[Image via Life Magazine]

Are there two more groan-inducing, not-you-again, put-on-your-earmuffs words than “social media?” If you say yes, then this article might be for you. If you say no, this article still might be for you. Because regardless of whom you are and where you stand, you need to have a social media presence, and this post aims to explain why.

Social media, as I’ve sure you’ve witnessed, is now a viable form of mass communication, and its interactive, abbreviated, real-time nature has influenced our other forms of communicating. I think it’s reasonably safe to say that we tend to think and speak in shorter, more easily digestible forms today than we did when Thomas Payne wrote Common Sense (@tompayne Monarchy is oppressive. We need our own govt w/ representation for all. Who’s ready to fight for it?). We’ve become a nation of skimmers and crux-extractors and sound-biters, and if you can’t produce readily skimmable, summary-box content, well, let’s hope you’re writing for The New Yorker. Continue reading Social Media for Techies: Why Do I Need It? →