Twitter is not just another social network, and it’s not for everyone. It’s userbase is mostly niche, the signal to noise ratio is low, and it takes a long time for some of its most useful features to prove themselves. Add to that that it can be a terrible timesuck, and one has to question its utility. But there is a purpose, it just depends who you are.
The motivation for this post was Geoff Livingston’s discussion of how the number of Twitter users “pales in comparison to major social networks.” That’s a reason why it’s hard to find your friends there, but it’s only one of the differentiators between Twitter and other social networks…
1. It can be hard to feel a part of Twitter
I’ve been on Twitter now for 3 months, though I would’ve liked to have been on it longer (as I’d been reading about it so much since SXSWi 2007). The problem was that I didn’t have friends on the site. Since my involvement in DC social media (geeks, designers, PR people, etc) I’ve developed relationships with many people on Twitter, but only a couple of my other friends are on Twitter. In my experience and from those who I’ve read, Twitter users are primarily in the tech and media communities.
2. Quality content is few and far between
Twitter serves a number of purposes: keeping in touch, discovering or sharing new information/links, offering or getting answers to questions, and passing the time. For those who use Twitter to keep up with a small group of friends it can be rewarding–it’s great to know what’s going on in (a manageable number of) people’s lives, but after following more than 75 people that quickly becomes a chore. The same can be said for discovering and sharing information–Twitter can be a good platform for learning or getting the word out, but there’s quickly too much information coming in (especially when combined with RSS and social news sites). More on getting the word out in point #3. Continue reading…
I don’t know how many times I’ve wasted hours on a computer without doing something productive. And the reason: I didn’t have a very specific purpose to log on. We’d all be better off avoiding the computer until we have a path in mind–after all, we don’t turn on the oven until we know what we want to eat.
There is a time for playing around online, but for most of us it’s not as often as we do it. Sometimes it feels like being at the computer is synonymous with working, but that’s far from the case. So here’s my recommendation: before you bring up your web browser or email program, decide exactly what you want to accomplish. You probably have a To-Do list or a calendar–consult those or decide on something else…yes, even email can wait.
The best approach I’ve found is to decide the evening before what I want to accomplish in the morning. Then when I get to the computer I’ll have something important to focus on, rather than taking new information in or “seeing what’s going on.” The tangents are best saved for when I have already accomplished something.
It’s far from rocket science to say, “work on something you have to do when you’re at the computer.” But the nuance I’m throwing in is that you should think hard about what that something is and focus on it before touching your mouse or keyboard. And if you can, set yourself a very strict goal of an hour (or something similar) to complete that task.
Now that I’ve got this blog post out of the way, I’m off to empty my inbox.
I loathe reading articles about AOL’s downfall foreshadowing the death of DC’s technology scene. Last night’s event at Google DC certainly evoked within me a longing for the Valley, but there’s so much tech/entrepreneurial vibrancy here. I’d like to think that Google’s DC presence is a testament to that.
Last night’s event was put on by NetSquared DC, a group that educates while bringing together the non profit and technology sectors. We spent an hour in open discussion of the OneWorld.net web presence–and the conversation ranged from social media and Drupal to advocacy and business. There was energy, intelligence, passion. It felt right at home in the Googleplex.
I’m excited to see the way companies like Viget Labs and nclud are raising the bar of our local businesses’ web presence. The way social media outreach is taken to high levels of transparency and integrity by companies like Livingston Communications. And the way smallstartupsandbigarerightathome here.
Last night I met Jake Brewer from idealist.org, as they also just opened a DC office. It’s great to see companies participate here, regardless of all the Valley talk lately. We’ve got a ways to go, but progress is being made by so many people.
At the end of this I list specific tips for escaping from information overload, but first I address why and how I’ve chosen what I personally read.
For the last few years I was in two book clubs, before that I ran my own, and my yearly resolutions have usually had a “read more” clause. Not this year. I still love reading, but I’ve decided that it must be either a pleasant escape or practical for work. Cutting back has been tough for me, because I enjoy the newspaper, classic fiction, contemporary nonfiction, philosophy… I could read for days and days . But I’ve canceled my Washington Post subscription, I’m focusing on the authors I enjoy most, and constantly trimming my RSS.
One of the reasons why I’m so into “productivity” is because I usually feel I have too much to do. There’s nothing more daunting than a pile of unread books and periodicals that grows ever larger. So I’ve cut back on my inputs and focused on leaving time for reading things I truly enjoy. Never letting too much material get in front of me in the first place has been the key.
Like many, I find getting out of bed the worst part of the day. Over the years I’ve tried a few ways to make the process easier, and here are my findings. I owe most of this advice to Steve Pavlina (this post, in particular), but I’m going to reiterate it (since it was years ago) and add my own notes.
I’ve always wanted to be a morning person: I’m most productive in the morning (especially since I don’t check email), no task seems too large when the day’s ahead of me, and it’s the most practical time for me to exercise. A note about that last part–working out in the morning means only one shower/getting-ready per day (since it’s post-workout) and an early run almost never gets in the way of other commitments (whereas lunch and early evening are cluttered with various activities). So my goal has always been to get up early enough to run, eat, and start or arrive at work by 9:00.
Steve Pavlina’s advice is the key: get up at the same time every day, and go to sleep when you’re tired. And, equally important, Continue reading…
This morning I spoke at a Meet the Members event for the Greater Baltimore Technology Council on the ROI of Social Media. It was great to see so many Baltimore & DC friends looking to get involved! Below you’ll find slides from the speakers that used slides, links to their websites, a video of my talk, and some places to go to get more involved in social media.
When was the last time you listed all your work responsibilities and ranked them according to enjoyment and value? If you’re spending much time on tasks that aren’t fun or valuable then you shouldn’t be doing them–automate, delegate, or eliminate them. And, if possible, try to get the things you enjoy most to produce the most value for you.
Example: my blogging. Two years ago when I started this blog I had little reason to write entries like this–most of the business I sought related to Microsoft Office productivity…and, to be frank, I no longer get a thrill out of explaining most Microsoft Office end user issues online. But I like writing about bigger issues and offering advice. Now that I’m working on a productivity application and have become more involved in certain circles, it makes business sense to write about this stuff. What I enjoy is aligned with where I derive value.
Counterexample: software development. I really enjoy solving technology problems…and getting my hands dirty with the code (when I’m familiar with the language). But it’s not a good use of my time because I can’t make much progress on a programming challenge when I have a dozen other projects to manage. Instead I now focus more on the architecture or user experience of technology problems, which gives me a similar buzz without the same timesuck.
I’d encourage you’d to make a list of all your responsibilities and figure out why you’re doing them, and what you get out of them. Consider Continue reading…
It’s interesting that we can be excited about discovering the most productive ways to do things…regardless of the impact it has on our productivity. It’s like hearing the secret to a magic trick–just because we’ve found it out doesn’t mean we can now pull it off on our own. It takes a little patience and practice. With that in mind I’m not going to give you another tip for you to gloss over, but instead invite you to look at some articles that have influenced me, some helpful tips from others, and some that I’m most proud of sharing–all of which can help you out.
Some influential reads/views:
Marc Orchant’s advice on putting things aside that you’ve started (discussion of Dave Winer and David Allen’s decision to stop blogging)
You want to be happy and productive. With a slant toward technology, I try to help with that here.
my project
Is there any doubt that email is a serious timesuck? I've built a small web tool that helps you to get the heck away from email—so that you can do real work on the job, or vacation in peace. If you like what I write about here, I think you'll enjoy AwayFind.
I manage SET Consulting, a small tech company near Washington DC that focuses on productivity training, design, and development (particularly in Word, Excel, Outlook and PowerPoint). I'm open to consulting and speaking opportunities related to business, email, and social media productivity.
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by Jared Goralnick
