Instructions in Moving Forward: What Facebook, Twitter, and the New World of Social Media Have Taught Me

The best wave is the wave right in front of you.

The other day I was explaining to someone how Facebook works. And no, this person wasn’t 90 years old.

This was so unexpected, I came home and recounted the story as a highlight of my day. Just imagine–me being someone “in-the-know”! Me “getting it” and talking about the viral effect! Me having the opportunity to help someone else! I would not have imagined this.

But in fact, I do “get it.” In the 15 months since I first entered the Facebook world, I have learned so much that even when my implementation is weak (which is often enough), I at least understand where I am lacking. I don’t have all the skills, but I love having the concepts.

This brings me to the most important thing Facebook—and by extension Twitter and other forms of social media—has taught me: how to simply keep it moving.

I come from a pre-Internet era, a time when writing took time and forums for publication required finished products. Whatever I worked on I worked on long and hard, making it as perfect as possible before releasing it to other eyes. Writing involved a lot of searching for “just the right words,” a lot of waiting, a lot of saying “not yet.”

Waiting. Searching for just the right words. Saying “not yet.”

Could any ideas be more contrary to the current social media world?  Social media means communicating right now, through words that happen to come out, to people who happen to click in.  It is what people are thinking now, today, in this moment, with expectations for readability but also what I might call “chattability.”

Social media forums are conversations, immediate communications. Think too hard or too long, and the moment has already passed.  Capturing a thought when it is ripe means releasing that thought when it comes and not spending time trying to coax it into perfect juiciness. A blog that you wait to write becomes a dead topic.

When I first joined Facebook I was scared to post. What to post? Would it be the right thing? Would it be “good enough”? I hesitated, I pondered, I agonized; and I posted very little. Only with time and the accumulation of more friends did I grasp the whole point: people post (whatever), the news feed moves, and news becomes old very fast. Then it’s time for the next thing. You post the best you have (or the worst, if that’s what  you are in the mood for) and then let it go.

Facebook gave me instruction in moving forward. No holding on, no waiting until it’s right. Jump in now and ride whatever wave you happen to catch, which will take you to the next wave and the next one. Soon you’ll discover you don’t remember each wave or how elegantly or clumsily you were traveling. You’ll simply know you are moving forward.

Questions for Reflection: What are your expectations (in terms of writing or reading) about on-line publishing and social media? How do you relate to the concept of “letting go” of what you choose to express? What does “moving forward” mean to you?

Writing Prompts: “I want to post/publish on-line but I ______” (then keep writing); “To keep myself moving forward I ______” (then keep writing); “I find myself waiting (delaying) to do something when ______” (then keep writing).

Tagged as: anxiety, blogging, daily writing, Facebook, holding on/letting go, moving forward, reflective writing, social media, Twitter, Ultimate Blog Challenge, Writing