Finding The Balance Between Online and Off
Today I read two very interesting stories about how the new generation of on-line services such as Facebook and Twitter are affecting people's lives. At one end of the spectrum was Wil Wheaton, who blogged about how Twitter has changed his life and career for the better. At the other end was the USA Today article about people shutting down their Facebook accounts to regain their privacy and peace of mind. Both stories have valid points, and at various moments I've leaned in each direction. There are times where I just want to completely disconnect and focus on the things "in my real life." Then there are times that I'm so happy I was able to connect with someone on-line, make a business connection, or learn about something I otherwise would not have known about.
As with most things in life, finding proper balance somewhere in the middle is the goal, but a constant challenge.
While writing the paragraph above, I realized I'm wrong in thinking that "in real life" means being disconnected. I work at home, physically disconnected from my teammates. So tools such as email, chat, microblogging, wikis, and webconferencing are standard tools of my everyday existence. I have friends and family all over the world with whom I communicate primarily on-line. I have "connections/friends/followers" that I met at periods in my life ranging from elementary school to events I attended last week. I'm communicating with you right now via my blog.
My "real life" includes being on-line.
The key (for me anyway) is to find the right mix of being behind the keyboard and away from it. I'm quite active, and make sure to get outside, play sports, go to the gym, so physically I have good balance. But emotionally I'm not sure I do. I worry about what's in my inbox, my @replies, and comments on my blog. So here are some questions I'm going to start regularly asking myself, you may want to as well.
I love the on-line world. It's amazing that via status updates, chat channels, blogs and shared photos I'm able to "keep in touch" with so many people in my life. But I also find it sad that I often know more about what's going on with acquaintances I met once at a conference, than I do about my closest family members and friends. That is where I need to improve, and stop making excuses that I'm busy, especially if it is because I'm trying out the latest buzz of the week.
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As with most things in life, finding proper balance somewhere in the middle is the goal, but a constant challenge.
While writing the paragraph above, I realized I'm wrong in thinking that "in real life" means being disconnected. I work at home, physically disconnected from my teammates. So tools such as email, chat, microblogging, wikis, and webconferencing are standard tools of my everyday existence. I have friends and family all over the world with whom I communicate primarily on-line. I have "connections/friends/followers" that I met at periods in my life ranging from elementary school to events I attended last week. I'm communicating with you right now via my blog.
My "real life" includes being on-line.
The key (for me anyway) is to find the right mix of being behind the keyboard and away from it. I'm quite active, and make sure to get outside, play sports, go to the gym, so physically I have good balance. But emotionally I'm not sure I do. I worry about what's in my inbox, my @replies, and comments on my blog. So here are some questions I'm going to start regularly asking myself, you may want to as well.
- Do I need to read every post that flows through my Twitter or Facebook stream?
- Do I need to keep up with the news about every latest gadget or online service?
- Have I spoke to my mom this week?
- When was the last time I spoke to or saw my siblings, nephews, cousins, and aunts&uncles?
- When was the last time I spoke to my friends? (In Toronto, Boston, and a dozen other places)
I love the on-line world. It's amazing that via status updates, chat channels, blogs and shared photos I'm able to "keep in touch" with so many people in my life. But I also find it sad that I often know more about what's going on with acquaintances I met once at a conference, than I do about my closest family members and friends. That is where I need to improve, and stop making excuses that I'm busy, especially if it is because I'm trying out the latest buzz of the week.
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