I think that we can probably stretch ourselves too thin when it comes to an online presence. We can’t possibly be everywhere all the time. More and more, I see social media sites as real and separate communities. We have different roles in each one, but do not necessarily maintain a constant presence in them. I don’t think we have to. There are some popular sites amongst those who are into the social media craze. As Scobleizer points out, there are some that are underhyped. So, should we all flock over to Meebo? It depends. Where do you like hanging out?
Think about your offline life for a moment. You wake up in your home, it’s a nice residential neighborhood. You get in your car and drive to work, in a commercial neighborhood somewhere amongst other businesses. You go to church, and that has its own community. Maybe you are a member of a local non-profit. That carries its own community. Your kids have their own little community in school, which you visit on parent-teacher night. You may be a member of a fraternity, a lodge, the military, or some other organization, each with their own communities.
My point in all of these different aspects of your life require different things from you. At school, you are a parent. At church, you are a parishioner. At City Hall, you are a citizen. In your neighborhood, you are… well, a neighbor. All of these things are a part of you; but, they don’t completely define you. You don’t go about checking each of these communities every day. You simply dip into them once in a while to see what’s going on. Some days you spend a little more time in some than others. Some you spend the least amount of time possible.
Similarly, you cannot hope to throw yourself at every social media site out there. Your friends know where you live and where you work. If necessary, they know how to find you in the physical world. In social media, if you spend most of your time on Twitter or Facebook or somewhere else, your friends would know where to go looking for you. In fact, they probably know what other communities their other friends frequent. You probably go find your friends on the sites they frequent as well. You spend a little time here and there when visiting friends and spend most of your time on one or two places. Maintaining a web presence is not about being everywhere. It’s about being somewhere people can find you.
Shaine 