Keep The Noise Down - Looking For A Quiet Space In A Web 2.0 World
I love to discover new information, but lately I’ve been turning down the noise. What noise?
The Blog World & New Media Expo site shares some mind blowing stats. Did you know that 120 000 new blogs are created every day? There are 1.4 million new blog posts every day. And that’s just the blogosphere. No wonder it seems noisy on the web these days.
- Over 12 million American adults currently maintain a blog.
- More than 147 million Americans use the Internet.
- Over 57 million Americns read blogs.
- 1.7 million American adults list making money as one of the reasons they blog.
- 89% of companies surveyed say they think blogs will be more important in the next five years.
- 9% of internet users say they have created blogs .
- 6% of the entire US adult population has created a blog .
- Technorati is currently tracking over 70 million blogs .
- over 120 thousand blogs are created every day .
- There are over 1.4 million new blog posts every day .
- 22 of the 100 most popular websites in the world are blogs .
- 120,000 new blogs are created every day .
- 37% of blog readers began reading blogs in 2005 or 2006 .
- 51% of blog readers shop online .
- Blog readers average 23 hours online each week .
Add to that regular websites, Twitter (which I love), Google Alerts, emails, email newsletters and you start to get an idea of why the internet seems so “noisy’.
And what happens to all the sites that are no longer updated? Nothing. That information is still in the mix. I’m wondering what will happen to the “noise” long term as more and more is added every day at this amazing rate.
Filtering is big business already. Delicious, Second Brain, StumbleUpon, FaceBook and the other social media tools aim to help us control this information. Outsourcing research and even outsourcing email management is big business. Have you noticed the rise in the number of VA’s (Virtual Assistants) these days?
Alexander Van Elsas offers a common sense approach
The recipe is quite simple (isn’t it always), but the execution much harder. Let go. Let me repeat that. Just let it go. I see Twitter, Friendfeed, and all these other sites as rivers of information, anecdotes, posts, friends. I tap in whenever I feel like it, join the conversation.
But I leave when I need to get back to real life. I know the river won’t dry out. There will always be a next scoop, another funy remark, a great blog post. Life doesn’t stop simply because I choose not to be drowning myself into this cyber river of information. I don’t need 20.000 followers, nor do I want to follow 20.000.
I can identify with this. Can you? The first step I took was to start taming my email overload. I am pleased to say I have had some success with this, but am still not down to Inbox Zero.
How About You?
- How do you keep the internet and technology noise down?
- Any thoughts on internet overwhelm?
Catch me on the web - Yvonne Russell
www.growyourwritingbusiness.com
www.smallbizmentor.com
www.homebiznotes.com
I think letting it go is good advice. We don’t need to read or follow everything. I can feel happy that other people are getting the chance to express themselves and develop their own voice in one of these new blogs without needing to know what they’re saying!
And linked to letting it go - trust. Trust that you’ll find what you need, what’ll help you, what will make the difference to your day. Trust your friends to let you know about things that are important. Trust that you probably already know everything you need to know - and following the rest of the stuff is a way of creating, learning, sharing, interweaving…
Finally, remembering we’re in control. There’s no better filter system than the one in our own head!
Joanna
Joanna Young’s last blog post..Powerful Writing In 30 Words Or Less: Part IV
Hi Joanna
Wise words. Letting go, trust and remembering we’re in control. Great advice.
Thanks so much for sharing your insights.
It’s easy to get caught up in the feeling that we need to keep up, need to know everything, need to adopt new technologies…and all the other need to’s we impose on ourselves.
Finding a quiet place in a Web 2.0 world may be easier than it seems if we allow ourselves to let go and move at our own pace.
This reflects a more dynamic notion of conversation and communication. We don’t need to be part of every conversation.
Trust in ourselves and others as you say.
Yvonne Russell’s last blog post..Keep The Noise Down - Looking For A Quiet Space In A Web 2.0 World
I have a handful of people I listen to for alerts on new tools. If one of those people recommends something, I will typically try it.
I did have to cut way down on some of my activity because it was just far too noisy.
Gayla McCord’s last blog post..Something Exciting This Way Comes
Hi Gayla
That’s another great tip and one of the reasons why I like Twitter. You can follow someone who is savvy in the area you are interested in and see what they are saying.
I know what you mean about having to be realistic and cut back.
Anyone else finding the web noisy these days? How do you manage the noise, make it work for you and keep your sanity?
I am disturbed by those noise each and every day.
I tried to turn that noise down but it doesn’t seem to work.
I am addicted. HELP!!!!
Raymond Chua’s last blog post..I KnowYour Secret
Yvonne, your post is extremely relevant and timely. I had to do some letting go in the past few weeks too. I can’t post everywhere, join in every forum discussion or read every post, so I don’t. I use Twitter daily but turn it off when it’s time to focus on work. I still read blogs (yours included) that I love and when time permits explore other links. I now ignore most new social network invites because I have reached my limit. Noise exists online and offline, but you can turn down the volume considerably with the choices you make.
Karen Swim’s last blog post..Bloggers Unite for Human Rights
It’s a struggle to keep the noise down (see my last blog post!), but it is worth doing.
What happens is that we incrementally get additions to our sphere. It’s a LinkedIn invite, then a Twitter request, then an e-mail newsletter, then a blog subscription…and three months later we are maintaining all this stuff and wondering how we got here!
About once a quarter, something inside me says enough and I prune and prune and prune. I can stand some level of noise. But white noise that’s loud enough prevents you from thinking and writing…
Scot Herrick’s last blog post..Leaving AT&T Subscription Hell
Hi Yvonne. I’m sorry I haven’t dropped by for so long. I hope you’re doing well.
My parents are here for a vacation and I’m spending lots of quality time with them. I missed a lot of regular blog activities and memes but I’m thankful that friends still take time to visit even though I can’t visit as much.
Ever since I starting blogging, my network of friends increased. Sometimes, I find it challenging to keep updated with everyone. I use Technorati to browse friends’ updates. I also like Twitter. It’s nice to know what’s keeping others busy.
Happy weekend!
Rach (Heart of Rachel)’s last blog post..Aloha Friday #28
Hi Karen
I think we are on the same wavelength. I’ve been turning down the noise lately too. Unfortunately, this means I don’t visit as many blogs as I used to, or at least not as regularly.
I guess as this seems to be a recurring theme, there’s a lesson there for all of us, in providing quality content to keep readers interested and visiting. With so many people reading through readers and email rather than visiting sites, the headlines are crucial too.
With Google Alerts, I switch them on when I have time, and unsubscribe when I don’t. Just this simple step, means I don’t feel deluged by even having to delete them. They “exist” only when I need them for a project or for research.
Yvonne Russell’s last blog post..Keep The Noise Down - Looking For A Quiet Space In A Web 2.0 World
Hi Scot
The thing with invites is that new social media sites are popping up all the time.
I do love to get “I’m following you on Twitter” notifications though. Thanks for yours.
Yvonne Russell’s last blog post..Keep The Noise Down - Looking For A Quiet Space In A Web 2.0 World
Hi Rach
Wonderful news that your parents are visiting. Enjoy your time with them.
You know, I like Twitter more and more. It’s like a party where you can just drift in and out of the conversation, or just stand back and “listen”.
It’s a good combination of social interaction and business. I like the sponaneity, immediacy and conciseness of Twitter. I’ve discovered new sites and information, and it has also brought new readers to my site.
Any other Twitter fans here?
Yvonne Russell’s last blog post..Keep The Noise Down - Looking For A Quiet Space In A Web 2.0 World
It is definitely pretty noisy on the web these days. What I do is just check a couple of social sites, Facebook and StumbleUpon and have a LOT of filters set up for my email so I have very little actually in my inbox. I can see at a glance what needs attention and what doesn´t.
Hi Genesis
Email is the killer, isn’t it? Filtering is the way to go, and I am doing more and more of that as I go along - out of necessity.
I went away for 3 days with no internet access, and had over 380 emails in my inbox. I need to add more filters.
Hi Yvonne, sometimes I just need to go for a leisurely walk in our 40 acre wood lot. Nature helps remind me about life and sometimes the virtual world take me away from the reality of everyday.
Thanks for a very thoughtful post.
Robyn’s last blog post..Audience: Lurkers and Commenters
Thanks for this post, Yvonne. It makes me feel better about NOT participating in all the noise. I read about Twitter, StumbleUpon, SecondBrain, ad infinitum, and I feel guilty that I can’t keep up with what everyone else seems to be able to do. I do read a lot of blogs and e-mail, but I generally don’t do social media. Most of it is “noise” to me. Then I wonder when I hear how wonderful all these social media are … from now on I will just tell myself I’m keeping the noise down.
Lillie Ammann’s last blog post..Writer’s Worth Day
Hi, Yvonne,
Everytime I do some blog-hopping, I can’t help but wonder how some people can stay up to date with what they are blogging about and with whom they interact with regularly and on a daily basis. I maintain only one blog and on many days I can’t even find the time to open it! One reason why I am afraid to leave my link.
I believe that as long as there are ideas sprouting from each of us the blogosphere will keep on being filled every second and your stats will need to be updated again (chuckle).
What a symphony those clickety-clacks on the keyboards would make if everyone who’s clicking his time away’s in one hall.
Have a great weekend.
In just the last few months, I’ve joined more social media programs than in the last year. What an impact on my daily life– I find that I have little time to balance it all. Something’s gotta give, and like you said, it’s time to quiet the noise.
Yvonne,
Very timely post. I’ve started my pruning process again. I seem to go through cycles where I add a bunch of subscriptions and then find after the initial information they are more time wasters than relevant to my work.
I’ve started a new policy that I’ll keep my primary email inbox to 50 messages or less. When it gets hard to do that, it’s time to reduce email subscriptions. I also go through all new messages and delete any that should have gone into the spam folder. My spam folder fills up with over 300 messages per day. I try to go in at least daily and delete them all in bulk, but I don’t always get to it.
I also don’t read anything that doesn’t catch my attention in the first few sentences. Certain writers get the benefit of the doubt, like Yaro and the STC group, but the rest had better catch me quick or they get deleted. Don’t catch me a few times in a row and I unsubscribe.
And some email subscriptions just plain abuse you. You subscribe to get something free and very useful, but then they start filling your inbox with daily fluff. Those have to go, too.
Well, back to work and cleaning out subscriptions!
Sherri
Debt Free or Bust - Sherri’s last blog post..Got My Laptop Fixed - Finally!!!
Hi Robyn
Yes, let’s not forget that “real life” and a break away from computers is a great filter in itself… helps us keep our priorities in check.
Your 40 acre wood sounds like a lovely peaceful place to spend some quiet reflective time.
Hi
Lillie, I completely understanding the “should” thing. I think we need to give the guilt monster his marching orders, and do what’s best for us personally and professionally.
Each of us has different needs and reasons for using or not using different aspects of the web. One of those is whether we are interested in exploring all or some social media in the first place.
As Joanna says we are our own best filter.
Hi Princess
I love your word picture here -
What a symphony those clickety-clacks on the keyboards would make if everyone who’s clicking his time away’s in one hall.
LOL. Those stats are out of date already. Add a few million more blogs for a start.
Hi Karen
Welcome to Grow Your Writing Business. Yes, as you say “something’s gotta give… time to quiet the noise”…
Would you say the parts we enjoy and find especially useful are not really noise?
Yvonne, that’s a great point! I think that when we allow ourselves to become overwhelmed even the things that are useful and enjoyable can become noise. I agree with Roybn that it’s essential to periodically unplug and go enjoy life. We come back with a fresh perspective and can prune to allow in only what is useful and wanted and tune out other things. I also think that we have to adjust our noise levels to fit each day.
Karen Swim’s last blog post..Tips for Managing Your Energy When the Battle Grows Fierce
Hi Karen Swim, what works best for you to unwind and rejuvenate so you come back with a fresh topic or idea?
Robyn’s last blog post..Audience: Lurkers and Commenters
Hi Robyn! Running outside always recharges my batteries. In fact just being outdoors, breathing and listening provides me a mental break. If I’m seeking a total de-stress today, then a bubble bath, candles, a cup of tea and reading material transports me to a spa-like experience.
I’d love to hear your tips Robyn!
Karen Swim’s last blog post..Tips for Managing Your Energy When the Battle Grows Fierce
Karen, golf does it for me. It takes me to a new world and when I have some great hits… there’s nothing so exhilerating.
Other times I love that vanilla candle you mention, or a great cup of chai or licorice tea.
Going out with my camera to see if I can find something memorable stirs my juices, too.
Thanks for asking.
Robyn’s last blog post..Audience: Lurkers and Commenters
@Yvonne,
Even the enjoyable stuff becomes noise when there’s so much of it that it leaves you pressed for time.
I let go too much in the past year or so because I stayed busy with my family, volunteer work, and writing business. But PoeWar’s March Madness motivated me to return to the community and it’s great to have water cooler-style conversations again.
I do take care not to let social networking eat up too much time or do it at night after the kids are in bed. While I can’t keep up with all the forums, social networks, and blogs… I use twitter as a tool to do that. I click a person’s name and go to her/his web site from twitter and check in there.
It usually does the trick. That and deleting emails that are “nice to read, but not urgent” (like lower priority email newsletters) and I even delete jokes from friends and family members after a quick scan. I read some — just not every single one.
Meryl K. Evans’s last blog post..8-year-old Blog Birthday Celebration
Hi Robyn
Your woods sound beautiful. I can imagine that is a wonderful place for you to get back some perspective and to take some great pictures. And golf too…you seem to be an afficianado of golf, from what I read at your blog.
Hi Karen S
Good point about having to adjust your noise levels every day.
Running, candles, bubble bath, tea… sounds like you have a good handle on how to destress and take time out just for you. Good on you.
Hi Raymond
Sometimes it sure is hard to “switch off”… so much information to explore and then there are those pesky deadlines…
Hi Sherri
Some great points here. Pruning is an ongoing thing. I like how you’ve set yourself a limit on emails in your inbox. Inbox zero is often unrealistic, so 50 sounds manageable.
I think many of us share your view on spam masking as email subscriptions, and of posts needing to catch the readers’ eye quickly. I’m also pretty strong on those headlines needing to deliver what they promise, and not just being “bait”.
Hi Karen P
So true. Unfortunately, when there’s too much of anything it becomes “noise” whether it’s for work or fun.
Hi Meryl
I’m not keen on those joke emails, as the people that send one tend to send them all the time. It’s just more spam.
Twitter is a great tool for checking in as you say. I’m fairly selective with social media, but Twitter is one I’m sold on.
I’m so pleased that the Poe War March Madness inspired you to rejoin the blog community watercooler. It’s good to have you here.
May 15th, 2008 at 5:27 pm
[…] first post is from Yvonne Russell over at Grow Your Writing Business. In her post titled Keep The Noise Down - Looking For A Quiet Space In A Web 2.0 World quantified the problem that I described using statistics gleaned from the BlogWorld & New Media […]
May 28th, 2008 at 10:47 am
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Nov 14th, 2008 at 4:44 pm
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