The Tale of a Social Butterfly Dying a Social Media Death

In “real life” I’m a complete social butterfly. I’m an ENTP. I will talk to anyone, anywhere, about anything. It’s just who I am.

I do really well making authentic connections in the real world.  As for making connections online, I totally suck at it!

BIG TIME.

And it got me thinking, is it just me or is “making friends” through social media difficult?

Now, I’m not talking about getting followers on Twitter, fans on Facebook, or subscribers to your blog. A bot can do that. I’m talking about making real (virtual), live (digital), human (via the Internet) connections.

I’ve read all the how-to articles on using social media. I’ve followed the advice of social media moguls around the net. I’ve attempted the just-be-yourself in social media mindset. I’ve approached Twitter and Facebook as a place to hang out and make friends. And, I’m failing miserably at achieving my goal.

My Goal

I want to connect with other online entrepreneurs with a passion for online business. I want to have real conversations with the young, fierce, and brilliant friends who want to pursue their passions to the fullest. I want to share what I’m learning with them and in turn learn from their experiences.

I want to actually develop relationships that matter, even if I’ve never met the person in-person. I want to be able to a care about what is happening in that person’s journey, because they have been generous enough to let me get to know them.  Is that too much to ask? Maybe so.

Instead I’ve found Twitter to be a tit for tat – shout it out – the loudest lady wins popularity contest. It’s annoying. It’s annoying when someone tweets a question seeking a response, and you provide a direct response that calls for a reply and it falls on deaf ears.  It feels so one-sided. I’m beginning to believe that this whole “engagement” stuff is a bunch of malarkey.

This Isn’t a Social Media Suicide

I’m not complaining about being ignored. I understand that no one owes you their attention. I understand that sometimes you’re too busy or too big, to personally address the attention you get.

I just wish that making genuine connections with the average (young, fierce, brilliant) Jane or Joe using social media were a bit easier.

Am I just missing something? If I’m blind, can you help me see?

A Call to “Engagement”

So here I sit asking you to really attempt to engage. If you find me boring, walk on by. If you find me annoying, c’est la vie lovely. But, if you get what I’m saying and you’re not too big or too busy. Let’s connect.

I’ll meet you on Twitter, on Facebook, on your blog or mine. It’s your pick. And if it’s not too much to ask, let’s actually connect over something.

Nothing major. Nothing mind-shattering. We can keep it simple.

You decide what you want to share. I’ll be here with open eyes and ears.

In the meantime, I’ll continue to flutter around the networks at hand searching for a place to land to sip a cool drink of water.

photo credit: Tim Green aka atoach

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