If you’re addicted to two of the most popular social networking sites today, i.e. Facebook and Twitter, then you’ve probably smiled and silently screamed “Guilty!” at the title above. I got those fancy terms from a Yahoo! Music advertisement offering a solution for those obsessed with these two most popular social networking sites.
So, am I afflicted with Facebookery? I must admit, I do check my Facebook account from time to time, even while doing work! Ugh.
How about Twitteritis, am I suffering from this as well? I’m pretty much sure I’m not. Even if I do have a Twitter account, I don’t regularly use it, it’s just not my cup of tea.
How about other social networking sites such as Pinterest, LinkedIn or MySpace ? I do have a Pinterest account but it’s mainly for work reasons, and I still don’t have LinkedIn and MySpace accounts yet.
I’m not saying I’m against social networking sites and I’ll never register for additional accounts as I know these are effective venues to meet more contacts, promote my websites and other projects. I’m just quite wary about information overload and would prefer to focus more on urgent tasks that never seem to escape me. This is why I am waging the war against online distractions.
Thankfully I have managed to set up a simple system for time management to focus more on my work. I just set a scheduled time during the day when to check emails, open my Yahoo! Messenger or refresh my Facebook page. Not being able to have real-time online alerts sure was not easy to get used to at first, but now I realize and appreciate my work more when there are no beeps bugging me from time to time.
For now, I simply don’t have the time to dabble in yet another type of social networking tool for fun or leisure. If ever I’d want to engage in some hobbies or take a break, I’d rather play the guitar or meet up with a friend instead of indulging in some virtual respite.
Are you very much into social networking sites and consider yourself suffering from Facebookery or Twitteritis? Which situation or instance do you consider them as useless online distractions or, conversely, as essential tools for building relationships?