Tag Archives: Twitter

Years ago, if I told my friends that I was tweeting and blogging, they would have told me to go see a doctor. Today, if you are not tweeting and blogging, it could effect your health.

Yes, believe it or not, as reported on mashable.com by Alexander B. Howard (@digiphile), a report on chronic disease and the Internet by the Pew Internet and American Life Project and the California HealthCare Foundation showed that “people fighting such illnesses are using social media to find information and connect with others who suffer similar ailments.” Through the use of online communities, twitter and teleconferences, medical/healthcare electronic encyclopedia sites as well as government resources, people have been able to research, collect and share their heartaches and heartfelt help stories to connect and attempt to cure their ailments. But consumers need to be cautious because some although info is savvy and other sites are scary. You can’t believe everything you read, so be sure to research the writer as well as the written word.

Health wise, I myself have been stricken with bouts of Twitter-fever, the symptoms of which include staring at a computer screen, typing feverishly, and sweating over squeezing significant sound bites into 140 characters. The dangerous side effect is that it makes the hands on your clock spin around without you even noticing its rotations.  I try to breeze by the tweets that say things like, “I had a strawberry for breakfast” or “It’s one of those days.” That info I can live without. But when I stumble upon a tweet that brings me to breaking news, a perfect dinner recipe, or the fastest way to sell my new book* (shameless plug), it makes my cybertime worth my time.

And how do you make those online hours well spent? In his brand spankin’ new book, Smarter Cheaper, Faster (Wiley), David Siteman Garland, founder of The Rise to the Top, advises us that you have to make sure you get your “content” onto social networking sites like Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn to “network one-on-one with people who share your passion and interests and form real relationships.” He describes how “people of all demographics like to share their thoughts, ideas, and great stuff from other sources” but it’s not just anything that gets the most attention: it is the content that’s “interesting, relevant, useful, and current” that will “rise to the top”. (No wonder he’s a marketing-maven!)

And it takes plenty of time and effort to be a social butterfly. Your ‘followers’ are counting on you to provide info on a regular basis while also wearing the hat of a good listener and advice giver. As Garland points out, “Consistency is a slow burn connecting to people one at a time” where “One person turns into two. Two turns into three and the list goes on.” That’s how it works…and it does work!

Whether you want to grow your business, grow a garden, or grow spiritually, you can find a wealth of resources on social networking. If you’re not signed onto one of the sites mentioned above, take the plunge. It could be exciting to uncover your own talents and explore what you have to offer others. I will be writing a series of stories interviewing social media movers and shakers…so let me know if you’d like to share your story. Please drop me a line and send your contact information to http://www.bonnietaubdix.com/contact-bonnie/ or better yet…now that I have your attention I hope you’ll follow me on Twitter @eatsmartbd.

Or if you prefer, just drop me a line and say hi. (It’s even okay if you want to tell me that you just ate a strawberry for breakfast…but next time you might want to try putting it on some oatmeal!)

*Read It Before You Eat It (Plume)