Four Reasons Why People Don't Use Twitter

Let's just say I might be married to someone who might have a Twitter account.  Again, let's just say... 

And let's just say that I might have a brother who has a Twitter account. Hypothetically speaking of course...

And to complete the trinity, let's just say I might happen to have a sister in law who has a Twitter account.  Following so far? 

Their commonality isn't me.  What they all have in common is that they have Twitter accounts but don't really use them.   As my three year old would say, "Wait- what?"  It's true, my wife Cary has a Twitter account, (@carystpierre) but she doesn't really use it at all.  Same goes for my other family members. 

And there are millions of other official Twitter users who activate an account and then never actually use the account.  I've found at least four reasons why folks don't use their Twitter accounts, followed by what you can do about it: 

1. They haven't downloaded a Twitter app for their smartphone. 

2. They don't feel like they have anything interesting to say. 

3. They feel like they might use Twitter "wrong" and then be criticized. 

4. They aren't in the habit of publishing what they perceive as "private" matters. 

Do any of these sound familiar? I know that when I began using Twitter, each of these was in my mind.  Still, having been a classroom teacher where you have to think like a reporter (i.e. discovering new things every single day to share with your students), I also found Twitter to be fascinating and fun. 

Michael Hyatt calls it a huge strategic opportunity for leaders. 

So let's respond to the four objections I listed above:

1. They haven't downloaded a Twitter app for their smartphone.   Solution: go to the App Store (iOS) or Play Store (Android) and download the official Twitter app for your phone. If you want to spend a few bucks, I suggest Tweetbot for your iPhone and Fenix for your Android phone- both are excellent and make Twitter even more fun.

2. They don't feel like they have anything interesting to say.   Solution: think of yourself as interesting to those that know you. You don't have to be Kim Kardashian or Bobby Flay to be interesting (although I wouldn't mind cooking like Bobby).  Your friends and family probably find you very interesting.  There are a ton of others out there who might also find your interests to be fascinating.  You do have interesting things to say!

3. They feel like they might use Twitter "wrong" and then be criticized.   Solution: there is no "wrong" in Twitterland so just go for it.  Who cares how you choose to use it? If you want to talk about bananas or Toyotas or the treehouse you're building for your kids... do it. Who cares what others think?  Twitter is what you make it to be.  Post every hour or once a day.  Tweet famous quotes.  Tweet about your favorite TV show. Tweet about how adorable your kids are. Tweet about your relationship with God.  

Here are some surprising and excellent Twitter personalities that you might want to follow and may find intriguing:

-Fr. James Martin: a Roman Catholic priest who is a voice for justic issues and faith (and occasionally appears on late night TV). 

-Erik Fisher: a podcaster who gets to interview some of the best voices in productivity (and loves bacon). 

-Nancy Caramanico: an educational consultant who hosts a weekly Tweet-up called Catholic Ed Chat (and loves the ocean). 

-Joshua Becker: a pastor who sold 50% of what he had and now writes about simple living (and how his wife didn't divorce him in the process). 

4. They aren't in the habit of publishing what they perceive as "private" matters.  The internet has made the lines between public and private very blurry.  I'm not suggesting that you should be tweeting during child birth or as someone is dying.  (although both have been done!)  Solution: post things that interest you.  Don't worry too much about whether they are public or private.   Focus on what captures your imagination and your fancy.  Try different things out.  

This post was a long time coming.  I felt that I had to write it, especially after seeing the people I love try to use Twitter but face common roadblocks.   By testing out the four solutions above, you'll enjoy Twitter more and overcome obstacles that all of us face from time to time.

What do you find most useful about Twitter?  Which obstacles did you have to overcome in order to get more out of Twitter? 

Photo courtesy of fdp

6 Steps Towards a Simpler, Smarter Digital Life

He wants to be fully present to his kids... but Instagram calls out his name.  She wants to be giving her full attention to the drive in front of her... but the chime on her phone signals another tempting text message.  

Sound familiar?  

Tweet this: Millions of folks sign up for social media sites like Twitter every day. Millions of others wish they hadn't. #speakdigital

Millions of folks sign up for social media sites like Twitter every day.  Millions of others wish they hadn't.  Somewhere in the middle are those (like me and you, you know the good looking ones!) who want to live a simpler, saner digital life.  

This week's video is all about how you can take back control of your life online.  It outlines a formula that you can start using TODAY to restore simplicity to daily life.  

See what you think and let me know of future video topics that you'd like me to cover.

If you enjoyed this post and would like to read/see/experience more of what Mike has to offer, join his mailing list, the Speak Digital Network here.

5 Signs That You are a Digital Leader

The scene was intimidating enough- a huge conference table with ten folks on one side and one job candidate on the other side.  Like speed dating, the interviewers fired question after question at the candidate.  Finally, THE question that was on my page came due-

"Can you tell us about your own personal use of technology?"

The answer was telling.  All of his cards were laid bare on the table as it became clear that he was not (yet) a true digital leader.  He said with the slightest grimace on his face, "Well, I have an iPhone... I have some apps... I like computers."  And on it went.

Candidate Joe was a good guy.  He did have an iPhone and did answer as best as he could.  The issue was whether he was a deeply inspired digital leader.  He wasn't.

How do you know if you are (or are becoming) a digital school leader?  Here are some signs:

1. You are truly mobile.  This is true if you need to charge your phone in the afternoon- a sign that you use your smartphone (you have one right?) a lot.
2. You embrace social media.  You Tweet, use Google Plus, get Instagram, and understand the value of the new culture of sharing.  (you can follow me on all of these here)
3. You collaborate online.  My team uses Asana but you can also use Slack or even Nozbe.  The key is in cutting down on email and working with a team via shared documents or virtual meetings.  
4. You use a digital task manager.  I like Nozbe and Todoist the best but it really doesn't matter- find one you like and use it every single day.  Paper is great but when you manage 20-30 projects at a time, digital is the way to go.
5. You respect email.  Responding to email within 24 hours is something you take very, very seriously.  I like Gmail and Airmail for Mac.

So with these in mind, are you a digital leader?  If not, can you choose one of the five signs and dive in within the next 24 hours?  

*photo courtesy of FDP

How Do You Explain Technology to Those Around You?

Every so often you get the chance to spend a day with special people.  Last Wednesday was one of those days as I gave a presentation to the leadership team of the Missionary Servants of the Most Holy Trinity.  The topic was digital life and its impact on evangelization.  

Most interesting was the group's desire to learn more about how new media impacts one's faith and spirituality.  We looked real-time at Twitter and Pinterest and Tumblr.  We discussed the dangerous side effects of social media as well.

At the end of the day, I had to answer the important question, "what's the point of all of this?"  While I'm by no means an expert, a few years of practice with social media gave me enough of a platform to explain technology to this eager group. 

Here I am with the leadership team of the Missionary Servants of the Most Holy Trinity- a terrific day!

We also spoke of Sherry Turkle's book, Alone Together.  Sherry discusses the various ways in which people are relying more and more on technology and less on one another- disturbing but true!   

I relied on personal experience, case studies and real-time data to help the group better understand technology.  Let's hope that it helped! 

I'm including Sherry's Ted talk below as a reference. 

So how do you explain technology to those around you?   

Noise Levels and Work: Finding Your Sweet Spot

What's your optimal level of noise? 

I have a friend named William who needs absolute silence when he studies.  He goes into a room, closes the door and reads.  Another friend, Sharon, can work with a higher level of noise.  Her preferred space for work is the coffee shop close to her house. 

I'm probably somewhere in the middle.  I don't mind some noise but I need space to zone out and get things done.

How about you? 

At what point do you slow down and see your work suffering as a result of the noise around you?  It could be a result of coworkers interruptions or enabled chimes on your laptop.  It could also be a result of the noise in your own head- distractions are something we all deal with.

In this way, work is similar to prayer in that we all have to find ways to dial back our internal noise.   For me, my role at work is often a distraction and one that I have to "work" to keep in place.  

Here's the deal- first, you'll want to identify the ideal levels of noise for your work productivity.   Are you more like Sharon or Will?  Or, maybe you're like me and you don't mind a bit of background noise?  Pay attention to the times in your week when you are especially productive.  How much noise was there?

Second, let's discuss some strategies for embracing your ideal noise levels.  Here are my three recommendations:

•  Stop worrying so much about what others think about you when you work.  After all, the bottom line is to produce good work that matters to the organization.  If you work in a company that allows headphones, go for it.  If you are in a cubicle, see if some quiet background noise is allowed and then make it happen.  If you are a "total quiet" kind of worker, figure out spaces that allow for you to get alone and get quiet.
• Be a person who suggests change and then participate in the progress.  Read here what 37 Signals does to promote a quiet workplace.  You could do that too. 
•  Get into the zone as often as possible, with noise reduction as your ally.  What we are talking about is pretty important stuff- your career, family, social network, even your faith all depend on periods of time in which you can focus and get things done.  Figure out the noise stuff and you're one step closer to hitting it out of the park on a regular basis.

Is all of this relative?  Sure.  Is it vitally important to figure out and then repeat over and over again?  Absolutely. 

What's your ideal level of noise when you are hard at work? 

 *BTW, Craig Jarrow shared a link to a great (and free!) service called Coffitity.  Simple enough, Coffitity provides coffee shop background noise for when you work.  I've used it for a few days now and it's great! 

**photo courtesy of TMN 

5 Blogs I Turn to for Inspiration

People read differently these days.  Google is shutting down Google Reader for RSS subscriptions and Amazon now sells more ebooks than print versions for several years.  I stopped using RSS readers a few years ago when Twitter came on the scene.  There's something about the brevity of Twitter that's good for people on the go.

Now I use Twitter almost exlusively for reading but there are a few excemptions.  I still enjoy going to someone's blog to see what they are up to and to "crack open" their daily posts.  

Who do I turn to for insight?  Read on...

• Shrinking the Camel- by J.B. Wood, Shrinking the Camel is quite honestly one of the best written blogs there is when it comes to putting faith into work.  J.B. is a master narrator of the events of his life and how God's providence integrates with the most mundane of activities.  A classic post: Thanks for the Lovely Gift Basket.
• Michael Hyatt- the gold standard for productivity bloggers.  Michael is also a devout Christian- combining both geekness with God.  A classic post: 5 Characteristics of Weak Leaders (and how not to be one)
• Ron Edmundson- Ron is a pastor of a traditional church and is an incredibly adept blogger.  He finds a way to talk about his church without outing difficult folks.  Always a good read.  A classic post: 10 Things I'm Learning Leading Church Change.
• Time Management Ninja- written by Craig Jarrow, TMN is all about practical tips and tricks.  With a nod to Apple geeks (just sayin'), TMN is always, and I mean always, useful for decreasing drag on your work systems.  A classic post: 10 Ways to Save Time With Evernote.
• Michael Nozbe- written by Michael Sliwinski of Nozbe fame, this blog provides a behind-the-scenes look at one of today's best techpreneurs. Michael does business the right way and has created an avid following in the process.  A classic post: Combating Resistance: the 10 Step Productivity Course Recorded.

These sites work for me when I need encouragement along the way.  Where do you turn for inspiration?

Photo courtesy of RE