Everyone makes New Year’s resolutions, but sticking to them is a whole different matter. This year, I’m taking 5 traditional resolutions and putting a social media spin on them. They aren’t difficult, so you might just make it to 2015.
Lose weight: Having thousands of Twitter followers or Facebook friends isn’t as cool as you think it is, unless you talk to each of them on a regular basis. If you’re wishing someone a happy birthday and have no idea who that person is, you know exactly what I’m talking about. When your followers to following ratio is in check, you’ll feel good.
Manage stress: I don’t know about you, but blogging and taking photos relax me when I have a lot on my mind. Don’t knock it until you try it. When you feel stressed, take a photo of something nice like a flower or sunset. And then post it on Instagram or Facebook or somewhere where friends will comment on it. Soon, you’ll forget what had you so riled up in the first place.
Volunteer to help others: This one is easy and fun. Find a topic you know a lot about, whether it’s cooking or sewing or fixing cars. Then, search Twitter for questions about those topics. For example, search “bad cook” to see if someone has a question about preparing something. If you know the answer, help them. You might make a new connection and feel good for sharing your knowledge.
Eat healthy food: Normally, this one goes along with losing weight but it’s a little different in the social media world. If you really want to get fit faster, trying taking photos of your healthy food and sharing them on Instagram. When you see what you’re eating, you’ll be motivated to keep eating that way. And the virtual cheers you get along the way from your friends and followers are a definite plus.
Get organized: Take stock of all your social networks and give them the once over every 3 months, so four times in 2014. Check your followers. Check your privacy settings. Make sure you have a photo for your avatars. Fill out all your bios. Update your mobile apps. All of these little things every once in a while go a long way to keep you in control.
Happy New Year. And thanks for reading So Social.
What questions do you have about social media? Tweet them to @scottkleinberg. He might select yours for use in a future column.
![“Let the music do the talking,” sang Phish vocalist-guitarist Trey Anastasio at the outset of the band’s concert Saturday at the Sphere in Las Vegas. Normally, hearing that advice from a well-disciplined virtuoso who seemingly never tires of the stage and worships the groove would pass without a hint of potential irony. However, given the group was not even one minute into the third of its sold-out four-night stand at the $2.3 billion dome — expressly devised to push sensory boundaries to previously uncharted limits — one couldn’t help wonder how seriously Phish would take its own instruction. Turns out […]](https://www.chicagotribune.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/CTC-L-ENT-PHISH-04-e1713888536637.jpg?w=620 "“Let the music do the talking,” sang Phish vocalist-guitarist Trey Anastasio at the outset of the band’s concert Saturday at the Sphere in Las Vegas. Normally, hearing that advice from a well-disciplined virtuoso who seemingly never tires of the stage and worships the groove would pass without a hint of potential irony. However, given the group was not even one minute into the third of its sold-out four-night stand at the $2.3 billion dome — expressly devised to push sensory boundaries to previously uncharted limits — one couldn’t help wonder how seriously Phish would take its own instruction. Turns out […]")
