I knew I'd love Facebook. I just joined this weekend and have already had a lot of fun exploring and trying a couple things out.
It can be time consuming to learn the in's and out's of each new network like Facebook and maintain a good presence with any new network that you join. I'm the type that strives to always be thorough in my efforts. As I work full time for Natural Sourcing (and its trademarked entities) as well as operate AromaWeb, my time can become precious. Finding that perfect balance is key!
When I stop to think about it, there's a part of me that's surprised that I didn't join sooner... I've been "online" since 1990 and active in what would be the predecessors to today's social media networks. Even before the Web was introduced, I already had a couple years of experience beind me in using online services like Compuserve, Prodigy and AOL (back when AOL was Mac-only). For a short while, I had operated an authorized Macintosh User Group and setup/maintained its Bulletin Board System (anyone remember what a BBS was?). I enjoyed setting up and creating activity on the message boards, some prioprietary to my system and some imported from FidoNet. I also enjoyed a nine-month stint working as an independent contractor for America Online.
But it's that active background and a bit of burnout from it that had become a major reason why I was conservative in waiting to join Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn on behalf of AromaWeb. From a business perspective, it makes sense to wait to ensure there's enough momentum and ongoing growth to justify the time commitment. When done well, social media can be a powerful way to connect, market, share, learn and simply have fun. But I also know that despite the rewards, there is a point where devoting excessive time towards social media can impose negative value to your business and/or personal life as other priorities need to be sacrificed to find the time. Again, finding that perfect balance is key!
With my daughter now off at college, I do have more time to squeeze in greater social networking for personal and professional reasons, and I'm excited to strengthen AromaWeb's presence throughout most major social networking avenues. I'm presently exploring Facebook with my personal account. Soon, I look forward to also establishing a page for AromaWeb. Please watch for an update once I've set that up!
