Not that I write on this blog much, but it’s gonna be less for awhile because I am going on year three of my vacation from all social media. Each year I take off the entire month of August from blogging, tweeting, reading blogs or Facebook posts – everything.
Why am I telling you this? Well, as I said in the past, I don’t want anyone to be offended if I don’t answer them on Facebook or Twitter for awhile. I’ll be back after Labor Day and I’m sure I won’t miss much (things slow down in August, that’s why I picked it for this kind of vacation). If you know me well, or are a client, you can find me on old fashioned email until August 15th, when I disappear for about ten days from all communications while I take my real world vacation.
Two years ago, this little experiment led me to abandon FourSquare altogether, but I missed Twitter a bit and kept up with that. Last year, I stopped using Facebook except for linking my Twitter feed and reading comments/messages directed to me. I’ve actually started using FourSquare again, now that it keeps lists. I don’t check in much, but I do use lists a lot.
Earlier this year, I took an unplanned social media holiday due to being without internet access on some mini-vacations, and I have to say – I didn’t miss social media at all. I don’t get much out of reading updates on Twitter, Facebook or elsewhere. I’ll likely stay on them, as I’m launching something where being social is a help, but I’m not a fan anymore. I am a fan of Instagram and Foursquare (lists only), but I might leave the rest altogether, we’ll see.
I’m going to spend the next month using my free time to be more creative, and think about stuff a little longer, instead of filling that void with social media. I suggest you do the same sometime.