I have already spoken several times about the impact of social networks on our productivity, but this subject is one of the most often requested by the readers of this blog, so I prepared a summary with 10 strategies that can save your time:
1 – Be selective about your networks – Network quantity does not mean quality. Why take part of social networks that are not relevant? The ideal is to focus on the main networks where your friends and interests are at. In my case, I use only 4 networks (Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter and Orkut -> in this order of importance).
2 – Cancel your notification e-mails – All networks allow you to configure e-mail notifications, and the best is for you to cancel them all, so you are in charge of the network and access it whenever you want to, otherwise it will be difficult to control your urge to know why someone has “tagged” you in your friend’s photo…
3 – Establish a network focus – The one who tries to please Greeks and Trojans at the same will eventually find trouble with one of the sides. Create a strategy for each network you have, for example, if you use Twitter for professional means, do not mix it with personal stuff. A lot of companies use social networks when hiring a professional and it will not look good if there are photos of you drunk, after a night out. Keep coherence in the profile you choose, with photos, texts and comments! A lot of people unknowingly get burnt for not having a strategy!
4 – Determine your schedule – I am not against checking your Facebook account during working hours, but I am against abusing this privilege. Use those minutes before or after your working hours, as well as your lunch time, in case you want to access your social networks from work for personal use. I normally check mine from home, at the end of the day.
5 – Follow only a few, but relevant, people – Why follow people who have no relation to you or who whose content has become irrelevant? Go on a people diet regarding the ones you follow, and observe in the next few days those ones who have not aggregated value and simply stop following them.
6 – Use aggregators – There are sites and software that allow you to centralize your social networks or update them through a single post. I have used Tweetdeck which allows me to update my Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn simultaneously! One site worth looking into is http://www.threadsy.com as it combines your e-mails and social networks in a single place.
7 – Be relevant on your networks – People enjoy following those ones who provide a relevant content, in the right measure and regularly. That annoying guy, who “twits” a lot at once, ends up losing followers. And, that one who “twits” posts saying that he has woken up in a bad mood, also does not aggregate much.
8 – Use your waiting time to your advantage – I like to update my networks when I am at the airport or waiting for start an event. To take advantage of these short minutes is a lot valid as long as your cell phone or tablet is enabled to do so. There are dozens of software for these devices that work very well!
9 – Social Network does not demand “real time replies” – Don’t feel obliged to reply to a message at the very moment the person has sent it. If it were truly urgent, this person would find a different way of reaching you. If you create this bad habit of replying as soon as the message arrives, besides getting these people accustomed to this behavior of your part, you will also lose a lot of time needlessly!
10 – There is life out there – It is not because social life has become digital that you must hide behind a computer in your relationships. You must set aside some time to spend with your friends and family in person!
