Watching the mini-mites play hockey at today’s tournament in Durango, Colorado, it struck me that these kids play for the pure joy of it. They don’t care who wins, who scores goals, who gets to be goalie. They care about having fun, and what the post-game snack might be.
And as social media matures, I hope you can keep that same perspective.
But, it’s not easy.
We’ve moved beyond “what is social media?” We’ve largely gotten past social media experimentation. We’re entering the era of normalization and best practices, and learning how to operationalize social media.
As we get more and more serious about social media, and concerning ourselves more with accountability, ROI and whether we’re doing social media “right” it’s easy to lose site of what makes social media special. And that’s joy.
Social media is transformative because it’s fun. It’s about people, not logos. And it gives consumers the opportunity to interact with companies in an informal and engaging way.
Remember that most of the social media successes we point to like Ford Fiesta,Comcast Cares, and IKEA on Facebook all have elements of fun that engage consumers.
As we focus more on the business of social media, don’t lose the joy. How do you know if you’re doing social media wrong? If it’s not fun. If you’re feeling overwhelmed by social media responsibilities, reduce the scope and scale of your involvement until the joy returns.
About Jay Baer
[...] same things are true in the “social media” world. First, never forget it’s social! Have fun!! Jason Baer wrote a blog about this I loved. Yes, when you physically go to that Chamber meeting it’s for work but c’mon – you’re [...]