What the?!

Everybody quiet. Nothing happened. The last four months were filled with regular blogging. No need to draw attention to–

Doh!

Haha, well I’m a jerk, but you knew that. There’s no way I can maintain my steady stream of ranting, writing and fixing the world. Something’s got to give!

Lots happening. Lots to consider. First off, my honest and genuine prayers go out to the several friends and family of friends I’ve heard have hit rough financial times. Lay-offs, health woes–life can be a real jerk sometimes. I do hope some fortune finds its way to your corner of things. I know a few sentences in a not-often-read blog probably don’t mean much, but for what it’s worth, I think about you all a lot.

And if no one has let me know about their hardships, lay ’em on me–comments, tweets, Facebook, whatever. You can glean some semblance of joy that I have enough heart left to feel the desperation, uncertainty and doubt along with ya. I even try to pray about people in these sorts of situations.

All that to say, I count it as a blessing to have work. And I don’t take it for granted! Here today, gone tomorrow–the universe has a way of shaking the box. The Lord giveth and taketh as the saying goes.

As such, work has been weighing a bit heavily on the ol’ shoulders in these months past. There’s more to do with fewer resources. More meetings, more projects, more monitoring of social media channels. Sometimes in the midst of my little listening-post moments, with my ear buds in, jammin’ to Trent Reznor’s “The Social Network” score, I fancy myself some sort of CIA analyst, pouring over diplomatic cables and surveillance tapes, watching the streams of data, listening to clues…

…trying to solve what? We’ll, everything, friends. Some cache, clutch, cadre, whathaveyou of leaders have gotten it into their heads that social media is the cure-all for business. It’s like Windex. It solves everything. It’s like salt. It’s like Emiril’s essence. You sprinkle social media on top of a project or business need and–BAM! instantly better.

So there’s cause to utilize, synergize and exploit every neuron of those slaved to the social media machine to crank out the elixir of awesomesauce to solve the way of things.

Only one problem: Social media isn’t the cure.

What’s that? Gasp! The horror!

Even this has been said a dozen times in a thousand blogs, but it’s worth saying for the blessed few who see these words: Social media amplifies existing signals. It casts a brighter light on what’s already there. Illuminate a pile of crap and you have a clearly-lighted pile of crap. Savvy?

So, it’s important to keep expectations in perspective. I say this with the realization that some may wish to expel this particular prophet into the unemployment wasteland and look for new zeal, but I try to speak truth.

I shall endeavor to communicate, teach communication, empower my fellow employees to reach new heights in regard to distributing content across the cosmos. I shall eternally watch and react to the changing landscape, as a person may step up as he sinks in the sand at the edge of the surf.

But what I won’t do is sell snake oil.

Social media amplifies and illuminates the quality of existing practices and candor. I do wish the ability to tweet was like some magic dust that sent kids giddily toward a promised Neverland, but it’s a bit more grounded than that.

So here we are, at the cusp of what’s next. And tomorrow comes.

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