With all the different types of social media out there on the interwebz these days, it begs the question of how much is too much?
I’ve been doing a lot of research on the subject for work, trying to convince the boss that it’s time for the company to embrace the trend and reach out to the masses, so it’s never been more on my mind than it is right now. As I grow my own presence out there, I find that I’m spending more time Tweeting and updating Facebook and checking out podcasts and blogs and bookmarking stuff on del.icio.us and digging sites – the list goes on and on. There comes a point where there’s too much stuff to keep track of and not enough time. You hit a sort of breaking point where you’re on overload – too much information.
Currently, I’m using software like Tweetdeck and Google Reader to keep up with everything on my computer(s), and similar software on my iPhone for when I’m out and about, but there’s only so much you can read and absorb in a day before your brain says it’s had enough and demands you play a little Xbox and zone out or take a walk without the internet in your pocket.
I don’t know how other people manage this stuff. My Google Reader page has become stuffed with RSS feeds, some for work, some for personal and the list just grows and grows. I try to trim everything now and again, as I did recently with those I followed on Twitter and I guess that’s the best anyone can do.
But there’s still the question of how much is too much? I mean, I have podcasts stacking up in my iTunes, and I noticed today that I had 157 unread items in my Google Reader, and my own prolific tweets have gone down of late due to other distractions – so where’s the cut off? Where do you draw the line and find that balance between staying up with all the stuff you enjoy and still having time to play a game or go for a walk or do whatever else it is we might want to do?
I’m still trying to figure that out. How about you?
~P
