Pellau Magazine

Staying in touch with you girls is priority # 1 for me! I have this column on BettyConfidential which I love, but I find myself many times during the day thinking, "I have found the new miracle product! I must let everyone know immediately! Should I go to Twitter? No! Facebook first. But which one? Regular or Fan Page? Wait I have a message on Linkedin! Wait! Someone wants me on YELP! Oh, my iPhone is buzzing! But which of my e-mail addresses is needing my attention?"

Oh my Lord and Taylor! STOP!!!! I take a breath and think, "Do I need Social Media therapy? Has my iPhone become iCrack? Knowing you girls, I figured if I was experiencing this, you must be too! All this stress is going to give me a zit!" So I reached out to Social Media Guru and Futurist Jason Rockwood for therapy. He's a gorgeous brainiac with a Masters degree from MIT on this very subject! He'll help us my pretties!

When I called Jason he started laughing and said, "Everyone I know is experiencing this Harvey! You are not alone! Facebook, Twitter, and websites like BettyConfidential have changed the way the average user communicates and consumes information. They're all great! But with so many social networks now available, it can be hard to keep up with them!"

Then he said, "Harvey, you have Social Media Schizophrenia."

Awkward silence. Did Jason just call me Sybil? The girl played by Sally Fields with eight personalities? He could tell by my expression that this wasn't sitting well with me. He laughed and said, "Social Media Schizophrenia will be one of the biggest trends for 2011. So as usual you're a trend setter! SMS is the sense that your identity is being fragmented by all these social networks."

Me: "Tell me more oh wise social Media Guru!"

Jason told me that he himself has the same dilemma and has developed three ways to avoid SMS and maintain his global contact without driving himself crazy to get it exactly right!

1. When thinking about what content to post where, keep this in mind: Twitter is a cocktail party, Facebook is a dinner party, and Linkedin is a corporate networking event. Post content that is relevant and appropriate for each of those settings.

2. Try to be the same person on each channel. While you want to follow Rule 1 above, you don't want to act like a totally different person on each channel. You'll come across as, well, schizophrenic. Just be yourself!

3. Finally, use social media tools which help bring together the various pieces of your social identity. I love About.me to have one page that lists all my social networks along with any links to press or media that you want to share. I also recommend using a social management tool called HootSuite. It’s a fun and easy way to manage multiple networks without logging in to multiple pages. It can really let you take a deep breath and feel like you've got all the loose ends together in one place.

I felt so much better after speaking with Jason. I must admit though, right after we hung up I thought, "I have to let the girls know immediately! Facebook? Twitter? Yelp?"

This is going to take some practice! I better go to HootSuite right now and get organized!! Oh wait! My iPhone is buzzing. Sorry girls, gotta go!

XO,

Harvey

p.s. Send me links to your About.Me pages when you get them up and we’ll share them with the girls here on BettyConfidential! And if you want to learn more about Jason, visit about.me/jasonrockwood.

Harvey Helms is a beauty culturist and writer, drawing on 30 years of experience in cosmetics, fashion and design. Harvey has held positions ranging from Global Director of Beauty for Revlon Cosmetics to Executive Director of Special Events for Donna Karan Beauty. Harvey currently lives and works in Silicon Valley, where he just finished writing his first book in a trilogy of three: an engaging tell-all on the fashion industry. Follow Harvey on Twitter atTwitter.com/HarveyHelms.

 Jason Rockwood is a social media strategist and advisor living and working in New York City. He works with some of the world's biggest brands and the best digital agencies. Prior to this, he studied social media at MIT, in the Department of Comparative Media Studies.

Source: http://www.bettyconfidential.com/ar/ld/a/social-media-schizophrenia-do-you-have-it.html