The days in which we are living are filled with so much technology. Everything we do revolves around technology in some way, it would seem. Nothing wrong with that, it’s just so different than things were 20 or 30 years ago.
In my case, I earn my living due to technology. I make my living on the Internet, so without technology, I could not live the life that I live. Frankly, I love technology and what it brings to our lives. I don’t know where I would be without it.
The latest technology in our lives, for most of us, revolves around Social Media. Sites like Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and others are fixtures in our lives. They keep us connected with our family and friends, no matter where in the world those people are in relation to where we are. Like me and my family, we live in the Philippines. I am an American and grew up in the United States. All of my family is in the USA, but I can keep in touch with them through sites like Facebook. All of that is great, but is all Social Media good? Is it smart to get bogged down in the Social Media sites?
Social Media
Lately I have been asking myself that question. Is it really smart to spend my time tweeting and such? Some sites are indeed smart to use, in my opinion, if used effectively. For example, I use Facebook a lot, and it serves two purposes for me. Firstly, it keeps me in touch with the people who are important in my life, even if we are thousands of miles apart. Secondly, I make a fair amount of my income through Facebook. How do I make money from Facebook? Well, by posting links to my various websites and such, it drives traffic to the sites where I earn my living. At this point, nearly half of my income originates at Facebook and is driven to the site where the actual money is made. So, is it smart for me to spend time using Facebook? You better believe it.
Other Social Media, though, I question the value of. I know that a lot of people swear by Twitter, and use it to drive traffic. For me, Twitter has not developed in to a major contributor to my income, or even to my ability to keep in touch with the people that I care about. In fact, I have considered just leaving Twitter and spending my time elsewhere. I came to the conclusion that I should not do that, at least not yet, though, because I may still be able to develop my Twitter presence to the point where it becomes important for me. Not yet, though… so far it just has not happened that way.
Another site that I have used a fair amount is Foursquare. Foursquare is a site where you post where you are, and then your friends and family can follow you. Like, if you go to McDonald’s for lunch, you post that you are at McDonald’s on 4th Avenue, and you could enter text to let people know what you are eating for lunch, or even a picture of your hamburger. For a few months, I was kind of active using Foursquare, and I would post everyplace that I went. After a few months, though, I started wondering why I was doing that? What is really the purpose? Do people really care that I am drinking a glass of iced tea at the mall? Probably not. I have cut way down on my use of Foursquare now. In fact, I cannot remember the last time I posted on Foursquare. I have even been considering either deleting my Foursquare account, or at least removing the Foursquare app from my Android phone. Why do I need it?
So, I recognize that there are good and bad Social Networks. Actually, it may come down to a choice of what sites are better for you. Like, as I pointed out above, Foursquare doesn’t seem to serve any purpose for me. Maybe there are others who really can’t get much benefit from Facebook, but they are using Foursquare in a way that really benefits them.
Is it smart to use Social Media? I think it is. The key, though, is in choosing which Social Networks are right for you. For me, telling people that I am eating lunch at McDonald’s is just not very productive, though. 
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