Post, Don't Scroll

I made the mistake today that millions of people make everyday. I was scrolling through some social media, killing some time that I really didn’t have to kill. Then it dawned on me that what I was seeing was really not that entertaining, educational or positive. 

What I was seeing was pretty much a bunch of, “Look at me, please!” cries for help that I was hoping would lead to something funny, clever or inspirational. Or something else, I’m not exactly sure what.

I was hoping that my time spent scrolling would pay dividends.

I was hoping that the next post I saw would be the unicorn post I was dreaming of. They do show up every once in a while. Maybe every 5 thousand posts or so.

Unless you’re on my feed, then it’s every other, maybe more.

Anyways, looking back, that is a pretty unrealistic hope. I’m not sure what your social media scrolls bring up in your feed, but it got my thinking.

Why do they call it a feed, and who is doing the feeding? We want to think it is us and our decisions to like or ignore a post. But the feeding all comes down to the fact that we are not the consumers of social media. We are the product.

That alone is creepy and eye-opening.  

So I created a rule that I do my best to abide by. The rule is simple: post, don’t scroll.  

That is to say, post for your business or on the rare occasion that you feel you have something worthwhile to tell the handful of people that may actually see it. Then get the hell out of there.

It is a waste of time that will not earn you the dividends that other things you could be spending your time on will pay you.

No one will likely be on their deathbed and wish they spent more time scrolling.  

“If only I spent more time posting selfies…” should not be a dying thought.

Social media has a place, though since it is fairly young, we as a society are still working on figuring out what that place is. We are working on, through our actions, what significance we will give social media.  

As an exercise in defeating irony, share this post on your favorite social media and then go build your business. For real, this time.

James Kademan is a Business Coach for Draw In Customers Business Coaching in Madison, Wisconsin as well as the author of The BOLD Business Book. When he isn’t fighting the siren call of social media, he is busy guiding entrepreneurs to success in business and beyond. He blogs successfully to the world at www.drawincustomers.com and has a business podcast, Authentic Business Adventures. If you are considering hiring a business coach, take a moment to call James at (608)210-2221. If you need some guidance, give James a call and he’ll help you get through this challenging time. 

The original version of this article can be found here: https://drawincustomers.com/post-dont-scroll/