Getting Over Your Fear of Social Media
Social media is everywhere and if you want to keep up with everyone else, you need to at least have a strong acquaintanceship with it, if not a love affair. That applies to all people around the world and it applies to you on a personal and a professional level. So, if you fear social media in any way, now is the time to conquer those fears and to start taking advantage of all that social media has to offer.
What motivates you if you are not sharing valuable information on social media?
You may have many different reasons why you don’t share information on social media that should be shared. Although none of them should be good enough to prevent you from giving other people the benefit of what you have obtained, those reasons are understandable on a human level. So, now it is your job to conquer those fears and do the right thing. What are some of those reasons?
-
Technology: Technology can be extremely intimidating to many people, especially to people who are older. The fear has absolutely nothing to do with intelligence. Some of the most brilliant people are terrified of computers, mobile devices, etc. However, those devices will force you to use a different part of your brain and it may be out of your comfort zone. The way to get over that fear is to plunge ahead. Practice really does make perfect and the more you get into using technology, the more comfortable you will be. It is that simple.
[tweetthis]Technology can be extremely intimidating to many people, especially to people who are older. The fear has absolutely nothing to do with intelligence.[/tweetthis]
Once you have started to learn how to use the various devices, tools, etc, you will see that it is really not such a big deal that it should stop you from doing what you want to do. If you have some patience and the right mindset and you will do great.
-
You don’t want to come across as a salesperson: Everyone knows that you don’t want to be perceived as a salesperson. Salespeople have a negative connotation in many cases and there is no way that you want anyone to think about you in that way. However, you should bear in mind that if you share valuable information, that doesn’t necessarily mean that you are trying to sell anything. Maybe not now and not ever. You are simply trying to add value to your social communities. It is exactly the same concept as blogs. Blogs are meant to provide valuable, educational, exciting information to other people. Blogs should be viewed as a tool that helps other people to resolve the issues that they are experiencing. It is that simple.
-
Fear of inadequacy: Probably, every human being on the face of the earth has this particular fear. When you pair it with technology and online activities, it becomes even stronger. The last thing that you want to do is to share something that the other person thinks is not in any way valuable. However, you need to trust your own instincts. If you feel that it has merit, it probably does. The chances are really good that the person reading what you are sharing will find it valuable and you will come out looking like a hero.
-
The other person disconnects from you online: This might be a particularly big concern. You share what you feel will benefit your online connections but one of your connections doesn’t agree with your choices and disconnects from you online. That feels like a personal insult in many cases. If that bothers you as a concept, the fear of that happening may drive you away from sharing valuable content with other people. Well, you need to conquer that fear. There will be people (on occasion) who will do exactly that.
However, you shouldn’t let it stop you from continuing to share great content. If you lose some connections, you will make new connections that may be even more valuable. It is certainly worth the risk.
-
What’s out there: Having a fear of the unknown is extremely common but there is an extremely simple way to remedy that. Come to understand what is unfamiliar to you. Once you have done that, you will see that there was absolutely nothing to be afraid of. In fact, if you can relax about it, you may even have fun. You probably understand very well how much value social media holds. Why would you want to deny other people or yourself those benefits?
-
Commitment: The truth is that social media requires a commitment. You need to commit to spending a certain amount of time and effort each week in order to make it work for you. The idea of that may seem overwhelming but if you break it down into smaller increments, you will begin to understand how manageable it really is. For example, 20 minutes a day, four days a week, will make a tremendous difference and you will start to see your efforts paying off.
Conclusion
The reality is that technology is only going to continue to advance and evolve. If you think back to where we were 30 years ago, 20 years ago, 10 years ago, and even 5 years ago, you will realize that the only choice to make is going forward and if you want to keep up with everyone else, you will need to get over your fears and start to get the most out of the tools that you magically have at your fingertips.
We are pleased to provide you with the insightful comments contained herein. For a complimentary assessment of your online presence, let’s have coffee.
|
