Spring is in the air.
On both sides of the pond, lifestyle and house decorating magazines are decking out their covers in pastels, eggs dyed with food colouring, wisteria and daffodils are everywhere.....and there will be 101 articles written on spring cleaning and the 'greatest and best top 10 tips in the world ever to clear that clutter!'
And cleared must it be, as Yoda once never said - "Clutter to the dark side leads. Clutter leads to confusion. Confusion leads to stagnation. Stagnation leads to mass genocide.....and dusty corners".
(I'd like to dedicate those last two paragraphs to Jayne from Mum's the Word, know this one thing - it's all her fault).
Shall I shut up now?
Aaaaaanyway....there's definitely something about Spring that makes me want to get organised. And a goal that appeared on last year's goal list but wasn't achieved is to get in control of my social media. To streamline and organise it so that using it is a benefit and not a time-waster.
When I opened my first Facebook account in 2007 it was an exciting new toy for me. I could see what fellow students were up to (I was back at uni for another postgrad), I could chat with friends and see their photos. I knew and talked face-to-face to the 20 or so friends I had.
And then friends and family members got added. Then I started seeing the possibility of networking with others in my profession. So they got added. Before I knew it I was accepting friend requests from people I wasn't really sure who they were. I was being poked, sheep were being thrown at me, distant family members were telling my parents what I was up to because they'd read my wall. Then the invites started to join a million and one groups, events, requests to like people's pages......it all got too much.
So I need to get Facebook in control for a start. A large part of me wants to go, but then I'd probably miss info. about burlesque festivals/events, the chance to network with other performers. Plus now that I'm getting into blogging....I'm wondering whether I should start accepting/following fellow bloggers. Oh I wish I knew how to quit you Facebook!
And it's not just Facebook, I want to find better ways of using Twitter, Myspace (yes, I'm going to keep it, I think) and all the other things I use or have signed up to. I want to access information quickly, I want it to be fun again, I want to avoid the spammers as much as possible.
So this is the plan. Just like 'normal' spring-cleaning I'm going to:
- decide what I want to get out of each and every application/blog/community
- take stock and look at what I've got, what works and what doesn't
- have a cathartic clean-out
- find ways to better organise what I have left
- buy myself a starbucks and sit back and admire the view :)
I also want to have a look at branding. I used to be really hot on this, mind you I used to be a PR Officer who designed leaflets, posters, campaigns etc. I've let my personal brands slip over the past few years and this needs to be addressed as part of the tidying.
As a start I thought I'd try and do an inventory of all the social media I use or have accounts for....I'm including my various email accounts, my blogs, websites, communities, forums etc:
Blimey I'm signed up to a lot of stuff. I'm sure I've missed stuff - I've already realised I haven't included using the Threadbanger forums (or fora).
But at least this is a start.
A to-do list. I'm going to sort this lot. Possibly delete some accounts if they aren't enriching my life (hoho, very new age). I shall streamline and unify. I shall be undeterred from my mission....except if I happen to be moving house in the middle of March...oh damn, I am aren't I? Oh well, there might be a few distractions - but my mind is made up, I shall have a pretty, useful and unified social media or my name isn't Tempest, oh ok then, isn't Sarah!
And I'll tell you about it along the way and give you links to useful websites.
Watch this space....
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