Riding The Social Media Wave

In the few minutes I pondered how to start this entry I received six new tweets. Hey, there’s another one.

Information overload. If you sit too long it will wash over you and drag you into an ocean of content. I’ve been talking about information overload a lot lately with many colleagues.

“How do you keep up with all of the content that is generated on Twitter and in blogs?” asked an old friend in the PR business the other day over coffee. (Two more tweets just came in.)

She, like many others, longs for the old days. Before Social Media. Before Web 2.0. Before you received new content via a Twitter account every 30 seconds.

I reminded her that before Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook, we had countless newspapers and magazines churning out more content than we could ever hope to keep up. Now, there’s just more of it at an even faster pace. (Five new tweets.)

“So what can we do? How do we control it?” she asked.

First off, don’t try. You’ll never be able to absorb it all.

You just need to find a way to climb on top of the content and ride the wave. I depend on Twitter to be my surfboard – and I’m talking the business side of Twitter where companies and individuals share links to interesting articles they’ve found. These Social Media mavens and gurus want to appear like they got it going on so they only share useful content. They avoid the other side of Twitter – the I-just-got-back-from-the-gym side – like the plague. (Three more tweets.)

That’s why I split my Twitter use into two distinct camps. I have a business-oriented Twitter account in which I follow agencies, business leaders, high tech magazines and forward-thinking companies. And, I have a non-business-oriented Twitter account where I follow friends, comedians, celebrities, sport stars, etc. They provide me with mindless entertainment.

So, I told my friend, create a Twitter account for business acumen and one for fun. It has helped me avoid that overwhelming feeling of information overload. I can’t keep up with it but I am able to ride on top of the wave so that I don’t get all wet or eaten by sharks. (Seven new tweets.)

Here’s a solid base for your business-specific Twitter account: @mashable, @Time, @FastCompany, @nytimesbusiness, @Forbes. Build off this and you’ll be on your way.