I have a big secret to reveal. In school, I had so many friends, I could count them with one hand. I love company – my own and the immediate family’s. I don’t like going anywhere that much unless that means I’m going to be left alone to do my own thing. Definitely not a guided tour type. I’m an honest to goodness geek. I like baroque music for goodness sakes! In short – I’m a hermit and like it that way.
I’ve felt much chagrin watching this social network explosion lately. Every marketer I know seems to be the social butterfly. They are funny, witty and just oozing with charm. When they say something, everyone laughs, jumps, talks. When I say something… “Huh? Did you say something”? At the age of 35, suddenly this morning I feel like I’m 16 all over again, sitting by the corner in school with my nose buried in a book from the library while the cool kids talked about which party they’ll be attending tonight.
Late February, I wrote a post over at Internet Based Moms that people with huge followings aren’t (always) as financially successful as you might think they are. This is one of those days I struggle to remind me of that fact. Some days (like this one)…
I wonder if being successful in my business means I have to become someone I’m not?
Don’t get me wrong, I do enjoy other people’s company. It just takes me a lot more energy and mental preparation. Yet, so much emphasis in the Internet Marketing world is on having a following – first there was the big mailing lists and now the big fans/friends… maybe all this social network thing is wearing me out and I simply need a break from being everyone’s friend.
What do you think? Do you feel forced to be sociable when you just want to crawl in a hole? Or does having ‘friends’ come naturally to you?
