I’ve Never Used Social Media Until Now…

Here’s a little fun fact about me…I’m one of those people who still don’t have a Facebook account. Actually I’ve never had a personal social media account of any kind. Still to this day I don’t have a personal account. Oh wait–I have a LinkedIn account that’s not completely set up and I don’t use. Almost forgot about that one.

Anyways, there’s a lot of reasons why I choose to not participate in the social media world. Facebook, Twitter, Tribe (old school), and all the others that are out there. For example, I believe in the right to privacy. Also, I would rather connect in person than on a computer screen. Finally, it takes up a lot of time keeping up with all those accounts. Time I’d rather be doing something else.

That being said, over the years I have seen some of the benefits of social media. Watching friends connect on-line miles apart, unable to afford a visit in person. Seeing family members connect with their kids and aunts and uncles all over the world. Observing as movements and communities are formed across the globe. These observations have helped me to see why so many people use social media. Still, up until about 8 months ago, I didn’t really engage in social media.

 

So…What Changed?

Slacklining and AcroYoga came into my life, that’s what changed. As I began deepening my connection with these two practices, I also deepened my connection with my partner Lindsi, as well. She is a creative and intelligent go-getter with her fingers in many social media pots. A couple of years into our relationship, we decided to create Slackrobats. We started off with a Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube account. And when I say we–I mean Lindsi–she did it all. The creation of all the accounts and the managing of all the accounts. Me…I was off slacklining or playing around. Then came the website, again all Lindsi. I helped out by posing in pictures on the line and being a strong base.

As time continued, Lindsi gently encouraged me to write blogs as content for the website. Slowly but surely I came around to committing to write those blogs, even though I had never written a blog in my life. All in all the blogging journey has been fun, getting me back into writing. Exploring different ways to get a story or information to an online audience. Giving me a chance to share some personal slacklining and acro stories.

Then came the day Lindsi suggested that I start posting for us on the Instagram account. I didn’t even know what that meant. The fact was, we were starting to do #SlackrobatsChallenges on Instagram and the work load for this Slackrobats project was starting to add up. We both had a lot of ideas and since our presence was an online or social media presence, I had to start learning.

 

Instagram Challenges

I got to say, it’s the Instagram challenges that really got me hooked on interacting with people. Instagram in general is a sweet outlet for sharing videos and pictures of skills, silliness, personality, and special moments. But for me, interacting with friends and strangers on specific actions and goals, is priceless. The challenges provide a way to explore all the diverse individuals out there who make up the beautiful balance community. It gives me a chance to work and play at the same time.

I began to realize just how much attention it takes to fully be engaged, after our first couple of challenges. However, I really enjoy putting in the time, and love seeing all of the participants creative costumes, styles, and smiles. That’s when I knew I was officially in the social media world. I mean I still don’t have a personal social media account, besides the unused LinkedIn account, and I don’t plan on making one any time soon. But I do post often, almost daily and write weekly blogs for our Slackrobats website. Just to do this, I had to learn a lot of new things.

 

What I’ve Learned

I had to learn how to use new apps and edit photos and get them from one device to another. Then, upload an image onto a blog, as well as learn how to write a blog. I learned how to post slacklining and acro pictures to Instagram as well as interact and leave comments on others accounts. I learned how to operate a tripod and start taking videos and better photos. Then there’s learning how to edit videos and add text and then upload them to YouTube. This may seem really simple to many of you out there, but to me it was diving into a new world.

I experienced a lot of new computer stuff and device navigation stuff, but I learned a couple other things too. I learned how to communicate and listen to my partner when it comes to her needs with our business venture. And I learned that there’s a ton of beautiful, amazingly talented and sweet people out there that connect through social media.

So much of what’s around us, such as money, marketing, technology, and even social media outlets are all tools. A tool has a purpose and serves a function. If used intelligently with care and love, any of those tools I just named above can have beneficial or positive effects. How you use the tools that society hands down to us is important. Using them to connect, to grow strong communities, and to learn is a powerful option available to all. So in a sense, I learned how powerful social media is.

 

Thanks for reading!

Peace,

Buddy Thomas