To Unplug Or Not to Unplug … What Was the Question?

So many gurus are giving advice about unplugging from the net, facing our web addiction and how we’re so overwhelmed with technology that we aren’t living our lives.  Let me share with you a little tale filled with irony.  Last night I was looking at this “Internet Rehab” called reStart.  Their platform (as with many others) is that internet addiction is on the rise and undermining the fabric of real connections.  But, here’s the kicker:

They have a Facebook page, which they promote to users and even ask their fans to participate in online campaigns and suggest a mascot.  It’s like a drug dealer who gives you a taste, and while you’re high as a kite, tries to tell you about the evils of the drug you just took.  It’s a perpetual cycle of need and remedy all at once.  A week ago on our blog we published a blast from the past story from Newsweek in 1995 that predicted the fall of the internet.

So what do we take from the two extremes of net failure and net addiction?

Humans are Humans.  Give us a toy, a communication tool and we’ll wear it out. Like a dog with a bone, we move at the speed of trends.

Now between these two extremes, there’s a middle ground.  What I want to impart is that technology is not going anywhere, but it doesn’t have to be overused.  You’ve all been watching television since you were young … but do you watch EVERY program on TV?  Not likely. You watch what is interesting or speaks to you.

You also don’t have to be on EVERY social site.  But, think about when you spend your time texting, Twittering, Facebooking.  Most gurus are going to tell you that you’re removed from reality.  What I’m saying is: choose your battles.  If you’re taking the same walk from your apartment to work every single day, what are you missing by multitasking?  Save time for the unique, and work the mundane.

For some of us, like myself, who grew up in one horse towns, the web was the window to the world. For me, it was my connection to the reality of the world that didn’t exist in my small town.

But, success didn’t start and stop there.  We are human, and it wasn’t until I started traveling, meeting people and lecturing that I took off my training wheels and learned how to to find the hot buttons.

When you do spend time “hooked in”, you need to be laser focused.  Social from the inside out.  This stems from a true social and cultural evolution of why you have to be yourself online.  Workshops demonstrate “how to”s and tools to add Twitter followers, etc.  Those practical tools are great when you really understand who and what you need to be in your online brand.  But just because it’s there, does not mean you have to overindulge. Here are a few guidelines for your online social life:

Social Marketing is the envelope, you are the letter.

Our first initiative with getting social from the inside out is not how to address that envelope, but rather – what are the contents of the letter? Then, how are we going to use that envelope to attract a social match or two?

Let’s look at your personal brand online, whether you’re working for a company, or representing yourself.  Today’s social environment is about being able to connect with others and represent who you are and what you stand for.  Social Media is where most potential clients, employers and partners check you out.  Social has replaced the antiquated need for the “three references” approach.

What is your personal brand online? Determining the answer to this question is truly an offline activity.

NO AUTOMATION REPLACES MEDITATION.

This is about mindfulness.  We feel overburdened because all the ways in which we can communicate have increased dramatically, but human behavior hasn’t changed.  It’s just faster and we all feel like we’re in a race. The universe itself provides web inspiration, if you’re tuned in.

Let’s say you are a sales person, an interactive guru or a PR maven.  There are literally THOUSANDS of individuals and business with the same service.  What makes you different?  I’m not asking for bullet points about the services you offer I’m asking … what makes YOU different?

To answer that question, go offline … and redefine how you stand out!

Jenn

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