“Jamie! I told my mom to join Twitter because you said you can get jobs through there.” -Misguided friend

Social media is not merely about being plugged in. It’s about knowing what to do once you are. And, hell, I’m still learning. It wasn’t too long ago that I would not follow anyone on Twitter unless I knew them personally and then I’d wonder why my network was not growing.

The unbelievable power of social media is only as strong as its participants. The more we all put into it, the more powerful it becomes. LinkedIn wouldn’t be a viable place to find connections if people weren’t using it religiously. Twitter wouldn’t have nabbed a whole bunch of new funding without participants that rely on the micro-blogging platform to suit various needs.

My blog is only as relevant and influential as you all make it out to be. I am completely dependent on my readers, as is any other blog. (People writing solely for themselves excluded, but really, is anyone actually doing that for real? Be honest, most people want readers.) Twitter is completely dependent on their users. Same with Facebook and LinkedIn and the other kajillion social sites out there all vying for just a smidgen of our time.

And, Twitter, in of itself, is not a place to get jobs. Neither is LinkedIn. But, you can find jobs there, if you leverage it. It’s not merely enough to sign up. It’s hardly enough to make a profile and have a few contacts. The better we all can learn to relate with our social media, the more effective we will be, whether we are using it to advance our career, spark social change, encourage community, etc.

We can’t anymore depend on just showing up. We need to be involved. We need to be a part of our communities. We need to be active participants in the flow of information that social media offers us. Because, truly, the ties of social media and the strength of its influence ebbs and flows with our own involvement. It’s in our hands. We have the control. Isn’t that empowering? I think it is. That makes me feel like I’m a part of something bigger than me.

Now, how will we use it? How will we control the power that’s at our fingertips? How great will our contribution be to aid the greatness of others?

(Originally posted at intersected)