Have we reached a saturation point with Social Networks? I maintain accounts on Facebook, LinkedIn, Google+, Instagram, Twitter, RVillage as well this blog on WordPress. There are times I feel like I am suffering from the effects of SNO.
I started Facebook in 2008 based on the suggestion of my daughters. It took me a while to get the hang of it. Now I use it daily to communicate with my friends. Next to blogging, Facebook is my most active social network application.
I cannot remember when I initiated my LinkedIn account. I remember that it was a great way to network with my professional peers across the US and other countries. Prior to retirement, I was a corporate education manager and had a need to connect to other corporate education professionals outside of my home town of Corpus Christi, Texas. Since retirement, I still maintain connection with many of my pre-retirement professional network. I have expanded my network on LinkedIn to include several who are in the RVing world like I am.
Google+
Shortly after Google opened Google+ to everyone in September 2011, I initiated my Google+ account. I already had an email account and a blog account on Google. It made sense to me to continue down Google avenue. I liked the idea of circles and felt Google+ was easier to use and manage than Facebook. The number of connections I have on Google+ are meaningless if my postings go unnoticed. At the moment with Google +, I feel like I am talking but no one is listening. Therefore, I am seriously considering closing my Google+ account. This blog post will auto post on my Google+ account. I’ll let you know if I get any feedback from anyone in my Google+ circles.
I have to be careful with that since Google has integrated most Google apps. I have files on Google Drive, photos in Picasa Web and Google+.
I know Twitter is the place to post short messages of 140 characters or less. I just have never gotten the hang of tweeting. Maybe one day there will be a Tweeting101 course like Blogging101.
Instagram’s primary purpose is mobile photo and video sharing. I got involved with Instagram in November 2013 after reading a couple of blogs focused on photography. I plan to keep this active because I do take a lot of photos with my phone.
RVillage
RVillage is a social network designed for RVers. It is designed to make it easy for RVers to find other RVers based on location. As an example, I am currently in Amarillo, TX. Using RVillage, I can easily find other RVers in the Amarillo area. Or if I wanted to chat with RVers in Harrisonburg, VA, I could search that location in RVillage and find RVers who are in Harrisonburg.
One new feature just implemented in RVillage is MarketPlace. Members of RVillage can submit business recommendations on RVillage. Then when an RVer arrives in a new area, they can search MarketPlace for that area and see merchants that have been recommended by other RVers. That is pretty cool. I’ll save the details of RVillage for another blog post.
Are you experiencing the effects of SNO? I hope not. Thanks for stopping by, y’all come back now.
Tales from the WagginMaster 
No Jerry – no SNO here and that’s the way I like it. Might be short sightedness on my part (maybe) but all my connections come through Still Waters. Maybe I’m not ambitious enough to be ‘out there’ plus I only have so many hours to my day and most of them are doing things I want to do not what I have to do 🙂
Retired too far in advance of Linkedin – even tho’ I know a lot of my peers at that time (in medical admin) use it. Facebook never turned me on – The Golfer has an account so we keep in touch with family that way while we are o/seas or interstate and he also keeps up with exservicemen that way also. Twitter is for the ‘want to be noticed’ and instagram is of no use to me (not having a smart phone – I don’t even like answering the phone Jerry LOL
Cathy
Thanks Cathy. You may be on to something here.
It may be overload today, soon it will get simplified, many people facing same challenge. Nice post..!
Thanks for the feedback, Atul. The only way it could get simpler is for us humanoids to think it and it will be published automatically. WHOA! Now that is scary thought.
I’m suffering from an incurable case of SNO! It’s affected my sleep, eating, resting (I’m still recovering from hospital stays last year), and my life in general. Don’t have a clue how to recover. Have a blessed weekend.
Just say no! Or declare a day free from all social network including email and phone calls.
That’s an impressive array of social media accounts. Do you manage to keep them all going? I confess to being torn between knowing that the internet has to be the future for business and communication etc but then being overwhelmed by the information overload that comes with it especially using social media. So I use facebook, have a twitter account (but don’t use it) and am trying to get the hang of blogging. Struggling not be overloaded though.
No, I do not manage to keep them all going. Facebook and blogging are the two primary. Twitter, Instagram, and Google+ are running in last place. Next week we have a Blogging101 topic on Social Network. It will be interesting to see what Michele comes up with.
Well you seem to be better versed than I in this social media realm. I’ve tried Pintrest but honestly don’t get it. Closed my LinkedIn. Don’t like Google circles and have never tweeted or Instagramed. The blog and Facebook seem to keep me busy enough. Hope you’re staying warm in Amarillo. It’s wet and cold AGAIN in Lamar, TX 😦
Dang! i forgot that I also have a Pintrest account. Perhaps I should say “had”.
I figured out why it is so cold, windy and sometimes snowy in Amarillo. There are only three trees between here and Canada.
Thanks for the feedback. Ingrid.
I don’t suffer from SNO per say, but I am starting to wonder what the point is of having all of these social networks. Very few of my friends actually post on Facebook now, Google+ seems to be all spam and so on. I think the golden age of social media is passing and there is room opening up for something else to jump in and fill that space. I should close a lot of the accounts that I don’t use, but somehow it seems like career suicide (a lot of companies use social media to communicate to the world).
Can we go back to a simpler time? Please?
Great post btw.
Thanks for the comments. Being retired and away from family and former coworkers, Facebook is a good medium for us to stay connected. I also participate in several RVing groups on Facebook.
Funny you say that about Twitter. I pick up new followers daily, but they never comment on my post. Either my content is boring or I am tweeting the wrong people, who knows. I love LinkedIn.
Great post
I just can’tget the hang if Twitter. LinkedIn is cool for business business contacts.
I am one of your Google+ followers and I do indeed feel SNO. I barely participate on LinkedIn – It came along after I retired. I too do not Tweet nor do I participate on Pinterest. I am active on several forums, RV.net, irv2.com tiffinrvnetwork.com, escapees, FMCA. Oh and I blog. I stay with Facebook to see what one of my grandson’s is up to and a few RV friends use it. I too wonder if anyone is reading what I post on Google+, but since the blog goes there without my doing anything there is no cost to me.
Thank you Paul for your comments. I don’t know if you remember, but I met you and your son at Admiralty RV Park, San Antonio, TX in December 2012. I was walking our fur babies, our Golden Retriever Cody our Chineese Crested MeiLing.
I knew we had met, just wasn’t sure where or when. We are in Texas again, in Falcon SP and headed west, sort of, next week.
Pingback: Plugging Into Social Networks | Tales from the WagginMaster
Pingback: But Am I Really That Sociable | Tales from the WagginMaster