With Social Media, getting started is like crossing a river

I have used this analogy 3 times in the last 20 odd years. The first time was back in the early adoption days of PCs for the masses at home, the second with the birth and early stages of the Internet (although I seem to still use it for companies) and the 3rd time is NOW with Social Media and networking tools.

The analogy goes a little like this:

There is never a good time to get ‘into’ new technologies. Social Media is like a fast moving river. It has a course to run with many twists and turns in it. You cannot see the bottom nor know fully what traps might be laying inside it. There is no real start or finish it just runs.

You can see the other side, and while the other bank looks a little greener and there appears to be good things going on over there, you have yet to find a good bridge (read easy way) to get over there.

Some friends and colleagues across there are yelling out to come join them but you are only hearing every other word they are saying due to the breeze (read – you don’t understand half what they are saying because they seem to speak a new language since they got across there).

It seems inevitable that you should go across there, every day more and more peeps (oops you mean people, but you are picking up bits of it even on this side) are crossing over, some never to be seen again mind you.

At some point you will have to jump from the known bank you are on and plunge into this river.

You have walked back and forth on each side looking for a narrower area, some form of bridge over or any form of safe passage.

You have dipped your toes in and it doesn’t seem cold at all, and you are tempted to just launch into it.

What will happen when you do?

Well, the river will take you where it takes you. You cannot accurately calculate where you will end up, for all your best calculations and guesses. Some get there quickly and close to where they want to be, others get carried off down the stream to whole new places.

However, at some point you will need to cross the river, the choice is will you cross before everyone else has already done it and  move down stream, or will you hold back and wait until you MUST go before there is no one left?

There are always a few left behind who will not leave the bank they know so well. Each has a choice.

If you choose to make the jump;

• look for a few friendly lifeguards (colleagues or friends to guide you),
• wear a life vest (be humble and ask for help)
• and swim your heart out (participate) and mostly good things will come of it.

Well that’s what ireckon!

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