Do I Want to be Your Friend? By Linda S. Glaz

Our social medias pursue us like hounds on a burglar. It’s impossible to open the email in the morning and not find dozens of invitations to join your “friends” on the social media of the day. And those are constantly changing. New ones popping up, old ones figuring out new ways to connect you with more people. And all in the name of advertising. Did you think they did this from the kindness of their hearts?

The more you are interconnected, the more they can find just the right items to sell you. If you post about someone lying, suddenly all sorts of messages about people lying crop up along the side of your site. Mention a food blog…and you are inundated with food sites.

So what does it benefit you to become friends with John Smith and Suzie Jones? You’ve never met them and all they really seem to do is take up space on your site. Do you NEED to know each time Suzie’s two-year old goes potty by herself?

Recently, the buzzwords for an author are: platform, platform, and platform. So what’s a person to do if they want a chance at the brass ring?

There comes a time when balance, as with anything else in life, is key. You want to write, but you’re told you need to have a platform, and soon, platform takes over. You are spending more time checking your social media than you are writing.

Balance truly IS key. Set aside x-amount of minutes per day: check in with your ‘unknowns’ on social media, check your email, write blogs, check others’ blogs, but more importantly—write! You can’t promote something you don’t have.

Balance! Moderation. We learn as we get older that moderation is paramount to living any type of successful life. Staying slim, avoiding addictions, work, play.

Do you want EVERYONE to be your friend? Do you want to ‘stay connected’ 24/7? Do you need to have everyone like you, like your interests?

There comes a time when you have to make the decision: Do I want to be your friend?