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Don't Keep Up With Social Technology - Conversation Starter - HarvardBusiness.org
Don't Keep Up With Social Technology
5:07 PM Monday August 3, 2009
by Alexandra Samuel
This year it's Twitter. Last year it was Facebook. The year before it was Second Life. Zoom down from the technologies making headlines and you'll find a much longer list of must-join networks and must-have tools: the iPhone. Delicious. Cloud storage. Digg. LinkedIn. Kindle.
"It seems like there is always another social network to join or another tool I'm supposed to learn. How can I keep up?"
At every talk I give, somebody asks this question. Here's the answer: you can't.
You could spend half your life trying every technology that comes down the pike, and still be hopelessly at sea. I should know: I'm a compulsive adopter, and try out roughly a thousand online community sites and software programs every year. That sounds like a lot, but a visit to TechCrunch or ReadWriteWeb inevitably reminds me of all the software and hardware that floats by me, untried.
So I'm here to let you off the hook. If a geek like me — a woman whose idea of a fantastically fun evening is to try out a dozen project management sites — can't keep up, what hope is there for folks who occasionally want to close their computers and pick up a book?
There is no hope.
You can't keep up.
And that's great news.
Keeping up is about following someone else's agenda: the bloggers and tweeters who trot out invitations to the latest beta. The marketers, publicists and journalists who blanket us with coverage about the latest hot tech phenomenon. And yes, the tech consultants who charge tens or hundreds of thousands to add new musts to your already long to-do list.
The minute you stop trying to keep up, you open a far more exciting possibility: getting ahead with what matters to you, your team and your business.
Is your company focused on boosting its sales in the Middle East? Look for a social network that's widely used in the region, so you can develop new relationships. Or adopt a new business intelligence system that will provide the analytics you need to assess and improve your current sales.
Is your team charged with developing a new consumer product? Compile a shared inspiration file using social bookmarks or a wiki. Strengthen your team's bonds by staying in touch on Yammer.
Is your personal performance suffering because you've under-invested in the relationships that are key to your success? If you need to expand and strengthen your relationships with influential colleagues, follow and respond to their blog posts or tweets, or introduce yourself on LinkedIn. If you're under-investing in the personal relationships that replenish your mind and soul, focus on using e-mail, Facebook or the good old-fashioned phone to reconnect with the two or three people you miss the most.
And those are just a few examples of the personal and business priorities that get sidelined or trampled when we get caught up with keeping up. If it seems like there is a relentless stream of technologies to try, remember that there is an even greater variety of individual and organizational values, priorities and aspirations. The endless onslaught of new tools may be more than any one person or organization can keep up with, but it's still not enough to ensure that every personal or organizational need finds its match.
A few years ago I went shopping at Ikea with a friend, and found myself — not for the first time — consumed by the organizing department. As I pored over the assortment of boxes and bins, my friend finally grabbed me by the shoulders and looked me square in the eye: "You know," she told me gently, "there's no combination of boxes that's going to turn you into an organized person."
Today, I place as much fruitless faith in software as I once placed in Ikea storage. Just as there is no box that can magically transform me into Little Miss Tidy, there is no technology that holds the key to achieving our company's mission, our quarterly targets, or even my personal development goals.
What is available is choice: choice among social networks, choice among software programs, and choice among hardware options.
But most crucial of all, the choice to stop keeping up with all the shoulds and must-haves, and to start choosing technologies that support the goals and priorities that matter to you.
Alexandra Samuel is CEO of Social Signal, a social media agency. She helps companies and organizations increase revenue, build brand and strengthen team relationships by creating compelling online communities and social web presences. She holds a Ph.D. from Harvard University. Follow Alex on Twitter at twitter.com/awsamuel.* * *People who read this also read:
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Alexandra,
The title of your post is probably not the most popular one among online communities, but what you have said here is certainly true. We found ourselves spend enormous amount of time online, engage with strangers and probably not profit much from it.
As far as priorities go, it is becoming very difficult not to get distracted with all these communictions. For example, I am suppose to finish up my marketing collateral right now but I stop and write my comments to you. It's probably not the most productive task but again, as an internet marketer, gaining online exposure is always a mindset. So, I join your conversation.
I think we all need to unplug ourselves from connectivity sometimes to get a real life.
- Posted by Jason
August 3, 2009 8:36 PM
Great post, Alexandra.
This is true in every aspect of business - by focusing on the "primary flywheel" (to borrow the term Jim Collins made popular), we get results. By being too dispersed, people lose focus.
What's new about social media tools is that, as a culture, we've never had some aspect of our lives come at us so quickly with so much potential each time. The temptation to rapidly change gears and adopt the new is overwhelming.
By holding onto old technology for the sake of not keeping up will seriously hurt our innovation, but by having an ongoing strategy and learning from our use of various tools, we can keep up as it suits our growth. This is certainly applicable to individuals and organizations - it will be interesting to see who burns out along the way.
- Posted by Dave Macdonald
August 3, 2009 10:36 PM
Good stuff, and probably the best answer I've come across to the challenge clients confront when they wonder what, how, where, when, and why to get on the "social media bandwagon." Thanks.
btw: Some time ago I RT'd your list of fave social media tools because I found it very useful. That little ow.ly url continues to perform very well. So thanks for that too.
hpm
- Posted by hanspetermeyer
August 3, 2009 11:00 PM
i think you're just being coy. keeping up with changes in media and technology is important in my opinion. good post tho... i get the spirit of what you mean.
- Posted by kk+
August 3, 2009 11:14 PM
I totally agree with this. All of these "must-haves" are eating our time actually and stop us from having a real life, not a virtual one.
Furthermore, studies have shown that social sites, Facebook in this case, are productivity killer.
- Posted by Anca
August 4, 2009 1:30 AM
I totally agree with this. All of these "must-haves" are eating our time actually and stop us from having a real life, not a virtual one.
Furthermore, studies have shown that social sites, Facebook in this case, are productivity killer.
- Posted by Anca
August 4, 2009 1:32 AM
The problem with keeping up is that it has turned into a psychological disorder that is affecting high schoolers in increasingly negative ways. Friends who are counselors report that this has become their number one challenge over the last year - encouraging students to "tune out and turn off" their computers and phones (which, apparently, are left on 24hrs a day). The pressure to stay in the loop has become enormous. I think the key, as you mention in your article, is to learn how to be selective. I imagine we might have seen the same phenomenon in the '50s when TVs first made appearances in our living rooms - perhaps if we had been bombarded with the 500 channel universe all at once we too would have ended up glassy eyed and stressed out. While I applaud the remarkable advances made in communications technology, and am keen to witness the various positive uses this technology affords, there is always something to be said for smelling the roses and listening to the silence.
- Posted by Barbara Lindner Coates
August 4, 2009 1:48 AM
Science is the only news. When you scan through a newspaper or magazine, all the human interest stuff is the same old he-said-she-said, the politics and economics the same sorry cyclic dramas, the fashions a pathetic illusion of newness, and even the technology is predictable if you know the science. Human nature doesn't change much; science does, and the change accrues, altering the world irreversibly.
–Stewart Brand
- Posted by Dorian Taylor
August 4, 2009 2:35 AM
Fully agree! One can never keep up. "Rolling stones gather no moss". The proliferation of so many applications creates attention fatigue instead of productivity. So much time's spent mastering everything, yet at days end so little is achieved. One must pursue immersion not shallow familiarization.
Attaining mastery in Kendo (swordfighting) is said to be based on mastering one sword strike at a time. Instilling the strike into muscle/bone memory. One strike done 1,000 times till it becomes instinctive memory. It enables the reflex to execute the strike perfectly by instinct in critical moments where one has no time to think. (Combats are like that) Once mastery's achieved, only then proceeding to master another strike.
Immersion before progression. Mastery.
Effectiveness is not about having a vast array of tools, but having full knowledge of which tools are appropriate to deliver results.
- Posted by Emmanuel Matuco
August 4, 2009 5:56 AM
Absolutely agree! There is no reason to jump into a platform/technology/resource without during due diligence. Whatever you choose must support the mission/vision/values of the organization. Just because something is hot today doesn't mean it is effective in accomplishing your goals.
Excellent post!
- Posted by Michael Black
August 4, 2009 2:51 PM
Great to see so many people share my adoption exhaustion! I've followed up on my call-to-disarms with some how-to resources for those who want to stop keeping up and start getting ahead: see http://bit.ly/u3ARv
A few specific follow-up comments in response to the terrific response above:
Jason, apologies for the distraction (and do send me that collateral, too!). I loved your honesty in the moment, because isn't that the dilemma we so often find ourselves in: keep working on what we'd mapped out, or seize the (online, evanescent) moment? If you NEVER stray from your planned course, that's as big a reason to worry as the compulsive need to jump on the latest bandwagon. Unless you have some flexibility to move with what is happening online today, you'll never be part of a current, relevant conversation. All about balance.
David, thanks for making the point that it's the sheer pace of innovation that makes social media so challenging. And you're right, burnout IS the danger here -- in the post I've linked to above I point to the work of Robert Gass, who has some great anti-burnout practices.
Hans, you will have to RT your way into forgiveness for outing me as the compiler of lists of must-have social media tools on the very same page where I decry those lists. Busted!
kk+, you are the one person I know who actually DOES seem to keep up. Some day you will share your secret potion with the rest of us.
Anca, thanks for the handy link to that post about Facebook and productivity. I have mixed feelings about the productivity focus; sometimes I think all this worry about how much stuff we get done distracts us from the question of whether we're doing the right stuff.
Barbara, what an interesting perspective re: high school kids! We're not quite there yet (our kids are younger) but I do worry about what our always-on, many-screened household is doing to their wiring. I suspect that the behavior of constantly e-mailing, constantly Linking-In parents is at least as much to blame as the peer pressure to text and Facebook.
Emmanuel, great point about the meaning of mastery. Part of the "keeping up" imperative is that it's hard to feel like you know which tools are appropriate if you don't know all the tools that are out there. A good balance: get to know a range of tools so that you have some sense of the range of options, but only dig deeper when it serves a specific goal. In other words, you don't have to try every single new project management software tool (I'm planning to get this particular reminder tattooed on).
And Michael, thanks so much for your enthusiasm -- and for specifically pointing to the value of due diligence! You wouldn't invest $10k in a piece of capital without knowing if it's worth your while; why are you investing $10k of your time?
I look forward to hearing more from all of you who are ready to stop keeping up, and to not seeing you on Twitter. ;)
- Posted by Alexandra Samuel
August 4, 2009 8:29 PM
Great to see so many people share my adoption exhaustion! I've followed up on my call-to-disarms with some how-to resources for those who want to stop keeping up and start getting ahead: see http://bit.ly/u3ARv
A few specific follow-up comments in response to the terrific response above:
Jason, apologies for the distraction (and do send me that collateral, too!). I loved your honesty in the moment, because isn't that the dilemma we so often find ourselves in: keep working on what we'd mapped out, or seize the (online, evanescent) moment? If you NEVER stray from your planned course, that's as big a reason to worry as the compulsive need to jump on the latest bandwagon. Unless you have some flexibility to move with what is happening online today, you'll never be part of a current, relevant conversation. All about balance.
David, thanks for making the point that it's the sheer pace of innovation that makes social media so challenging. And you're right, burnout IS the danger here -- in the post I've linked to above I point to the work of Robert Gass, who has some great anti-burnout practices.
Hans, you will have to RT your way into forgiveness for outing me as the compiler of lists of must-have social media tools on the very same page where I decry those lists. Busted!
kk+, you are the one person I know who actually DOES seem to keep up. Some day you will share your secret potion with the rest of us.
re from all of you who are ready to stop keeping up, and to not seeing you on Twitter. ;)
- Posted by Alexandra Samuel
August 4, 2009 8:29 PM
Hi Alexandra!
Hard to argue with the premise. As Joseph Campbell said, Follow your bliss. While I turn down 90% of the social network invitations I get, I find enough value in the networks I frequent that spending time on Twitter and Facebook is a joy, not a chore.
cheers,
jd
- Posted by JD Lasica
August 5, 2009 1:17 AM
I guess very soon we will start seeing all the sites supporting mutual sharing of information e.g. I can use my LinkedIn profile in my Facebook too. That should make things a lot easier. Till that time, try keeping pace! :)
By the way, if you are looking to make the most of your LinkedIn account, check out networking expert Jan Vermeiren's new book "How to REALLY use LinkedIn". You can find a free lite version at http://www.how-to-really-use-linkedin.com/
- Posted by Nikhil Vaswani
August 5, 2009 5:24 AM
Refreshing article! It’s nice to hear reinforcement that there’s no point fretting over keeping up.
When it comes to social media, it seems if there isn't a tool you need then there will be one the next day. And often it only takes minutes to search it out. So when I work with clients, we come up with a strategy that works for their business and then look for the most efficient way to implement it. It's about focus and creativity.
P.S. The cool storage bins at IKEA did help my kids get their rooms organized! :)
- Posted by Susan Jarema (New Earth Marketing)
August 5, 2009 2:04 PM
Great post Alexandra! We frequently remind clients that they need to focus on the top priorities that will drive growth and profit and not chase every opportunity that becomes available. Focusing on the outlets that will generate leads and sales may seem old fashioned, but it works every time.
Max Goldberg
Founding Partner
The Radical Clarity Group
www.radclarity.com
- Posted by Max Goldberg
August 5, 2009 8:06 PM
So, we have to learn from someone what common sense would have taught us - at least that fraction that reads Harvard Business - anyway? Hey, you gotta fill them pages, I guess ...
- Posted by Murli
August 6, 2009 6:18 AM
You might have simply pointed out that we are prinicipally talking about chasing fads. To be the first to have/use/experience/etc something is very important to some people. Often these are the very same folks who spend much of their time and money "Jonesing" (keeping up with the Joneses).
It is a fools errand. Be smart and refuse to play the game.
- Posted by Michael Mortensen
August 6, 2009 5:48 PM
What a great post. Just this morning I was talking with the founder of SHARED, Inc.about getting a Twitter account. I used to work in the corporate world, and there I never had to think about such choices; there was an entire tech department and a marketing department who stayed on top of the latest technologies for the rest of us. Now that I work at a non-profit (UniversalGiving), it's much more of an "issue," if you will.
Non-profits have fewer resources to dedicate to learning all about new technologies and to then actually implement them. Should you have a volunteer update your Twitter account, or should they spend their time keeping up your Facebook Page? Do you want to have your marketing team post to your organization's blog, or is it better if they try to get your organization featured on a great site like TechCrunch?
The decision-making process is further hindered in smaller non-profits by the fact that the person who ultimately makes these decisions, or at least sets the framework by which to make these decisions, is an already over-worked CEO. This is especially true when the CEO is an entrepreneur. It's true that these CEO's have to trust their team, but at the end of the day, it's their (the CEO's) organization. It's their sweat, their dreams that are on the line.
Another thing is that most of these entrepreneurial CEOs, these social entrepreneurs, are aware of the fact that they have limited resources. They have a perhaps unspoken fear of lagging behind the corporate world. It's too much of a stretch to say that these CEOs think that if they don't keep up with the latest technology, people they are trying to help will pay the price. That is to say, that if they fail to move on a hot new trend, X-amount of children they could otherwise have saved will die. As I said, that would be an exaggeration.
But I do think there is the feeling that they somehow owe it to these people in need to keep up on all of the latest trends. Their work is their passion, their life, the embodiment of their values, and any failure to stay at the forefront of technology is a failure on their part to walk the talk.
The idea that quality not quantity is what matters, I think applies here. It's exactly what you say in your post about "choosing technologies that support the goals and priorities that matter to you." In our case, here at UniversalGiving, we have gotten really good results from joining conversations on other people's blogs, bringing the viewpoints of other nonprofit leaders into our own blog and promoting other great volunteering resources via out Twitter account.
Innovation is a core value here at UniversalGiving, so I'm not saying we are not going to do our best to stay on top of the latest technological tools for connecting with others. But, I think there is definitely something to be said for focusing on what works best, on the technology that most effectively helps us to attain our goals.
Thanks for writing this blog post! We look forward to reading more of your posts.
- Anis Salvesen (UniversalGiving)
- Posted by Anis Salvesen (UniversalGiving)
August 7, 2009 4:52 PM
Wish I had time to post a real response, but I'm being Tweeted that someone I met on LinkedIn just posted some new pictures on FaceBook. Gotta go!!!
- Posted by Anand Chandarana
August 10, 2009 12:17 PM