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[NETWORKING FOR INTROVERTS] Social Media: How to Avoid Burnout
Happy Holidays!
Something we don't talk about very often in the world of online networking is the importance of taking a break. We hear a lot about the value of posting to our blogs, Facebook and Google+ pages, and Twitter accounts frequently and consistently. We read about the necessity of blogging on a schedule. The most successful bloggers will tell you they "have never missed a scheduled post." But what few people talk about is the importance of setting your social media tools down and putting your feet up, of taking a vacation from your online life the same way you take a break from your professional life for a couple weeks every year. (For those of you thinking, "But social media is fun; it's not work," you're probably using it for recreational purposes. Those of us who use social media as professional and marketing tools eventually tire of it, and the best way to avoid burnout is to take periodic breaks. Here are a few tips for doing so:
1. Announce your scheduled break.
Don't feel guilty about it. Just tell the world, "I'm going to be offline for the next two weeks while I sunbathe in the Caribbean/watch every episode of Battlestar Galactica/clean out my attic." It's better to announce your break ahead of time than to disappear from the Internet without warning. And don't apologize for your absence when you return. Just jump right back in. Most people won't even notice.
2. Preschedule posts.
Another method of taking a break is to write extra posts before you go offline and schedule them to post while you're gone. The problems with this method are: a) It doesn't feel like much of a break if you have to write double the number of posts before you leave and b) Your readers/followers may wonder why you're not responding to comments if they think you're posting live. Only take this route if writing extra posts is not going to be an extra burden, and be sure to let your followers know that you're going to be on the beach drinking margaritas and will respond to comments when you return.
3. Host guest bloggers.
In order to keep your blog posts consistent without taking on the burden of writing extra posts while you're gone, you may want to host guest bloggers and preschedule their posts before your break. Again, be sure to let your followers know that you will be offline for the duration of your break.
4. Repost old posts.
Many of our best posts get buried beneath newer content. Social media breaks are the perfect time to repost a "Best of" series, which you can preschedule before you hop on that plane. Just remember to let your followers know how long you'll be gone and when to expect you back.
I have not posted to my blog for two weeks (which is possibly what broke my blog—I'm working on fixing it now), and I can tell you that taking a break feels fantastic. I know that when I return to my office at the San Francisco Writers' Grotto January 7, I will be refreshed, revitalized, and ready to dive back into social media again. Meanwhile, I have played a dozen games of Chicky Boom, made paper snowflakes, launched water rockets until I was soaked head to toe, solved the Perplexus Rookie, watched a Denzel Washington movie, eaten too much chocolate, and begun rock climbing again. I would say that's a pretty successful use of my time away from social media.
How about you? Do you ever take breaks from your online life? What has your experience been?
Comment
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Comment by Joanne Barney on January 25, 2013 at 6:25pm -
Meghan, I spent a few months reading the posts on my Facebook page, maybe an hour a day or so, when I realized that I didn't give a hoot what someone I hadn't ever met had eaten for breakfast, or what her grandboy said when he saw a frog. My "friends" were people I'd added because I joined Facebook with the goal of building a platform on which I could sell my ebooks and become rich and famous. Then I realized that I hadn't really written anything worthwhile for weeks, exhausted perhaps by the grandboy's exclamations. I quit Facebook, its daily email announcements of friends wanting to communicate disappeared, and my writing life settled down into . ..writing. When I quit, Facebook warned me that I'd not be able to get another chance with them. Well, maybe not me, but the resulting book, Graffiti Grandma, may just get its own chance to find friends.
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Comment by Meghan Ward on January 7, 2013 at 7:21pm -
Julene, your method of blogging sounds relaxing :)
Kate - I'm so glad you took some real breaks from social media. We all need them!
Kathy - Lev is right that no one knows what's going to work. And blogging should never take the place of real writing, although many of us do use it as a procrastination method (myself included).
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Comment by Meghan Ward on January 7, 2013 at 3:34pm
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Nancy, I don't even know what my Google blog rating is! I'd love to hear what people have read or heard about this.
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Comment by Meghan Ward on January 7, 2013 at 3:32pm
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Eleanor - Thanks for reading!
Dani - Here's to a new beginning in 2013!
Tele - I understand the desire to keep up with everyone else, but we all need breaks. And in the end, we'll be better bloggers and writers and humans if we unplug now and then. Your fishing trip sounds fantastic!
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Comment by Meghan Ward on January 7, 2013 at 3:29pm
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"Nobody really seems to know what works and what doesn't. It's a crazy business." Well said, Lev! And great to hear from someone who has the perspective of being in the business for a while. Thank you for your comment.
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Comment by Meghan Ward on January 7, 2013 at 3:27pm
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Sherrey, I'm so sorry to hear about your losses and about your daughter's cancer. I hope your time away from your blog is restful and rejuvenating. I just took three weeks off, and it worked wonders for me.
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Comment by Karen Dawkins on January 5, 2013 at 4:40pm -
Great advice. I need to remember the "Best of" when I'm going to be gone or offline -- the holidays! I'm better prepared for December now!
I greatly appreciate guest bloggers -- especially those who live anyplace other than NC. If interested in swapping guest posts, please message me. I blog at Family Travels on a Budget
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Comment by Azara on January 4, 2013 at 9:18pm -
I needed to read this right now. I have a completely recreational personal blog, and I'm allowing it to become stressful instead of fun. Time to dial back on trying to build my readership.
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Comment by Julie Luek on January 4, 2013 at 2:06pm -
I love hosting guest bloggers-- love the fresh perspective and it gives me a break.
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Comment by Kathleen Cassen Mickelson on January 4, 2013 at 7:53am -
I just completed a two-week holiday break for my blog, One Minnesota Writer. I post on my blog every Tuesday and Friday, with occasional special posts. When I schedule a break, I also schedule blog posts to run on my regular days that say I'm taking a break and note the date when the blog will resume. That way, people still hear from me on days they've come to expect without my having to do posts ahead of time or find a guest blogger to keep things going. Now, if I could just coordinate the next blog break so it's at the same time as a break from the online poetry journal I help edit (Every Day Poets), that would be divine!
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