Please Stop Updating--We Know You're Here

"I unfollowed someone last night because they kept tweeting every couple of minutes."

"I took that person off of my newsfeed on Facebook because I seriously couldn't STAND how much they were updating their status, events and pictures." 

"I refuse to follow their blog because I feel like I always get notifications for blog posts--and they are irrelevant posts. I want to follow a blog with RELEVANT content, not just some bored person who blogs about their pets at home between her other posts."

"Tumblr? I wish I could tumble hers off of that website...they post the most pointless stuff."

"Instagram is for cool pictures! NOT PICTURES OF YOUR FOOD EVERY SINGLE TIME YOU EAT ANYTHING. I don't care that you had tacos for lunch. Honestly." 

We have all said something like this before in our lives. This are actual quotes I have overheard people saying about others profiles on various social media sites. While social media is usually a very useful tool and a great way to get your presence known to all, it is also a way to make your presence too well known (to the point of annoyance). 

Updating your online social profiles is essential and very necessary in the public relations world today, however, updating isn't necessary to do for every single little thing. 

Common mistakes people make: 

• Updating status on Facebook over 10 times in one day. Yes, folks...I've seen it.
• Tweeting every minute of the day about every single thing you have done...(Actual tweet example: I tried going to the bathroom but my silly dog wouldn't stop bugging me) I am going to go ahead and say that is a little TMI (too much information). 
• Using their professional blog as their personal blog. I have made this mistake before. I definitely try to keep my professional blog and personal blog separate--however, there are loop holes around that. If you just make different categories of what you want your blog to be focused on, generally that works fine for bloggers. 
• Blogging several times a day. Blogs are exciting for followers--don't make them unexciting by updating your blog every hour. 

Just be sure you are aware of how often you post and how much you interact on social media. Social media is a great thing--when used the right way! 

What do you do to make sure your presence is known online? I personally have an online newspaper I update every day around the same time...so people know when to look for my tweets or updates. 

What advice do you have for users that have overbearing presences? 

Share it with me! 

How To Get Out Of Your Writing Slump

You are staring at a blank screen with a blinking cursor staring back at you. You want to write something creative and interesting for your blog--you just can't think of anything good to talk about. How can you get out your writing slump? Here are some tips that can help you jump start your writing

• Just start typing. It doesn't necessarily have to be about anything in particular--just type about anything that comes across your mind at the time. Eventually, you will start to think of ideas and may not be able to stop writing! 
• Write a list of topics that interest you. You will be surprised by how much you can come up with!
• Take a break from the computer for ten minutes. Go get a snack or take a short walk--get your mind off of writing for a couple of minutes. After your break, try again. 
• Look through the news. Maybe you will see a news story that will spark you interest that you can write about. Works for me sometimes!

Writing slumps happen to the best of all of us. Writing is pretty tough at times, but it is also a great outlet--especially blogs! You can write about whatever you want to--which is the beauty of it. If you ever find yourself falling into a writing slump, try some of these tricks. 

What do you do when you are in a writing slump? Share it with me!