I really tried. I really gave it the old college try. But, I just cannot get into HootSuite.
I know it’s supposed to make life easier for me, but frankly, it just gives me anxiety. Setting it up was a pain, and I’m still not sure I have it right.
But, more than that, it makes me feel disconnected. It makes the social media experience feel impersonal, which is the opposite of what I think it should be. Seeing all the lists and tabs and everything gives me a sick feeling of panic. I begin to think there’s no way I can adequately keep up with everything and respond to everything.
Now, granted, I don’t have thousands of followers on Twitter (nor do I follow thousands), and I use the “mute” function liberally. I interact with the people I see on Twitter when I get on to check in. This results in random times of day/night tweets and interactions, but that’s one of the things I like about Twitter.
I’ve seriously cut down the number of Facebook groups I’m in and only really participate in a few key ones, and not all of them have to do with writing.
I lurk on Tumblr, pin on Pinterest, and watch stuff on YouTube. I neglect Google+ unashamedly, and I occasionally remember to update LinkedIn. I don’t feel I need HootSuite for all this.
Basically, I manage my social media through a browser tab open to Facebook and a browser tab open on Twitter. For now, that will do. (That’ll do, pig. That’ll do.)
I am open-minded enough to know that I might need to do further organization of contacts and lists and such if/when I get more followers, or if my blog takes off, or whatever. But, even then, I still don’t know if I could use a social media management program.
By then, though, I’d like to think I would have a personal assistant or intern (aka minion).
A girl can dream, right? :p
