Hey, friend!I'm trying to learn how to use LinkedIn. It's a new experience to be learning a new technology when it's largely used by people older than me, not younger. I've really enjoyed re-connecting with some old friends; some are folks I know from business contexts, and some I know from non-business contacts but now I get to see what they do for business. Some of these connections have been exciting, and others have made me wonder why the hell I would want to read corny faux-motivational business stories from some guy I met once at a church event 14 years ago. But it's reminding me that I should really be asking that question on every social media platform. What motivates me to spend time and energy reading updates on someone because we had one class together in 2002? Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Twitter, Tiktok... they're all helpful tools for me to learn about what I actually care about, but it's so easy to get swept away into what you feel like you're supposed to care about. And I'm not even talking about the algorithm. I'm talking about the social expectation that you should keep caring to receive updates on someone you hardly know and haven't seen in over a decade. So.. this was a helpful reminder. If I don't care about this person's corny business updates on LinkedIn, should I keep following their updates–or the updates of folks similar to them–on other social media platforms? What am I really using those tools for, and who is really worth my very limited energy to connect with? I don't need to leave the platforms entirely, but it's worth asking–and then answering–the question: "What benefit do I gain from participating in this site, and which updates or connections are unnecessary in receiving this benefit?" Sounds super robotic, but we don't have healthy patterns or practices yet as a society to protect ourselves from digital overload, so you gotta do what you gotta do to protect yourself. That's what I'm trying to do, at least. I'm going to try posting this on LinkedIn, too, after the email goes out. If you're reading this there, thinking, who the hell is this guy? I haven't heard from him in a decade, and now I'm seeing this corny business update? You have my full permission to un-follow me. But I do hope that this feels worth reading. Worth hanging on to. Something that makes you think, "this platform is worth using" (or, for you email subscribers, "this email is worth not unsubscribing"). What Else? Tighten Blog Tighten YouTube Matt Stauffer YouTube Links Things Worth Learning
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That's it for now! Until next time... Your friend, |