There Is No Social Media Utopia

As I was walking Shadow yesterday morning, I was marveling at the beauty of the leaves on the trees as they change colors. Many of them had fallen as the result of Sandy’s winds and rain, but even on the ground they looked rather idyllic. And then I remembered: I have to rake them up and get rid of them.

When the first real snowfall comes, it’s wonderful to sit inside and watch it lay on the ground, bringing a peaceful white blanket to the neighborhood. But then the cars dirty it up, and yes…I have to go out and shovel the walks.

Or perhaps you buy a house, like some friends of mine recently did. They love their new house (old, but new to them). They’ve made it their own. But as Sandy was coming through our area, I saw them posting on Facebook about the multiple leaks they had discovered in their roof. Their dream home wasn’t quite the dream they thought it was, but now they just have to move on and fix things.

Sometimes things look beautiful. They seem wonderful. In fact, at times they look too good to be true.

Many look at social media that way. They hear people talking about how wonderful Facebook is, or Twitter, or Pinterest. Free platforms that can give you a leg up on the competition. It’s easy to log on to any of those platforms and see businesses and nonprofit organizations doing really cool things. Finally! Utopia!

But then reality hits.

Oh, it takes time? You mean I have to stop what I’m doing to post things? And I might have to pay someone to do it?

And then of course there are the hidden leaks: Facebook makes changes that are hard to understand. Twitter blocks your favorite third party app.

Nothing is easy. Nothing is really “free”. Everything worthwhile requires an investment of time and/or money. And things don’t always work the way you want. What worked on Facebook yesterday might not work well today. It happens. But you pick yourself up, do your best, and move on.

We adapt, because we have to.

Don’t go looking for a quick and easy solution. Don’t search for the “perfect” platform. It doesn’t exist.

Instead, roll up your sleeves and get to work.