Social Media: Jump In or Wade In?

What’s your approach to engaging with a social media site that is new to you?

Do you like to gradually wade into the waters of this site? Or do you prefer to simply jump in and figure you will learn how to swim in the unfamiliar waters?

I am always fascinated by the approach taken by different folks when it comes to becoming familiar with a social media site.

Some people prefer to take their time with a new social media site. They set up a profile, gradually add connections, and then sit back to see what happens.

There are some pluses to this approach, in that the person is less likely to embarrass themselves by posting something they will later regret.

However, my bias is to at least jump into the water that isn’t over your head. That way you start to benefit more quickly from being part of that particular social media site.

Trust me, I am not the type to dive into water that is well over my head. In the real life of swimming, I never did learn to dive very well. Neither am I a strong swimmer. Yet, I still ventured into water where I could easily stand on the ground if I wanted to.

One thing that has helps me with this “middling” approach is to take time every day on the four social media websites on which I am active: Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Pinterest.

It might be just 5 or 10 minutes at the most. It might be longer. The time I spend depends both on my mood and the time I have available.

So many people talk about social media as a huge time drain.

I disagree with those people. The time I spend on social media provides me an opportunity to stay abreast of my friends and families happenings via their postings on Facebook. Plus I am amazed at the information I can pick up so quickly from a quick swing through LinkedIn and/or Twitter.

And for just pure visual delight, nothing beats Pinterest, at least in my book.

All told, I might put in 30 minutes in any given evening on these four sites. That is how long people can sit watching the news/weather/sports on TV.

Time on social media to me is time well spent.

But then again, I am a social media tutor, so I will admit I have a bias toward this activity.

What about you? How much time do you spend on your social media activities on a daily basis? And do you like to jump into social media or to wade in?

I always like to hear the social media choices that others are making.

Joyce Feustel, Founder of Boomers’ Social Media Tutor, helps people relatively new to social media to become more effective and comfortable in their use of this medium. Find her at www.boomerssocialmediatutor.com