"How can you squander even one more day not taking advantage of the greatest shifts of our generation? How dare you settle for less when the world has made it so easy for you to be remarkable?" -Seth Godin
I admit it. I am a few generations behind in my social media savviness. Maybe a few more than just a 'few'... fortunately or unfortunately I am the kind of chap who must be dragged out of the past. I was still using CD players five years into the iPod craze. When I finally mustered the courage to purchase one I was in awe...
"OMG! Did you see how amazing these iPod thingies are?" People would simply stare at me. Then shrug their shoulders. Call me a weirdo. And I would then be ostracized from the herd...
This pattern definitely continued with my delayed entrée into the social media world. I couldn't understand why people were spending so much time twittering. I mean what the hell is a bloody Tweet? What are you talking about? Pick up the phone. Fool. Send a fax. A telegram. Even a strip-o-gram would work... but a tweet?! Then there was navigating my way through the minefield of Facebook... enough!
I was holding onto the past with a vengeance. I wanted to stay rooted in all the old forms of communication... I was grasping on with both hands, screaming my way into the present. I would not budge and you weren't going to make me. So don't even try.
Then something changed. I woke up.
I had a conversation with the gurus in my PR team. They sat me down and read me the riot act: "If you don't find a way out of your cave you will sell no books. If you don't find a way out of your cave no one will know who you are. If you don't find a way out of your cave, no one will care." With these words ringing in my ears it became clear.
I had to find a way out of my cave.
So, I spent a few weeks saying goodbye to my old life of social media illiteracy and began a fun and interesting journey into the 21 century. It has actually been an entertaining and inspiring ride if I may say so myself. I have even started to think in 'tweets'. "OMG! I am going to tweet that!"
I never thought those words would spill out onto paper...
On a more serious note, I realized that social media was a great way to connect. I had always held onto the fallacy that the only way to truly connect was face-to-face. But this is not the case. Yes, face-to-face communication is crucial, but connecting with people all around the world is made possible through social media. It has brought me closer to family and friends alike. It really is wonderful. And what is greatest of all? I can't even remember where my cave was...