I used to comment on various blogs ALL the time. It was an indispensible part of growing my Social Media presence. For a variety of reasons, my commenting has slowed down to a trickle. I still advocate the value of commenting in tweets, on #blogchat (where I’m a regular participant), my own #DadChat, and in columns and even when I speak at conferences. So, why have I slowed down so significantly?
Well, my son’s last day of his sophomore year in high school just took place while my freshman in college returned home a couple of weeks ago. It’s summer. And, many of us are planning summer vacations and other warm-weather pursuits. You might wonder how or why this is fodder for this column series on the differences between men and women? Simply, I believe almost everything has the potential to explore and contrast how men and women look at, do, behave, and otherwise proceed with life. Summer and summer vacations are no exception.
It’s time to continue our Evolution of Technology series, this time remembering MTV. As usual, I co-write these columns with Professor David E. Weber. I can’t believe I’m even putting “MTV” and “Remembering” in the same sentence, but it’s now been long enough that MTV is part of our nostalgia plus the changes in MTV have been significant in addition to its impact on our culture and entertainment.
I’m a creature of habit. It may have begun in Junior High at homeroom when I had an assigned seat I think, for the first time. Yeah, I know they call it “Middle School” now, but my age is part of the point of this column. I’m old and set in my ways and learning new platforms or most any new tech or tech device can make me crazy (Sorry PC Police for using a banned word!). Heck, I don’t like any change.
Instagram is one of those new platforms that have been an instant success. Like most new things, I tend to wait and get aboard only when I have to – I’m forced to – or really, when I finally get over my anxiety about learning it. Now, I love using it and I share really important things via the photos I take with my phone. Things such as what I’m eating for breakfast, hundreds of photos of Simon (my dog), and my feet, when I’m napping.
Continuing with this series of columns, let’s examine the ongoing and increasingly big struggle we all face when trying to balance our lives, ubiquitously now known as work-life balance. Work is now a 24/7 option. I suppose “Life” is, too. But, work has intruded in our lives in ways never before imagined. The life of the advertising guys in “Mad Men” ended, to a degree, at the end of their proscribed workday or depending on how drunk they were on any given occasion. The end of our work-lives today is completely random. And, I’ll assert that men and women approach this work-life balancing act in different ways.
#DadChat recently surpassed one billion impressions for the first few months of 2013 – an impressive number, but so what? Numbers and statistics are bandied about by just about everyone. It starts with our age. When we’re little kids we tell our age in fractions – heck, mom and dad say “Little Sally” is 7 1/2 months old, if asked. Once our kids are old enough to say their age, it’s usually with fingers and a fraction AND often with “I’m going to be FOUR!” Once you’re my age, you stick with your current age until the DAY of your next birthday. But, how much is one billion? How much is one trillion? And, what do numbers like these mean in Social Media?
#DadChat recently discussed the mistakes we all make in Social Media with expert John Paul Aguiar. Using the transcript as a guide, I wanted to share the best tips and advice we learned from this topic at #DadChat.
Firstly, some overall impressions I took away from the discussion. Social Media is dangerous, to a degree, for all of us. The ability to hit “Send” can be done in a fit of creativity OR a fit or anger. The latter will usually come back to haunt us. The ability to reach out via a tweet requires little forethought and, again, can be harmful if we are reacting in the moment.
