I've just returned from a week's holiday with my wife and ten month old daughter. I did my best to forget all about the social web for nine days but alas it wasn't to be, and it was while playing a game of 'take everything out of daddy's bag when he's trying to pack it' with my little girl that it dawned on me that social media is just like looking after a small child. So here goes...
They both require round-the-clock care. From the moment my daughter wakes up at 6.30am until she goes to sleep at 7pm (and sometimes beyond) she needs the constant attention of her mum or dad. She needs feeding, changing and supervising. And even when she's asleep there are bottles to be cleaned, clothes to be washed and food to prepare. It's a 24/7 job - just like social media. The social web doesn't rest, and Facebook and Twitter wait for no man. Log on at any time of the day or night and there are friends, followers and fans online, which means that any social media profile needs 24 hour attention; the social media pro needs to think in 24 hour terms.
They both needs lots and lots of TLC. For their emotional wellbeing and in order to thrive, babies have to feel loved. They demand huge amounts of thought, time and attention, and social media is no different. A blog, for example, withers and dies if it isn't updated regularly with fresh, interesting content, promoted and generally looked after. Likewise, a Facebook page needs care and consideration. Like orphans in care homes, there are too many social media profiles out there that have been neglected for too long. Don't make yours one of them.
They both develop at a rapid rate. Only a few short months ago, my daughter was spoon fed every meal and couldn't so much as roll over. Now, messy as it may be, she prefers to feed herself and she recently started to walk. Similarly, the social web moves fast, and digital media strategy is an iterative process where tactics have to be adapted constantly; social media is a continual learning process. It's a new discipline that we're all battling to keep ahead of; to learn techniques and skills in the same way that a young child learns to talk and run. Just keeping up seems like a full-time job at times.
They both need a diaper! Stretching the metaphor somewhat, you say? Not really. I don't need to explain the ins and outs of a baby needing a nappy, but if you don't watch it or leave it too long between changes, there can be one almighty mess! And if you don't monitor your social web presence carefully or take proper care with status updates and blog entries, the clean-up operation can be a messy task. Organisations falling into this trap have typically left social media to inexperienced juniors or taken advice from those not clued up. So make sure the person responsible in your organisation knows how to fix a diaper!
In short, nurture your social media presence and it will grow into a healthy, beneficial and well-balanced channel all of its own. But leave it at your peril. Do you have any more comparisons between babies and social media? Or is it just me?!
