Over the weekend I accepted a Google Wave invitation from a friend. I visited for a while and became increasingly overwhelmed the more I read.
I commented on my FaceBook profile this past weekend that I was "teched" out and just wanted a hammock, a breeze and a book (not on Kindle). I then got off the computer and went fruit picking with the family, in our yard.
Sunday night I attended a Tweet Chat local Miami real estate professionals have been hosting and just minutes into it my internet connection started acting up. I will not lie and say I was upset. I welcomed the chance to get off the computer.
This morning I read an Inman article about a new social media tool. While reading it, I thought to myself, "another one?"
I have been fighting all these advances by just ignoring most of them. Or at least, not seeking them out. If someone lets me know about something they're finding really useful, I usually check it out though.
I know my life is different today because of technology. My real estate business is handled a certain way because of it as well. I like Active Rain and plan on using it a long time. But just, how much is enough?
It's never going to end. Developers will continue coming up with new things.
If we jump to check all these things out and invest a good amount of time in the evaluation, when do we have time for everything?
In the last week alone, I have heard about 6 or 7 platforms I wasn't familair with previously. The onslaught is constant. How do you handle it?
Maggie Dokic, SFR is a licensed real estate broker in the state of Florida selling residential real estate in Miami, Palmetto Bay, Pinecrest, Coral Gables, Gables by the Sea, High Pines, the Redland and other select areas of SW Miami-Dade County.
Maggie has earned her SFR certification to be able to better serve the needs of her customers in today's non-traditional real estate market. SFR is a Short Sale, Foreclosure Resource Specialist. Designees have been trained to understand the highly specialized options available to Sellers facing short sales & foreclosures and Buyers looking to buy them.
For more information on our local real estate market, or to see or sell a home in Miami, Palmetto Bay, Pinecrest, Coral Gables or the Redland, visit my Miami Real Estate blog or contact me at Maggie (at) TheBlogThatAteMiami (dot) com.
The opinions expressed herein, are those of the author, and not necessarily of Prudential Florida Realty.
Hang in there Maggie. We all struggle with too much technology in our lives.
Melissa, thanks =) The good thing is that I have familiarized myself with the OFF button or the little X in the upper right corner. =D
Maggie
This is so true. There simply is not enough time to try all the new things out if we want to focus on our business...or you give up any sort of life besides your work and tech tools, etc. And there are likely many new tools, platforms, and gadgets thatm while interesting, will not necessaily be best for us in our personal or business lives. I guess I need to be able to see the value and benefit of using the tool, or whatever before I jump in.
Jeff
Jeff, I've been using that as my litmus test. Will the benefits outweigh the time invested? So I have taken a very laid back approach to it in that I just wait to hear about it from someone who's been using it. But at some point, I need to realize and accept that even if they work, I don't have to use them all.
I need to start pruning. =)
I am signing off AR now and continuing my work. lol
I thought it was Christmas Morning when I got my Wave invitation but I never got into it... hopefully I did not leave it the way I had Facebook set up for a couple of years, looking as if I am there but not forwarding contacts to an email account. I had Twitter populating Facebook, using something. People thought I was there??? I know someone said something about it on ActiveRain. I did figure out how to dismantle it when a prospect was trying to schedule an appointnment and I was oblivious. She emailed me or called me after a couple of days, thankfully. I am not always that lucky.
They will keep developing...new, more... the latest and greatest. Sometimes I ignore. Sometimes I try a little bit before I ignore. I try to be smarter now than my Facebook fiasco. I am still not comfortable with Facebook but I try to get a bit more done when I have the time.
Thing on Inman does not look like something for me... but hey 6 months from now it could be exactly what I need.
Hi Maggie, I wrestle with that problem too. I've been waiting till a site has been up and moving for awhile before I even look at it. Just remember that once you take the plunge, it's like taking on another task. There's a learning curve (usually), plus the upkeep. Kind of makes me yearn for the days before computers, text & cell. But with a click of the X poof, gone, and with a press of a button, poof, my phone will take messages. Well, it's back to work for me. Great post!
Best Regards, Jay
Maggie, all of the Social Network Sites are great, but not if we spend all our time on them and do not take care of business. In my opinion, you choose two or three that work for you and fully utilize them, instead of jumping all over the place and end up wasting valuable time.
Hi Maggie~
I'm looking at this as a diet...an amount of time and energy to "learning"... I like webinars quite a bit. Last week I did an AR webinar. It was valuable and only took an hour. Tonight I am pplanitng annuals ....nature FEELS wonderful....!
Maggie
It's very easy to run out of time, do your best.
Good luck and success.
Lou Ludwig
Maureen, I understand. Sometimes the platform is unfamiliar and we can mess up on the settings. Thank goodness the lady knew enough to follow up. It could have been worse. I was on Facebook before my teenagers were. They tought MySpace was cool back then. They've seen the light now. =)
Jay, that is EXACTLY what bugs me. The fact that if one of these works out, it's yet another task to add to our already burdened day. At that point I start prioritizing. Maybe using the "clothes in my closet" method. I can bring another tool in as long as I let one go... =)
George, agreed. Because I understand that, I tend to go the other way. I don't spend enough time on them. I need to choose which ones to focus on and then use them. For instance, I hardly ever Tweet. But I know it's a good one to keep. I need to just add it to the schedule and it will take 5 minutes max daily.
janeAnne, it sounds to me like you have this balance thing all worked out. =) Embracing one good thing at the cost of another is not what I am after. Getting outside and leaving the busy-ness behind as you did is the perfect way to go about this. I enjoy gardening so much and yet haven't done much of it this year.
Lou, don't I know it. I always seem to be coming up short. LOL Best wishes to you too.
Maggie: Once in a while we find this great new tool. They come at such a rapid speed its overwhelming if you are trying to keep up with it. I did some gardening last couple of days and it paid off more then anything else. I hope you can get back to it! George is so right. Putting one hour a day on networking is plenty...
Lloyd, hello! How are you? What did you plant? I love vegetable and herb gardens more than anything else. Green peppers are so pricey nowadays that I really should just make myself plant a few dollar plants and get the additional benefit of having peppers to pick. =)
Maggie,
I agree that balance is so vital to healthy living. I have not yet succumbed to having email on my phone, even though it would be beneficial. I do not always need to be preoccupied with business and technology.
Thanks for the post,
Cal
Cal, wow! I'm almost dumbstruck. No instant email? I'm not sure I could be as restrained as that. wow again.