Move on. Don’t look back. It’s over…
Initiating a break-up is never easy – even letting go of a social media platform can be emotionally challenging. But sometimes it’s the right thing to do… it’s the only thing to do. I’ve had a few bust-ups over the years, starting with MySpace in 2007 (we were both too young, both too foolish). My fling with Second Life in 2008 started with a bang but quickly turned into a fizzer – I still have an old video of our time together which I’ve held onto. I checked out of Foursquare after 2 years – the badge collecting and the Mayoral races wore me down.
And then there was Facebook… we were tight, let me tell you – but she got her big career break on Wall St back in ’13 and fell in with a group of people I didn’t much care for. She changed in ways I didn’t like. We were seeing less and less of each other, and finally one rainy Sunday afternoon I moved out (I think she still has some old records of mine).
Here’s my view on breaking up with a social media account: look after your own needs first – you can’t keep giving endlessly while clinging to the hope that one day it will all come right. It’s the plain enveloped letter that must be signed, sealed and delivered.
Dear John…
Your friends never liked me
You gave Facebook or Instagram a go only to discover that your target audience wasn’t hanging out there. Or if they were it was a private party and you never got an invitation.
You’ve changed
Yeah, it’s all changing at a rapid clip – algorithms, payment models, privacy settings… but if don’t like the new direction you can hardly complain – it’s the cost of free.
You were always going on about money
It’s called ‘paid social media’. It’s business after all.
You were boring me
One day cool, and the next day not – think MySpace or Foursquare. Time to leave before the place gets totally trashed and the cops turn up.
I was simply curious
And now that particular little experiment is O-V-E-R.
There were others
Cut one or two of your social media platforms loose and concentrate on strengthening the remainder. Do it quickly – don’t turn it into a Sophie’s Choice thing.
You were too demanding
It’s the ‘media’ part of ‘social media’. No content, no start. Launching a blog as an example without the ability to consistently write high-quality long-form text is not going to end well.
I was on the rebound
Someone left the organisation and it became your responsibility. But you need to be committed – If your heart isn’t in it it’ll never work.
9. It never felt right, even from the beginning
You’re having difficulty calculating a tangible return on investment (and suspect it may be negative). You need a clearer means of measuring what success looks like against your stated organisational objectives.
