Why I Waste Time on Facebook

“I’ve absolutely no time for Facebook!

“And why do I need to know what people have had for breakfast, anyway?”

I could tell that any attempts to reason with my friend were fruitless.

But I wanted to help him see the business benefits. I wanted to tell him how social media had been so useful to me. I wanted to demonstrate the fantastic set of free tools he could use.

But no. He wasn’t interested.

End of conversation.

“Listen to these massive Social Media benefits!”

If I’d been allowed, I would have told him about the personal and helpful advice from experts which I’d received simply by reaching out to them on Twitter.

I would have told him about the interesting and influential people with whom I’ve connected on Social Media. You know, those sort of people who only a decade ago were beyond the reach of us mere mortals. Some of them, now, I actually regard as friends.

I’d have told him about the number of people whose day I’d made, simply by posting an encouraging quote on Facebook or Twitter or Instagram.

I’d have told him how I found out from Twitter what was causing a recent outage – immediately after it had begun (you can’t even get that sort of instant information with a Google search). And I would have told him how I’d received a personalised reply in response to a brief tweet to say “thanks for fixing it”. A thank you goes a long way, doesn’t it!

I needed some help!

Last year, I needed some software to perform a specific task.

But nothing on the market could do exactly what I needed.

Actually, there was… but it came with a huge price tag.

I knew an expert in the field. We’d been friends on Facebook ever since I met him at a social media conference, heard him speak, and chatted briefly afterwards.

And we’ve kept in touch on Facebook ever since, sharing ideas and inspiration.

So I sent Ian a direct message.

He replied and suggested a software package which had just come onto the market.

I researched it, trialled it, and ended up subscribing.

Now I’m friends on Facebook with the co-creators of the software. I send them suggestions. And they incorporate my suggestions as new features.

So they get more features added – more selling points.

And I get an optimised programme – with personalised features.

It’s an amazing win-win.

And it’s because of Social Media.

May I Brag?

Of course, there are the brag moments too.

Such as when Gary Vaynerchuk likes your Tweet and you simply have to tell someone.

“Hey look, Luv! Gary Vee has liked my Tweet!

“And the astronaut, Chris Hadfield, too…

“And the author, James Altucher.”

“Yes, I know, Dear. You’ve told me three times already today!”

Ah well.

You’re allowed to brag a bit, aren’t you?

Passive Income from Social Media

But here’s another reason I love social media.

And it’s this:

It’s generating a nice passive income for me (if you’re interested, here’s my article about how to generate passive income).

Now don’t get me wrong.

I’m not always on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, SnapChat, Pinterest, LinkedIn, Google Plus…

Nope. I choose a few platforms which serve me best and try to use them efficiently.

And I get it if you’re totally uninterested in what I had for breakfast.

After all, The Lidl equivalent of Shreddies isn’t really that interesting.

But if you want:

• Advice or feedback from the experts
• To connect with influential people in your industry
• A virtual mentor
• To share your passion and ideas
• To encourage and help people
• To get you or your business known

Then get yourself active on Social Media.

Want to start the ball rolling? You can connect with me here on Twitter and we can share some ideas and inspiration.

What about you?

How’s Social Media helped you personally, or helped your business? Or how have you helped others through Social Media? Write something in the comments box below and let’s keep the conversation going…