20 Dec Social Overload

Is it just me or are there entirely too many social media vehicles out there right now? Seems every time I get a business page constructed, there’s another one behind it. (Introducing: Twitter business pages. Why?)

It all starts innocently enough. You build a website. You have to — it’s your digital front door. However, to get folks to return to your website, you need to freshen it repeatedly with new content. Daunting, but you can commit to that.

A blog will help freshen your site. This is where you write SOMETHING every week – it almost doesn’t matter what as long as you populate the page. This is called content. And content, we all know, is king.

Then, you sign up for a Facebook page. It can be a more casual spot than your website, you think. A conversation area. A “behind the scenes” look. You can get folks to “like” your business and, Wa-La, you have a captive audience at your disposal. FREE. You can get opinions, share yours, etc. It’s great. But then they start offering “Fan Gate Pages” and “Tabs.” Suddenly it’s turning into a mini-website that needs to be fed.

Then, along comes Twitter. This serves as your megaphone to shout out your latest news to the masses (or the few) who follow you. It’s kind of like posting your Facebook status, but it has hash tags and stuff that make it easier to start, follow and get in on conversations. Plus, if you’re under 21, Twitter is new and cool and Facebook is so yesterday. It’s all about followers now.

Of course, you’re also on LinkedIn. You can’t neglect to build your network. It’s a great place for sales leads and job seekers. And, you can monitor not only who knows whom, but also who exaggerates the most on their resumes.

Enter Google+. It’s not really filling a void. It’s kind of like Facebook. Actually, it’s EXACTLY like Facebook. It’s part of Google’s World Domination Plan. Kill Facebook with “circles” instead of “groups.” They already OWN you with their search engine, “places” and gmail accounts. So you can’t ignore them. You NEED a Google+ page. What if it becomes “the place to be” and your business isn’t there?

Then, there’s the “about.me” page. Have you done yours? It’s a place where you can post what you are all “about,” including all your links to all the other pages you’ve created. Which brings us to your Klout score.

Do you have one? A Klout score? At Klout.com? This site takes into account how many followers, friends and people there are in your network and uses your social media activity to measure your social “influence.” It’s absolutely addictive. When I first checked my Klout score, it was a 12. Downright depressing. (By comparison, my teenage son’s was a 39.) Once I dialed in, I quickly reached 40 (thereby achieving my goal of surpassing my Twitter-loving son). Thus far, that’s the only benefit I’ve derived from this. (Duh! We know how influential we are (or not). We don’t need a score for that.)

Which brings us back to the new business page offering on Twitter. I think I’ll skip that one as a Christmas gift to myself. I’ll continue to monitor the social media landscape as it evolves. Eventually, we’ll see if Facebook becomes passé, if Google+ survives, if Twitter continues to gain followers and if Klout scores ever gain traction. But this holiday season, I’ll spend a day or two visiting with friends and family in person instead of checking in, tweeting or posting. Facetime, if you will – without the technology. Now that’s what I call a happy holiday!