Social Media Burn-out? You're doing it wrong!

I totally borrowed this from TechCrunch!  But I just couldn't title it any better than they did.  I hear about social media burn-out a lot and I just don't understand it...personally.  Read the Techcrunch post here.  

I am still continually amazed that I can have a thought, and using a device that fits in my pocket, capture that thought, or real life experience, in text, photos, videos, or even just audio and automatically upload that content to a magical space that allows others AROUND THE WORLD to see, or share my experience, in near real time.  Not only that, but anyone can CHOOSE to engage with me and my thought or experience.  This is the most amazing thing EVER!  And I actually feel quite sad for anyone that does not experience the same pure joy that I feel every time something magical happens because of this cycle of learning.

Social media is simply becoming part of life.  It would be really easy for me to say something like, "ya never hear people saying I've got face-to-face socializing burnout".  The reason why that isn't even an argument is that people actually DO burn out on friends, family, co-workers, etc...even before social media came along.  This should not surprise anyone.

The reality is that you engage, and you disengage, and then you do it again, and again, and again.  Each person's need to engage is different from everyone else.  This is critical to understand when you are implementing social learning within your organization.  Please save yourself the misery of failure and DO NOT hyper formalize HOW people engage with whatever system you choose to implement.  And DO NOT make participation mandatory or connected to pay or anything like that.  Social anything needs to be authentic, period.

Learn more about everything SOCIAL with Mark Oehlert (@moehlert), host of the Social Learning Camp at DevLearn 2010.  Mark has some amazing content planned and rumor has it there might be some exciting news and attendees available at the camp this year.  Good times!

DevLearn 2010 Conference and Expo - November - San Francisco, CA

5 Years of Blogging about Corporate eLearning - Thanks for the memories!

Blogger was born on this day (8/23) 1999.  Six years later to the day I started the Corporate eLearning Strategies and Development blog - http://elearndev.blogspot.com.  It was not planned that way.  It just happened.  So now its been 5 years since I started blogging.  Things sure have changed, but as I reflect, much has stayed the same.

The following links are the only "anniversary" related posts I could find.  But it was fun to reflect back on what was important to me five years ago.  I started blogging 1 year before I left Intel...coincidence?

August 23, 2005 - The Welcome Post

http://elearndev.blogspot.com/2005/08/welcome.html

August 23, 2006 - First Anniversary

http://elearndev.blogspot.com/2006/08/happy-anniversary-corporate-elearning.html

July 7, 2008 - Running the Summer Seminar Series during the 2008 Anniversary

http://elearndev.blogspot.com/2008/07/guild-summer-seminar-series-2008.html

Questions I'm considering

1. Is blogging still an important part of your learning, or collaboration? 
2. Are you spending more time on twitter, or Facebook these days? 
3. Does your LinkedIn account supplement or replace your blogging activities?

I think my blogging has slowed quite a bit over this last year and so at this anniversary I'm finding it a good idea to re-imagine the blog.  Maybe I want to just shut it down?  Should I try to monetize it? Do I get more guest writers? I've always been more excited about a relaxed, less structured approach to self publishing, but it just feels like its time to either shut it down, or kick it up a notch.  

What do you think?

Boost your eLearning career! DevLearn 2010 Conference and Expo - November - San Francisco, CA

DevLearn 2010 - "I'm Speaking" Web Badge is HERE!

DL10_badge-speaking
Originally uploaded by Brent Schlenker

If you are presenting this year at DevLearn 2010 then let the whole world know about it! Download this image from the DevLearn speaker page and post it too your blog, or website.