I think I need a "do-over"
When I was younger and would play Barbies with my sister, every once in a while we'd need a "do-over". A do-over typically would happen after we'd been playing Barbies for hours (days) on end and we'd decide we were bored with how the Barbie lives were playing out. We figured Barbie could get nothing more out of going down the same path and so we'd declare a do-over and just throw all the Barbies, Barbie clothes, furniture, accessories, etc into a HUGE pile and then start the process of sorting out what we each wanted and completely starting over. Fresh look, fresh ideas, all new.
I think I need a social media do-over. As a social networks adviser, and someone who's been part of online communities for quite a while now I have seen myself change and adapt from one network or group of people to another. I've seen the phases that different networks go through and the people that move on, and those that remain. I've watched some people refuse to move from one network because that's where they feel comfortable and they see no reason to change or try something new. They like the people there, it's part of their routine and having been there for a long time, they enjoy the feeling that they're 'important' in that space. I love being connected to people, especially people I work with and can learn from. I love finding ways to make my job easier and if I can connect with others in my field or find folks that I might end up collaborating with at some point, then I am all about it. I've been wondering lately though.. if we stay with that same group, the leaders in our same field, are we really learning and growing as much as we can? Are we staying aware of *everything* happening in our world, or just that which is happening in our own little corner? If I'm following and connecting with only people that are working in social media, am I missing something really amazing that's happening in the arts? Is the corporate world experimenting with something that might make a difference to me if looked at with a different perspective? The more I evaluate conferences and professional development opportunities, the more I find myself seeking things that are outside or on the fringe of what I'm already doing. If I want to grow, and learn, and advance not only professionally but personally and creatively, then I need to move outside of normal. I cannot be an innovator if I surround myself and my development with conferences and people that do nothing but discuss things we're already doing. Technology moves fast and so does the rest of the world. I learn so much from blogs and twitter, but more and more I find that it's become people just repeating things I already know or have seen elsewhere. I find that I'm judging people based on how quickly they retweet/blog about/repost/share/link to, etc.... the newest news or the latest cool toy. Do we attend conferences to learn, grow, and innovate or do we choose our professional development opportunities in terms of how much fun we can have while we're there patting ourselves on the back and talking about the same shit we've been doing for years now? Don't get me wrong, I enjoy sitting around being told I'm amazing and wonderful and one of the 'cool kids' as much as anyone else, but when all the ego-stroking is done, have we learned anything new? Do we have any idea if any of the new stuff out there is actually a tool that could work for us? Do we have any different perspective than when we arrived at that conference or became part of that network? This isn't the first time I've felt this way, which probably means that I'm about to make some serious and significant changes. I will obviously still stay connected with people in my network but maybe not all of them - I don't think it's necessary to stay connected and attached at the hip to every single person when one person just repeats what the other has said. I think though,that I will actively seek out others to connect with and learn from. I feel confident that for me personally, I cannot grow if I don't rethink things. Eventually, even Barbie had to dump Ken to move on with her life.
