This month has been all things social media for me. I’m teaching a fourth-year (senior, for you ‘mericans) course in social media, and yesterday, I gave a presentation to a great group of editors. The Canadian Anglican Editors Association are meeting in our fine city for their annual conference. The local host, Paul Sherwood, invited me to talk with them on the recommendation of a mutual colleague. After last year’s disastrous presentation to the co-op group, I felt I had to redeem myself.
Thankfully, I did. I think. Here are the slides, if you’d like them. Of course, you’ll be missing all the great talk that went along with it. But, you might find some ideas if you’re on the look out for them.
On the drive home, I reflected about the group, our discussion and what they might do with the information we exchanged. This is my top five list for those who have pressures from the higher-ups to “get on the social media bandwagon”:
1. Keep “community building” and “communication” at the core of your motivation. (In other words, there’s no place for propaganda in social media.)
2. Remember that social media is a broad category and the different tools will do different things.
3. Choose the tools carefully, based on research and intention.
4. Start small, especially if you’re a tiny shop or intimidated.
5. Understand that people are multi-dimensional; they can enjoy gardening and social media and its gadgets, for example. (That’s a private, and amiable, quip for a kind man at the back of the room.)
There are more, of course, but as we traverse through the overwhelming options available for us, I think it’s important to try to sift through and prioritize. Just like always.
DeNel Rehberg Sedo 
And it’s okay to feel overwhelmed! There are so many choices available today and things are moving so quickly. Sometimes it makes sense to sit down and look at your goals and core competencies and figure out just what it is that you do well — and where you need help. I say “need help” and not “need to improve” because I think so many people and organizations get hung up on the idea that the company/person has to build those new competencies. Sometimes it makes sense to outsource those things and have someone else excel, so that you can continue doing what you do best. If you’re feeling pressure to get into something and you just don’t see how you could have the resources to learn and manage it, it may well make sense to hand over that work to someone else. But starting with your goals is really important, so that you aren’t handing over work that simply doesn’t need to be done in the first place.