encourages discussion with easier login, voting, spelling, threading, etc. When it doesn't. It probably works perfectly when used with released versions of WordPress and a new blog. This blog's >5 years old and I (stupidly) run the latest nightly builds of WordPress. Bleeding edge, baby!
Argue both sides, huh? You should be a lawyer. ;-p
I was thinking something more in the arena of Politics, but I couldn't stand the bloodbath. Besides, I think my history would sell some papers, but probably not garner some votes.
Yep, still relevant. Thanks for linking back to it.
It seems, these many years later (ha ha), that we’ve all grown up a bit online… or maybe it’s just that it’s not an election year? I feel like the people I interact with are mostly kind. And I try to be mostly the same, so it generally works out OK.
I am not making my own social media behavior rules. Yours are perfect and I will make those my own. I did get a chuckle out of “I don’t know everything”. As a Logan can we possibly refrain from that thought? We have a saying in the Dickinson family (when someone is waxing eloquent with questionable facts) “Well I heard about it once”. Don’t forget it takes one to know one! lol
I agree. I think people are getting better at realizing there are real people on the receiving end. I suspect Facebook has a role to play in that because people on the other end are typically people we know.
Not that it’s much a problem for me, but if I had written it this year, I’d probably put something in there about not responding to politics, religion, or Apple fanbois. For most people, these are strongly held opinions, unlikely to be swayed even by my persuasive rhetoric. Writing and responding on these topics is just preaching to the choir and alienating the rest.
The IRL one is probably the best for me. Life doesn’t start and end on the Internet. Get out there and do something!
Thanks for dropping by!
Ha! I’ve heard before that I don’t know everything. So I just added that to the list of things I know. ;-)
Excellent list, Brent… good food for thought.
I will keep this list and make it mine too. One would think that when you arrive at the stately age of 67 you would have learned all the hard lessons of life and be able to just skim on through to the end but it doesn’t seem to be so I will take this list and make it so.
Thanks! I haven’t been able to improve on it.
These are just special cases of The Golden Rule. It’s amazing how easy that rule is to forget.