I spend a fair amount of my time keeping up with other bloggers, blogging myself, tweeting, and checking up on Facebook. There a numerous ideas out there about how to be involved with social media and how to do it without it taking a lot of time. The truth is, at least for me, no matter how efficient I am, tracking social media takes time, it is a commitment, and I benefit from it the most when I regularly check in and stay on top of my Google Reader posts and Twitter lists. It becomes a burden only when I’m behind and playing catch up.

But why do it at all?

I know more than a handful of people who still proudly live in blissful ignorance of social media and are happy to be disconnected. And I don’t judge them for their choice. There are days when I, too, wish to unplug and just ignore the online world altogether. But for the most part, I have found entirely too many advantages to staying connected that it’s worth the effort I make to stay involved.

What could I possible gain from social media, you might ask?

Being clued-in when it comes to current events.
Inspiration to be crafty from people more creative than myself.
Cooking tips and recipe ideas.
Motivation to stay in shape and suggestions on how-to.
A heads up on time sensitive deals and bargains…

Just to name a few.

And not to be overlooked, social media also often clues me into the latest in technological advancements and ways that the marketing world is evolving and progressing. Working in the book industry, it is critical that I be tapped into not only how books are going digital but how tools to promote those books have long ago gone digital and only continue more in that direction daily. Like it or not, our world moves at a faster pace today than it used to. For me, the best way to keep up has been to to jump in at any point and figure out how to make social media work for me. If it’s new to you, understand that you may have to tinker with your daily routine a bit to find what works best for you, but it is possible. And from my experience, totally worth it.

So what motivates you to stay plugged into social media? Or, if you’ve chosen to stay checked out, why?

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