Man of Depravity - Tyler Braun's posts on Church Ministry, Worship, Seminary, and Theology.

Starting Over With Social Media

2009 October 08

by Tyler

Writing the demise of social media reminded me of all the “mistakes” I’ve made in social media in the past. I say “mistakes” partly because there are a lot of things I would do differently, but also because when the heart behind the mistakes is right, they aren’t totally mistakes (at least in social media…that isn’t a theological statement).

Social media is an interesting thing. I started blogging way back when simply because I thought I had something to say, I had no idea if anyone would want to read it.

I haven’t made a dime off of this. I’ve gotten a few free books and I’ve gained a lot of new friendships that wouldn’t exist had I not started blogging and using Twitter.

But always in the back of my head are the things I would change if I could become a social media virgin again. Some of these things I am in the process of changing, some things I can’t ever do again. So learn from my mistakes.

Here are some things that I would absolutely do different:

Started with a self hosted blog. I say this because I started with Blogger, switched to WordPress, and now I’m dying to have a self hosted blog. It would be more work and I don’t have the money to afford to do it, but the freedom and creativity a self hosted blog has would be worth it.
Stopped trying to be the guy who doesn’t want to follow the crowd, ever. I’m stubborn. Sometimes, very stubborn. I’ll admit that. At first I thought twitter was lame and would fail, and then after a few of my friends joined I was adamant about not joining simply because I’m stubborn and didn’t want to be a late adopter.
Found a focus from the beginning. This is the biggest mistake bloggers make. They start a blog and they have no idea what they want to write about. I was the same way. I blogged about politics, faith, sports, my life, my family, where I live. This is all well and good, but most people would much rather read a blog that has a specific focus rather than someone who writes about everything.
Not posted everyday. I’m a consistent guy. I run 3 to 4 times a week, about the same distance, every time. I show up to my job and leave at about the same time each day even though I don’t have set hours. I do homework at the same times each week. When I started blogging I knew the only way for me to do it was to post every day. I’m trying to get away from that internal expectation, but it isn’t easy.
Left self-promotion alone. I get that part of social media is self promotion. I don’t write this stuff so no one can read it, so part of the process is to get more people to read it. BUT, too often I let that get in the way of just simply serving others with what God has placed on my heart. I wish I would have devoted half my time to posts on others’ blogs and not just my own. I wish I could get over the innate feeling that I have to tell others about my posts because no one else will. And what happens if no one cares about what I wrote?!?! That would suck. My identity would be gone…or something. Too many of us Christian bloggers are more worried about becoming like Carlos, or Anne, or John…rather than just serving the readers who take the time to care about what we have to say.

What would you do differently if you could start over with social media?

Filed under: the rest... Tags: blogging

http://seth.heasley.net/blog Seth

I started blogging as a way to keep a Bible journal, but then expanded to other topics, basically just to allow myself to write about whatever. The variety of topics suits me, even if readers don’t read. If I really thought my thoughts were worth bugging people about, I’d Tweet. But I’m still determined to not be a Twit.

BTW, my hosting package costs $6 per month. I’ve got my blog, Elaine’s blog, my parents’ blog, and my sister’s blog on it. The flexibility of WordPress.org is nice.
http://www.benlemery.com Ben

Great post. The most difficult struggle I have had is not having the expectations that everyone is going to read my blog. It is hard when you write this phenomenal blog, in your mind, and then 5 people read it.

If I were to start over, I wouldn’t have started and stopped ten times but I also would have come in with a more defined theme. I talk about so many things from religion, politics, life and whatever else may be on my mind.

The other thing I would change is how I approach topics and people that I don’t agree with. Words can be like knives and even though the person you are attacking may never read your blog, you have to write it as if they are. Of course, the mistake that people make about me is that I would say what I write most of the times, which can be good or bad.

I took this week off of blogging and in someways it has been kinda freeing. Always trying to come up with a topic that is going to stir something in your audience can make you go nuts and then you question, is this a real topic or are you just making it up; kinda loses it’s “real” factor then and then becomes mass produced.

There ya go bud.
http://ash-nits.blogspot.com ash

i downgraded my phone recently…back to using the motorola krzr instead of my “google phone” (the equiv of an iphone). i decided that whether i’m at work or at home, i always have access to the internet as i need it, so what’s the point of checking my social media accounts when i’m having coffee w/ someone? ironically, i find it annoying and i’ve never been to have a problem w/ going to dinner w/o my phone. social media can be beneficial~ but i’m not the kind of person who “wants to be in front of the camera” so to speak and i don’t need to be connected every second of every day.

as for blogging, well i don’t do so every day, and average about 10 a mo. i know who my readers are. and sometimes i’ll throw it up on fb so people know i’m writing something new, but i guess, it is one of those things that, and i’ve mentioned before, really i do it for myself first- a)work on improving my writing b/c i would eventually like to publish and b) a way to process a little more generically about things i’m working on or thinking about, to write and get my thoughts out there. and if no one else will, i’ll get my dad will read it. wink.

social media is astounding for better and worse. i’ve connected w/ so many and i’m glad for that. but i also know that i don’t have to be addicted to it. and trust me, i’ve had spurts ….but in the end, i’m still who God made me to be. be encouraged, tyler, your identity isn’t gone if you let loose of some of it.
http://rcgale.com rossgale

I actually had fun learning from my social media mistakes. I earned some stalkers and pissed off lots of people. I’ve enjoyed watching your social media journey. You’ve had a drive and focus I admired. And it’s produced something I always read and learn from every day.
http://rcgale.com rossgale

oh and you’re not a bad writer by any means
Yonas

You dont wanna get addicted to Internet and ended up homeless

http://www.newsweek.com/id/216911/page/1
justinwise

I would have focused much more intensely from the beginning. But back in 2004, what did I know? What do I know now?

It’s all a journey, I suppose!
http://ash-nits.blogspot.com ash

yonas, you better be careful, cuz now the hobo’s can blog!….i read one called homeless tales that’s was set up by a once homeless man who encourages homeless people of all kinds to find ways to use the internet and tell their stories. i guess the crazy cycle never ends!
Yonas

Ash this is why I don’t give money to the homeless at the highway off ramp, who knows I could be paying off their iPod or DSL bills…when I don’t even have iPod!
http://dubdynomite.com dubdynomite

I’m a little like you in that I tried blogging over at blogger on and off for a while, but never became consistent.

I really never started posting much until I went self-hosted. (I already had the hosting account for other reasons, and wordpress was an easy install). I really like the number of possibilities out there for customizing when you’re self-hosted (although, I’m not nearly as savvy as I could be when it comes to that).

Time to write was/is still an issue with me, so I never put a “must post every day” restriction on myself. I like to post at least twice a week (some weeks I don’t make that). My writing tends to come in spurts, so I tend to create a ton of draft posts in a short span, and then come back and polish later.

I don’t know if a single focus is the right way for everyone. Sometimes it’s more of a certain approach to your writing. People will enjoy your ‘voice’ so to speak, even if you’re ‘singing’ several different ‘songs’. If you write about the things that inspire you to write, you’ll attract people who share similar interests.

That’s my opinion, anyway. I’m hardly one to be handing out advice on blogging. Trust me, most of those observations are about my favorite bloggers to read, not necessarily how I do things. I’m still working on finding my voice as a writer myself.

Keep writing, and I’ll keep reading.
http://evanshawblackerby.com evan blackerby

I stopped blogging a few months ago. For almost a year, I blogged 5 or 6 times a week. Burnt out. Didn’t enjoy it anymore. Became less about Jesus and more about me.

Done with that. Great post.
http://newheights.wordpress.com Darin

Great thoughts.
Stefanie

Tyler — May i say that I appreciate your blog very much — your links and blog comments have taken me to a larger Christian world and new favorite Christian blogs & websites. I’m Roman Catholic paid staff, and let me tell you, the concerns you have for church ministry are the same in any faith tradition. I think that blogs such as yours help those of us who labor with the harvest…saying stuff that we may not want to bring up at our staff meetings and certainly not in conversation with the members of our church. There’s something so good going on right now — the Christian world is connecting up in so many good ways. We can no longer afford to ignore each other. We’ve too much to learn by sharing. We’re cross-pollenizing (pun intended!)via social media.