Last week I posted a social media survey to figure out where you spend most of your internet time, how much time you have to allocate to web socializing and just what you are looking for when surfing cyberspace. Some of the results were expected and some made me go, "hmmm?" I plan to share the results over the next few weeks.
1. How much time do you spend on social media sites?
Less than 30 minutes a day = 21%
About an hour every day = 36%
2-3 hours a day = 43%
More than 3 hours = 0%
Hardly ever, maybe once a week = 0%
The results for this question didn't surprise me that much. After all if you want to create an online presence you have to be online. Go figure!
This news seems discouraging at first glace to someone like me, who literally has about 15 minutes in the morning to skim blogs, maybe pop onto Twitter and add a quick status update on Facebook (which if I'm honest hasn't happened for days.)
Is it possible to build a web presence if you're never on the web? Or if you never make your presence known? The obvious answer is no. Worrisome...for writers like me.
The majority of the people who took my survey are online between 2-3 hours a day. My measly 15 minutes can't compare to that. And truth be told, it shows. Authors like Jody Hedlund and Keli Gwyn, who make a concerted effort to be everywhere, have very successful followings. But I'm willing to bet they put in the hours to make it all happen.
What do you think about the results to this question? Do they surprise you? Is time spent on social media sites something you have or something you find?
I'm surprised it wasn't more hours than 2-3.
ReplyDeleteI suppose you have to work hard to get results.
I have time in the morning when my kids are at school, and even at work. My job is relaxed and only part time a couple days a week, so when I'm stuffing bulletins, I can read blogs or when I'm entering data, I can flip over or update fb/twitter.
Some days I stay off on purpose. I get sucked in and the writing won't magically get done. Neither will laundry, grocery shopping, or dusting. I only wish. :)
This doesn't really surprise me. But I'm with you Lacie. As I get more and more into this, having an online presence takes more and more time. And it's wonderful. I love the networking and community on the internet, but it's super time consuming. I don't have any other responsibilities but me... so while difficult it's not impossible.
ReplyDeleteI can't imagine how people with families find the time needed...
We can always try though, right? :)
Interesting results, Lacie! I think there is something to be said for knowing what writing stage you're in and adjusting your online time accordingly so that you're also focusing on the most important thing--writing. :) I remember Jody Hedlund did an excellent post about this several months ago. It's definitely a challenge, isn't it?
ReplyDeleteI just today signed up for Klout. Now I have to figure out what it means and how to use it.
ReplyDeleteMy Klout score went up by a point in the last day, but I have no idea why. Of course it's gone down by 3 pts over the last week and I don't know why that happened either.
I'm a social media doofus. I just like the people and seeing what we have in common, not the numbers game.
Thanks for sharing the results of your survey, Lacie. Like you I wasn't surprised by the amount of time the majority of the people who took the quiz are online.
ReplyDeleteGetting around to blogs, tweeting, connecting on Facebook takes time, but we have to take into account where we are in life. I'm an Empty Nester, so my days are my own. Someone with small children or who has a job outside the home isn't going to have as much time to spend on social media as as someone like me.
You know what? I think about this A LOT. Like, I'm not doing enough, so my following isn't going to grow. But recently I decided that I needed to remember that God has called me to write, and therefore I'm doing what He's asked of me. Whether I have 15 minutes a day or 3 hours, I'm going to do the best I can with what I've got, and no matter what, if He wants me to have a successful following and become a published author, He is going to see to that. As long as I'm doing my best for Him, I'm okay with right where I'm at.
ReplyDelete