January 27, 2010 100 Comments

Points of Contact

Cell Phones 2 I’m seriously considering deleting my LinkedIn account, but not for anything LinkedIn did. The truth is, I feel bad that people are using the “request an introduction” feature, and that I don’t notice it for days and days and days. I’m just not active enough there, and so, I end up looking like a jerk. Besides, it’s not really working for me as a point of business, but again, not because of anything LinkedIn did. I’m just not putting effort into LinkedIn to find business, as I’m getting it from other places.

The idea for this post came from a conversation I had on Google Wave with some smart friends.

Seth Godin doesn’t use Twitter actively. He chooses not to open comments on his blog. However, he’s a really fast responder to email. He’s jumped on the phone with me the few times I’ve needed something from him without any fanfare. He just doesn’t need Twitter or blog comments as a point of contact.

My primary email inbox is stuffed full of people requesting stuff from me. My contact form, which is much easier for me to use, because my executive assistant, Diane, helps me with it, would be a much better place for me to spend my time.

I like Twitter, and it helps me build relationships. Thus, I spend a lot of time there. I kind of like Facebook (slow convert), but the 5000 person limit vexes me, plus I use it as a kind of personal place, where I talk a bit off the cuff.

When I look at it, I’ve got too many points of contact:

  • Google Voice / Phone
  • Email (primary)
  • Email (for New Marketing Labs )
  • Email (a private account)
  • Contact Form
  • Blog comments
  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • LinkedIn
  • Google Wave
  • My Blog
  • Tons of other social networks
  • In person at events

Here’s the rough order of which ones are making my life better:

  • Twitter – serendipity, friendship, some business
  • Contact form – lots of business
  • Google Wave – where I’m planning my future
  • Blog comments – lots more interaction than email
  • Email – once I sort it, some business, and relationship-building
  • Facebook – a little bit. I like feeling personal there.

So what do I do? Connecting is part of my job. It’s how business happens. It’s how I stay connected and accessible. And yet, I think I’m too connected. That’s a lot of points of contact. Think about manning all those phones, so to speak. Think about managing all those interactions in all those various formats across all those various tools.

As a business, how do YOU do it?

What’s the value of being THAT connected?

And if I were to trim it all back into just a few spots, would it help, or would it bottleneck?

I’m not writing this for us to think about me. I’m writing this for us to think about us. I’m writing this for business people who are wondering where to put their time, who wonder why everyone’s spreading themselves all over these platforms, and who are wondering what comes next when we’re all this plugged in.

I thrive on contact. I’m drowning in it. It’s not my problem. It’s a modern world problem.

What’s your take?

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  • http://www.michaelcarwile.com/ Michael Carwile

    I think LinkedIn still has a good place in the social media realm. I have adopted a technique I've noticed several others doing: I put my email address (a special one – linkedin@michaelcarwile.com) directly in my summary and have invited people to use that to add me to their network.

    It gets around LinkedIn's “protections” and allows people to connect even before they have met in person (of have happened to get the other person's business card).

    I have been able to connect with several people through this, both outbound invites and inbound. Maybe if you did the same, you wouldn't feel as bad about making people wait? I really think dropping LinkedIn – at this point – is still not a good idea, but that's me.

  • http://pmerrill.com/ paul merrill

    You've hit on a key point here, Chris. There is too much of too many things in our modern world. We are forced to choose – and often many things (and people) get lost in those choices.

    “Stop the world, I want to get off.” (That's a bit simplistic, but sometimes it would be nice if we could slow processes down without things getting lost in the mix.)

  • http://twitter.com/steveames Steve Ames

    Hi Chris,
    For me and our business (a small non profit arts org) each of the contact points has special value, and is differentiated. I don't think people expect conversation on LinkedIn, but I think it has a place in the mix.
    For us e-mail is primary, facebook is secondary, and we post via twitter to FB.
    The MOST important points of contact, and those which we put the most energy into are face to face in our building, and voice via phone – particularly when phone is incoming.
    Good luck with it,
    Best,
    Steve

  • collinharbour

    I've tried to limit my exposure to items that can come to me on my Blackberry (soon to be I phone). If someone connects on Linkedin, Facebook or Twitter, or leaves a post on my blog or tries to contact me the old fashion way (cell phone), I always have the contact information or last communication at my fingertip-literally. Linkedin helps me see who is connected in a business sense (for the most part), as opposed to Facebook or Twitter where it seems that a lot of the connections are more vague.

    Even so, I agree with Paul M. I'd like to step off of the bus every now and then and enjoy.

  • http://www.insideview.ie topgold

    If your contact form truly accelerates meaningful follow-up, you might do well by wrapping the form inside an AwayFind.com facility whereby the form DMs you. I've set up mine that way and it improves my communications flow while reducing places I have to look.

  • http://www.julietchase.com/ Juliet Chase

    First off I kinda wish I had your problems:-) But more seriously I think there's a lot of social pressure out there to look connected when very little connection actually happens. I used to work for a large (now defunct) bank where social status was expressed by who had their blackberry out in the elevator, not only did those 'important' people miss connecting with the live people six inches away but I question the quality of the communication they were sending. If asked I'm sure they would have sworn it was absolutely critical to their business.

    Just like my closet, I get rid of the profiles and technology I don't use or don't feel good about using but that's going to be a different list for everyone.

  • http://www.afreshspace.com/ Liz Jenkins

    I happen to like Linked In but it is a point of contact that works for me. I've limited mine to my web contact form, blog, twitter, Linked In, email (business & personal) & phone. I really can't handle any more than that. I think you need to set your limits and do what works for you in the time you have available. I don't have a staff – so I have to work with what I've got – and it's me.

  • http://blog.adsdevshop.com Robert Dempsey

    There are definitely many points of contact that we can have, and it's easy to become overwhelmed. We need to pick and choose our battles based on the value that we can give/receive to the network.

    For me it's mainly my blog(s), Twitter, and contact forms on my site. I do very little via email or phone. For those very close contacts and customers, I have them on IM.

    I too haven't gotten too into Facebook or LinkedIn, though I am looking more at LinkedIn and think I have it a bit figured out. Time will tell.

  • http://www.anywhereman.com daveyank

    I think you're right on here, Chris. There are a gazillion social networks, and I think some people feel like they need to be on all of them. But you're right, if being on too many networks means you're neglecting folks (as in your LinkedIn case), then it's time to cut back. I do think LinkedIn has some nice features but seriously, we all know who you are and we're obviously going to know how to connect with you if we need to. :)

    Honestly, I'd rather be super effective and engaging on one social network than spread out and sort of effective on 20 of them.

  • http://empoprise-bi.blogspot.com/ John E. Bredehoft (Empoprises)

    Each person's experience is personal, and each person needs to decide on his/her preferred method of contact – noting that one's preferred method of contact may change over time. (Before August 2009, FriendFeed would be an ideal way to contact Robert Scoble. Not any more.)

    I like the way that Michael Hanscom handles the situation. He has a presence on MySpace, but solely uses it to specify the best ways to contact him (MySpace not being among them).

    If I may veer into the personal, I would understand completely if you were to choose to delete your LinkedIn presence. You and I are connected via LinkedIn, and that potentially helps me to connect to various social media people, and it potentially helps you to connect to various biometrics people, but that's about it in terms of benefits to the two of us. I would never dream of asking you for a recommendation, because you do not know me well enough to do so. And I don't see a situation in which you would necessarily ask me for a recommendation. So does a LinkedIn presence truly benefit you?

    There are a number of things that are important. There are fewer things that are very important. There are only a few things that are extremely important. We all need to ditch the important stuff so that we can concentrate on the extremely important stuff.

  • thomsinger

    If LinkedIn was a public company I would short the stock tomorrow based on the fact that Chris Brogan stated he does not use it and might cancel his account (like when Brocoli sales dropped when George Bush 41 said the veggie was not to ever be served at the White House). :)

  • http://www.marketlikeachick.com Coree

    I've had to drop several social networks simply for the fact that I just didn't have the time to be useful on them. I had set up automatic updates and would use Ping.fm to send out interesting posts to share, but I wasn't spending the time on the other profiles to communicate and engage…more like a broadcaster than a communicator or friend..and that's the last thing I want to be.

    My main point of interest is in my own blog community and the interaction there, but I find that more people are tweeting a comment rather than leaving it on my blog. Twitter brings me traffic, I have a nice group of friends there, and I like the fast pace so it's a keeper.

    For me, Facebook is where I touch bases with my family & friends, play around a little and, like you…cut loose in my comments. I just despise the constant spam, group invites, wall emblems, etc etc etc. (One confession that I do have — I can become totally engrossed and deadly competitive when challenged in Bejeweled…so beware.)

    LinkedIn takes a bit more work, but I'm really starting to enjoy using the different tools and apps they offer without all the spam and MLM junk I get on Facebook. I really like LinkedIn Events app and see a great potential there to build & engage with a community built around an event. I use the automatic notification for discussions I follow so I can respond quickly.

    Seems to be working ok so far, but then I'm not Chris Brogan. :)

  • http://www.marketlikeachick.com Coree

    Good point, Michael. I just read that on one of Dan Schawbel's posts and added an email address to the bottom of my summary, too. But, even if they have your email I was under the impression that it just allowed someone you'd never met to send you an invite as a friend…I thought it still sent an invitation to be approved. No?

  • sarahsoczka

    This is something I've started to think about as I open more social media accounts.

    On one hand I feel the need to be everywhere because everyone likes to be contacted differently. Every journalist, co-worker and friend has their communication preference. If I delete one social network will I miss out on talking to some people entirely? On the other hand, a person can only keep up with so many inboxes.

    I'm not sure what the solution is yet. I prefer e-mail and texting, so I have lots of social networks set to ping my e-mail inbox when I receive a personal message.

    At the end of the day the people who really want to contact you will take the time to learn your preferred method of communication, and the others? Well, they might have to wait a little longer.

  • http://www.puredriven.com Patrick Garmoe

    Hi Chris,
    I agree we're all dealing with this, which is why I believe there's a big future in curating of information, and writers who can really cut through the noise with relevant information for readers.

    At its core, I think you simply have to admit that too many people are reaching out to you. Therefore you need to hire more assistants, or trim your contact points, or simply build a hierarchy of who gets your attention. Time is always the constant, so it's only logical to scrap what works the least for you. For me, Facebook is for friends or people I know personally. LinkedIn works great for targeted contacts of potential clients, and building a brand, and Twitter works in pretty much the same way you mentioned. And that's all I have time for.

    It's no different online than in real life. When too many people have access, something inevitably has to give. It's just a matter of if you choose what you eliminate, or if it defaults to whatever isn't high on your priority list.

  • http://www.michaelcarwile.com/ Michael Carwile

    Yes, but it is essentially the same as a Facebook friend request; easily accepted and doesn't require the involvement of a third person to “introduce” you. This was one of the main things Chris mentioned in his post for being a reason he was considering deleting his LinkedIn account.

    I personally think people are far more accepting of it taking a few days for a connection request than they may be for an “introduction.” The introduction feature was created so that you can try and connect to people that you don't have their email address. This, of course, is a great feature for those that do not want to connect with people they have not met in person. For those of us that are comfortable with meeting virtually first, then in person later, the feature feels like an annoyance.

  • http://subject2.com Nick Johnson

    I revamped my LinkedIn account because of you. Although, I actually agree with this post and your reasoning. Even though I revamped my account, its still not place I'm active enough in and I see it more for 'employers/employees' and considering I'm an investor with no interest of ever working for anyone it's not a benefit for me in that aspect.

    I'm not in the employer mode either, I could use it to find outsourcing prospects to handle things I need done but I have plenty of relationships already that it makes it easier for me to get it done.

    For someone using it for what I believe it's primary platform use of 'networking' of cubicle farmers I see it having value. For someone like me who would go postal if I ever had to sit in a cubicle next to the stapler guy from 'Office Space' I don't really see the value even though you temporarily convinced me of it in your book (which I love by the way)

    Kill it! focus on the few that work the best for you and I bet you'll see an increase of productivity and client base.

  • http://www.michaelcarwile.com/ Michael Carwile

    Yes, but it is essentially the same as a Facebook friend request; easily accepted and doesn't require the involvement of a third person to “introduce” you. This was one of the main things Chris mentioned in his post for being a reason he was considering deleting his LinkedIn account.

    I personally think people are far more accepting of it taking a few days for a connection request than they may be for an “introduction.” The introduction feature was created so that you can try and connect to people that you don't have their email address. This, of course, is a great feature for those that do not want to connect with people they have not met in person. For those of us that are comfortable with meeting virtually first, then in person later, the feature feels like an annoyance.

  • http://www.kherize5.com Suzanne Vara

    Chris

    LinkedIn is a bit more demanding of time than other sites. People want to connect and do want more of an immediate response. LinkedIn has made some great strides to encourage interactions especially with the the new changing coming with the tagging of connections and mini-profiles. It is interesting where we all find what works best for us. OpenForum and LinkedIn are for me very good places to be as both have had referrals where my contact page is not always the place that people reach out.

    I think that as we decide what profiles will have the most activity from us the decision is really about the ones where the people we want to connect with most active. Trimming back many times is not something we plan on, it many times happens as we get busier. Ah geez, one less connection on LI, what is a girl to do?

  • http://davidhorne.me david horne

    To a degree we need to meet people where they are. However, by communicating the best way to contact and connect with you is a way to transition folks from one means to another. Set the right expectations and people respond to them. Seth Godin has done that by removing the comments section and filtering communication through email.

    I am not sure if there is an aggregation tool that brings all correspondences to one place. It would be cool too if you could respond in like kind (twitter, linkedin, facebook, etc) to how it is received. I like how gmail lets me bring in all of my emails and then I can respond from the same channel I received it.

  • http://wwwjackbenimble.blogspot.com/ The JackB

    I am always irritated by blogs that do not provide an option for comments. To me one of the big draws of blogging is the interaction. If you cannot comment than that kills one of the primary functions.

    You are absolutely correct about trying to manage points of contact. I have 9 active email addresses that are all for business. It sometimes makes me crazy to have so many but it provides the easiest and most effective way to filter things.

    The rule I use for points of contact is a simple question of can I demonstrate present value. What I mean by that is can I easily see how it leads to something that adds value business/personal.

    If it is not obvious to me than it is relegated to the time suck pile.

  • http://twitter.com/justinmckean Justin McKean

    I thought you were planning your future using Wave, not Voice. If that's not a misprint, I'd love to fear how you're using Voice. You're stories of using Wave have helped me generate more usefulness out of the tool.

    LinkedIn is not useful for me, either. It's not a bad thing, it's just redundant. I have an account for the same reason I have a MySpace account: I haven't bothered to delete it.

    Reducing digital points of contact for me is more about reducing redundancy. I don't need several networks with the same people in them. I'd rather develop one or two really strong networks than try to find time for a handful of them.

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    Chris is a victim of his success, he is in the business of connections and has more than he can manage. This is the sort of problem that we all want though some of us will never work as hard at as Chris has.

  • http://iosgblog.wordpress.com/ Juliet Wilson

    This is really interesting. I'm a slow convert to Facebook but find it really useful. Twitter I'm yet to get, I can see how useful it is but I just can't feel comfortable with it myself as yet. My blog is very important (not the one I'm commenting from which is a new work related one, but my personal one). The value of each form of social networking is very different personal vs business. But yes sometimes I also feel overconnected…

  • Susannah_Conway

    I don't have a LinkedIn account and this post confirms my suspicion that i don't need one, so thanks for that! I like the immediacy of Twitter – 140 characters is just the right length for a message that gets straight to the point. I have a contact form on my website, so when those messages reach my inbox i know they are from there. Personal email i try to stay on top of (and fail miserably most of the time). Facebook is great for informal chats with readers; blog comments give my readers a forum to contribute to, which i love. I rarely use the phone – only for family & friends.

    For me the most stress comes from my inbox – i like to reply personally to every message – every person who reaches out is wanting to connect with me and not an assistant, so i do my best to be there for them. In a year's time with may not be possible… My business blurs the line between professional and personal, and i am always trying to find ways to be available without feeling like an automaton plugged into the machine. It's a interesting dance.

    Great post, Chris. and a timely one, too.

  • Linda

    Thanks for the timely post! I'm on both Twitter and Linked in, and neither are doing much for me. Mike Hyatt (CEO of Thomas Nelson) said that it only took 30 minutes a day and that was easy to post toTwitter. The problem is that it isn't easy to post because Twitter isn't interesting for me. I have to remind myself to open it up and post, so I end up not having many posts. It was fun at first, probably because it was new, but it rapidly became too routine (the kiss of death for me).

    Linked in a different situation. I'm a writer–though unpublished in novel territory–and I've found that many of the writing related places on Linked In end up invariably veering away from publishing professionally and discussing self-publishing. I'm not going to self-publish, so these discussion are very unhelpful, I end up staying away and visiting periodically, but it isn't just worth my time.

    So I've been thinking at least about cancelling my Twitter account. Or focusing more on my blog, which does post to Twitter. But even that's gotten a bit routine for me, so I'm having to think about how to change it up so I'm not bored with it.

  • http://chrisbrogan.com Chris Brogan

    Totally a misprint. Thank you for pointing it out. : )

  • http://billcammack.com/ Bill Cammack

    Excellent points, Chris. A lot of people miss each other because we're paying attention to different points of contact.

    I don't use the phone at all, because I need to concentrate and be immersed in what I do to be effective. I can't be bothered with phones ringing and checking who it is and whether I have anything to say to them.

    Meanwhile. Everything I have is connected through my eMail. I check that when I feel like it and when I do, I'm focused on it. Lots of people don't use eMail, but you can reach them by texting them. More people aren't available by text, but you can DM them on twitter…

    There are lots of ways that we can communicate with each other at this point and it's up to the person who really needs the contact to fit themselves into the mode that the person they're trying to contact uses.

  • Nancy Quinn

    Chris -

    So great to meet you yesterday in MKE (and funny that you posted this just as I asked you to connect via LinkedIn – no need to accept!)

    Your post is reassuring. I am a little overwhelmed by all of the tools and the feeling that you need to be a part of all of them. What you talk about in Trust Agents – and here – is reassuring: it is not the tool you use but how you use it. That ultimately it is about being connected.

    LinkedIn is a great connection tool for me. It was the first social media tool I signed up for – then Facebook, then Twitter.

    For me, it is a professional online rolodex. I can honestly say that it played a prominent roll in my finding a new job after the bookshops closed.

    Bottom line – figure out what tools work to for you to stay connected and use them.

    BTW – love the @ajbombers video too!

  • http://www.webinknow.com/ David Meerman Scott

    Chris – I think you're on to something here.

    I am not on LinkedIn. Never have been. Many people are surprised by that. Just Google this phrase to find out my thinking – “why I am not on linkedin”

    There's so many points of contact that work so well. Why maintain one that isn't valuable?

  • missy5ft2

    Chris, this is a thoughtful analysis and in reading through some of the comments below I wanted to point out that this is not about choosing which social media outlet is better than others. It's about taking a step back and analyzing what is working for you and shifting focus to where the hot-spots are. Each one of us has our own style – Linkedin may work well as a connecting point for some, Twitter for others. The important lesson here is instead of running yourself ragged, analyze, use what works, and trim the fat.

  • kruresearch

    Chris, great post on the rapidly growing contact points. Tim Ferris had a recent post about declaring Facebook bankruptcy, where he finally just deleted everything to start over so he could get current again.

    Re: LinkedIn…don't delete! I find it's a great current address book. People change email addresses all the time and might not notify you, but they update their LinkedIn. Also, it's a great recruiting tool. Next time you need a hard to find person, let your recruiter/admin do some searching in LinkedIn and odds are a guy like you will already be connected to them and can ping them a msg about the opportunity.

    Cheers, Kevin

  • http://bringonthebooks.blogspot.com/ Jaymie

    What I “hear” you saying is, “Work the social media avenues that do what you need.” And for that I say, “Thank you!” I feel the pressure to sign on and keep up with everything, but some of those platforms are more work than benefit for me. If I try to keep up with all of them, I won't get anything else accomplished. I think it is better to pour my time into avenues that work and let the others go for now until they become something I truly need.

  • http://DrThomasHo.com Dr. Thomas Ho

    I don't mean to be making matters worse, BUT this problem is exacerbated by the variety of ways, e.g. devices, some of us have to access the diversity of services. Although specific services and circumstances, e.g. location, dictate my choices, I have the following “pecking order” for my devices:
    – iPod touch (I can't afford iPhone service :-)
    – netbook
    – Tablet PC
    – Windows Mobile phone (unless it's a voice call which would make this no. 1)
    – desktop computer in my office at school

    When I'm out, I always have my phone (and usually my iPod touch) and I've been taking the netbook with me more and more. On top of carrying multiple devices, there is the additional burden of “caring and feeding” all of these devices (I haven't mentioned the other 2 laptops in the family! :-)

    It doesn't get any better, does it?

  • http://www.pamelabeaudet.com/ Pamela Sotir Beaudet

    Hi Chris-
    As you mentioned, you make your living by connecting, and you obviously do a tremendous job. With this post, you've done what a lot of people struggle with: you've determined which mediums deliver the most value to you. You also recognize that you're getting overloaded and eliminating a few points of contact will actually make you more effective. I definitely subscribe to your logic.
    A lot of my clients are 'solopreneurs' with internet businesses and have 'shiny object syndrome.' They can't resist subscribing to every new social media outlet that comes along. They don't have someone dedicated to social marketing- they're it. For many, it's a serious time dump. When they whittle down their points of connection, they ultimately increase the effectiveness of their marketing campaign, and pay more attention to operating their business.

  • http://roborr.net/ Rob

    Chris – You are a prominent member of the social media world and I don't even know how it would be that LinkedIn would be that much of a benefit for you. LinkedIn is good if you're trying to build connections with others who also use it, but I would imagine that anyone who would look for you there would already be well-informed on who you are and what you do. I think it's a great place for people that aren't renown as you are. That being said, I understand that the tools have to be useful and generate a return on time invested. For you, you have many other outlets that are providing a substantial return – who could blame you for focusing on those?

  • http://twitter.com/justinmckean Justin McKean

    And then there was my mistyping of fear for hear. Paging Dr. Freud!

  • http://www.technotheory.com Jared Goralnick

    It's interesting to me which forms of communication you've labeled as your most valuable: the most interactive and the most structured.

    In other words:
    * when communication is directly to you, you'd prefer it on your terms–and your contact form does exactly that.
    * when communication is offered in on the public web, you want it in places where others can partake–more people will benefit from your responses and more people can respond to others needs if you don't reply directly. Twitter is great for that, and it also happens to be rigidly structured–that 140 character limit makes it much easier to correspond in volume.

    The methods of communication you find less useful are direct, have really difficult structure, and perhaps even the highest barrier to access–LinkedIn. I could go through each of your communication methods talking about how structured they are, the involvement of public interaction, and the barriers…and I trust it'd match your order of preference.

    You have these preferences for a reason–when you deal in the volume you do, you need that structure and/or public value. And also, when you recognize these metrics it becomes easier to choose which existing communication methods to focus on and how to choose new ones.

    Unfortunately the answer for you is to encourage structured communication as much as possible for direct communication–much like you or (most notably for being strict about it) Merlin Mann have with contact forms. And when it comes to social networks where you're being contacted directly, you might consider directing them to your preferred method of contact instead.

    When it comes to social networks and indirect communication, you ought to look toward ways to redirect that communication to somewhere else that it's more discoverable. You can set up notifications with various applications, there are aggregators, there are pipes, there are summarizing tools, etc.

    No, this is far from a silver bullet of a solution. Ultimately the volume needs to decline (either the sites or the people) or the curation (by you, by tools, or by assistants) increase. But in the mean time, getting these contact methods (particularly the direct ones) into as few places and as structured ones as possible will be your best approach. Seth Godin has done a good job by pushing toward email, which is still an “organizable” method, but you can do that or go one further with your contact form.

    To be comfortable it's okay to ask people to go through a hoop or two. And I think recognizing your terms is the first step toward navigating those terms and suggesting them to others.

  • Mary

    Chris,

    Your post here makes me think you didn't plan out your focus on using Social Media but just jumped on the bandwagon of everything out there to see what happened. You definitely need to pare down what works the best and use those areas strictly for business and then set aside something for personal use. Then, just get rid of the areas you're not focusing on…..that way someone isn't “hanging around” waiting for a response from you.

    This is the biggest mistake people make when they get into social networking…they don't understand how everything works but they think they need to be involved in everything. The main thing to remember with this area is it's social…it has to be up-to-date and you, or someone, has to take the time to do something with it every day.

    Just my two cents worth…:-)

    Mary

  • http://blogjunkie.net/ blogjunkie

    I think we should all be more like Seth and limit our points of contact. Seth recently did a podcast with Merlin Mann of 43folders.com where he explains why he limits himself. Basically the reason why he does it is so that he can focus more on 'being remarkable'. Great idea, that's what I'm going to be doing in 2010 :)

  • http://samdavidson.net/blog Sam Davidson

    This is a really good challenge. Perhaps this is the year we all realize the ubiquity of social media and determine what's worth doing. Or course, “worth” is a relative term. Some of us find value in personal socializing, while others of us troll for business. The point, though, is the same – do what's worth doing.

  • http://twitter.com/Jennafleur Jennafleur

    I agree completely. We're almost *too* connected these days and it can get difficult to figure out which channels work best for your business relationships. When you get it figured out, let me know. :)

  • http://joanneberg.wordpress.com/ JoAnne Berg

    I'm a little late jumping into the mix here, but here goes. Great comments from everybody…but in the end I think it really comes down to one word….Trust. Chris is right…if people are getting frustrated waiting for a response from him, even if they initiated the contact, it's a negative. Everything needs to be considered with the larger context in mind. Now….time to eat my own cooking and go see what I need to edit! (I loved the closet analogy by the way….perfect!). JoAnne Berg, http://www.ArtofSmallBusiness.org

  • http://www.opinionatlarge.com Opinion@Large

    Chris, great post. For me, the takeaway from this was that we need to be constantly reassessing and analyzing our activities and channels vis-a-vis our business goals. If it isn't an efficient source of advancement towards those goals we need to either cut it lose or tweak it. Thanks for the insight.

  • http://mydarabell.com/ Dara Bell

    Clay Sharkey said it is not the information but the filtering if information that is important, if have good filters, good means to discern it becomes easier. I am getting less value from Linked in, it seems overpriced for the workings of the platform.

    Facebook is a little too personal and not meant as criticism but I find it hokey (with all the fun wall requests and gifts) to use solely for marketing, Twitter is pure marketing and business gold, it is simple and viral.

    Email is abused as means when you can pick up the phone and communicate more quickly it is not a rapid form of conversation more like letters used to be. It is already considered passe by my generation, although used but should not be abused.

  • http://ianmrountree.com Ian M Rountree

    Until people get more savvy manipulating their use of the social resume, I expect LinkedIn will remain powerful for HR departments. You don't deal with those, so it's obviously of limited use in an outward-facing manner.

    There are lots of places better than LinkedIn to place as outward facing outposts, I do agree with you there. But the culture about LinkedIn can be useful, if you happen to play in that league. For people really into engaging their web presence, though, it can feel like training wheels having extra bases to run around in a routine.

    I just checked. I haven't logged into LinkedIn in long enough the cookie expired. That says something, doesn't it?

  • TaylorEllwood

    It sounds like the problem is that you haven't really defined how you will use some of these tools effectively. I'm fairly active on Linkedin and find it to be highly effective as a social media tool, but I also have a very specific strategy and process for using it that allows me to get a lot out of it, without spending more time than needed, and still being a valuable resource for my community. What's your process for using Linkedin? How does it fit into your strategy and who are you reaching by being on there? Who won't you reach if you aren't on there?

  • http://www.scribnia.com/author/show/473/david-spinks/ David Spinks

    Would a bottleneck necessarily be a bad thing in your case or the case of businesses? You talk a lot about the importance of being able to say no, and you're very open about the fact that you try your best to respond to everyone, but just can't. Perhaps choosing these specific communities to focus on, while cutting the ones that you use less, will allow you to be more efficient. Someone can't get mad at you for not responding to them on a network where you don't exist. Your presence on other networks creates an expectation that you exist there and are capable of responding.

    David
    Community Manager, Scribnia.com

  • http://www.leanneslife.com/ Leanne

    I read this and felt as though you were reading my mind. I agree with you on LinkedIn. It was one of the first networks I joined but I've never felt a need to go to the site regularly. In fact, it's probably been 6-weeks or more since I last checked in there. I use Twitter and Facebook pretty much equally but for different reasons similar to what you stated. Good stuff.

  • http://www.prshifts.com/ Dan Wedin

    Being too connected, or having too many points of contact IS a common problem. Some of it can be attributed to forward-thinkers at incredible companies that are constantly creating new ways for the public to communicate via technology. The fear of missing an opportunity due to the fact you didn't take 2 minutes to sign up is, I think, what's motivating most individuals to spread themselves thin.

    It's a knee-jerk reaction, it's so easy to sign-up for anything. But, thinking through how much time you will and can devote to this new contact point may not be happening enough if at all.

    LinkedIn? I'm notified via email when someone would like to connect so I don't miss it. But, some of us(you Chris) probably receive so much email, the thought of adding another source of email isn't a smart option.

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