Are you intimidated by social media?  Do you have a tough time relating to this new technology?  What I have learned since diving into the world of social media is it is just another form of communication.

Before the phone was developed, we walked to a friends house and communicated face to face.

Before voice mail was developed, we called back until we reached the person we wanted to talk to.

Before cell phones were developed, we stopped at pay phones or made all of our  calls when we had access to a land line

Before email was developed, we left messages on the phone.

I think you get my point . . . social media is just another form of communication that has developed and now people don’t have to phone, leave messages, or email thoughts, ideas, invitations, etc.

Better or worse?

Just remember that technology is neither good or bad. Social media isn’t the greatest thing to happen to our world or the worst thing.  But understand it is here and here to stay in a big way.  You can choose to ignore it and use more traditional forms of communication but remember that there are billions of people that don’t necessarily communicate that way anymore.

Is social media a time suck?

It certainly can be and I must admit I’ve fallen into that trap many times.  However, social media can also be efficient and productive.  How else can you potentially reach thousands of people quickly with a tweet or a post.  If you think about it, social media has a reach like never before.  In my opinion, the key to success is to develop a strategy of use that makes sense for you and be consistent.

My two cents

Social media is merely an extension of the things that many of us have already learned about communication:

  • People want to communicate with other people.
  • People want to connect with like-minded people and form communities.
  • People want to access information that is useful to them in some way.
  • People want to share information with others and to be recognized by others.

Social Media is just another use of technology to help us get closer to other people in some way — even if it is merely virtual.

Jim Yih is a Fee Only Advisor, Best Selling Author, Financial Expert and a syndicated columnist. He is a sought after financial speaker on wealth, retirement and personal finance. He currently specializes in helping employers implement Group RRSP and Pension plans along with his Financial Education in the Workplace program.  For more information you can visit his any of his other websites www.WealthWebGurus.com and www.retirehappy.ca. You can also follow him on TWITTER@jimyih