Social Media Live Broadcasting:: My Conundrum

First it was Meerkat, then it was Periscope that I couldn’t quite get a handle on. I wanted to stay current and jump on the latest wave of social media platforms to utilize for my business. However, I just couldn’t seem to find a way to use them in a workable way. To be completely honest, I didn’t really try that hard. Next up, was Snapchat. Like the others, I created an account and never used it. Now we have Facebook Live and Instagram stories. With these latest two developments, I’m just now figuring out what my problem is/was–social media live broadcasting.

All of these platforms and added features to existing platforms require me to update live and in real time. I’m not much of an in real time poster. I’m a scheduler.

I write blog posts, and schedule them to go out at future dates and times. Content on my active social media profiles are curated and scheduled. My photographic content that I post on social media profiles are shot in real time and then edited later during my leisure time. My video content…is almost non-existent. I shoot in real time and then never make it around to editing the footage later.

Creating and posting content for a Periscope or Facebook Live format is an awesome way to engage with fans on social media. I love viewing Snapchat stories and so far, I have enjoyed the stories on Instagram as well. I want to participate and I have a ton of content ideas, but I just don’t seem to have the capacity to do so live and in the moment. Primarily, because it takes me out of the moment in real life…and I have ADD (attention deficit disorder).

At the beginning of this year, I set three goals for 2016. The first was to get my eyesight corrected–done, I am now seeing 20/15. The second was to create an additional revenue stream–still a work in progress and the third was to create more balance between work and life. I’ve been doing pretty well with the balancing act. A part of my success has been to try to focus on living more in the moment. Instead of trying to split my already fractured attention span into more than one direction, I try to focus on one thing and enjoy that one thing.

So, no watching television and checking social media. Or, going for a walk in the park and trying to play Pokémon Go at the same time. I have to focus on one or the other. Trying to capture daily activities while working, or business related events and then edit, add text, and cool effects, seems to take me away from that moment I want to share. Staging it solely for the purpose of posting doesn’t feel authentic and I’ve deleted all of those attempts. My stories, I actually want to be stories, but to capture and share them hasn’t worked out for me. Every time I think, “I should capture this,” or “this would be great on Snapchat,” I also think that I will miss out on what is happening because my attention is diverted to the act of capturing and not the act of living and enjoying that moment.

Being and living in the moment, seems to cut down on some of my stress and anxiety and helps me maintain some of my balance. Social media live broadcasting, or the act of trying to do so, seems to increase it.

Am I the only solo-preneur that is having this struggle? Post your experience in the comments and let’s talk about it!