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Is Social Media Affecting our Offline Social Life? Balance Your Online-Offline relationships!

Social Media: Videos on YouTube, Updates on Twitter, Sharing on Facebook, Networking on LinkedIn, Trying out Google+, Publishing on Blogger/Wordpress, Checking in through Foursquare, Chatting on Skype, Building Fan Pages, Spreading Brand Messages, and Interacting every bit of our time through the Digital Media. 
Where is the real Life, our tangible world, family members, the neighbours, our friends, the sweetheart staying next to the locality, the food across the street, the parties by colleagues, birthday celebration of little niece, and funeral of an Old man. Are we too busy exploring this medium that we don't really have a Real Social Life?
Most of our needs are fulfilled by social media. Chatting with friends, keeping in touch with family, friends, relatives, classmates, old acquaintances, and the rest of the world. Then why bother about the Real Social Life?
We see products in a store, we can hold them, feel them, smell them, and taste them. But when we shop online, we can buy them, and wait for the delivery. once delivered, we can consume them. Similarly, Online Media is giving us the luxury to meet, greet, talk, share, and interact with the world, but the Personal Touch is Missing.
I love to be on Social Media 24x7, and I feel good to be in touch with 1000 people who I have known since my childhood. I feel proud to be a Facebook user, having a profile on LinkedIn, updating about my activities on twitter, and checking into a Place with a friend. But, when I meet the same people in reality, the whole experience gets a new meaning. I can spend more time, talk more, and not depend on the Broadband speed to decide how much i can interact. On the other hand, I can meet people online, decide how much time they should get from me, and log off as and when required. Boring person eats my head, the next action I take = Logout/Block/Invisible/Offline. Such convenience has made me a fan of Social Media.
Few Aspects affecting our Social Life:
  • Personal Touch
  • Warmth
  • Memorable Moments
  • Quality of Interaction
  • Freedom of Speech
  • Luxury of Time
  • Deciding the Priority
  • Multi-Meets
  • Log in vs. Log Off
  • Isolation
  • Need for Space
  • Time with myself
  • Sharing with?
  • My Circles
One feature that has really striked my chord is Google+ circles. Most of my content is private in nature, whereas my social circle is ever-growing. We can decide who, where, how, and why to talk. We can block, add, hangout with the people who matter most. That is a progressive step in Social media.
We, as bloggers, contributors, participants, members of social media, should always keep providing feedback to major properties like Mashable, Social Media Today, and other such influential digital knowledge-houses about what we need, and what would help the social media boom sustain over time, plus what trends are we observing as media persons. Our voice would definitely reach the Powerhouses like Google, Facebook, Microsoft, Yahoo! and possibly these observations can turn into reality, just like Google+ or Twitter.
Social Life Online has different intentions. Business, Connections, Friendship, Critic, Information sharing, Spamming, Browsing Profiles, Understanding Relations, Bragging, Engaging, Marketing, Advertising, Relationship Building, Me Too, and JLT (Just Like That). But, in all cases, we need to remember that Social Media is a Catalyst to build relations, and not a world in itself. It is good to spend majority of time here online, but it's also imperative to share those loving moments outdoors, with near and dear ones, creating memories, clicking pictures, and experiencing pleasure. end of the day, we need CONTENT to share online too, right?
My suggestions for having a Balanced Social Life Online & Offline:
  1. Try to connect with as many people as possible (friends, family, colleagues only)
  2. Link with strangers only if you have similar interests (interest should not be "who's got the maximum no. of friends, fake friends, and Mafia-War/Farmville players)
  3. Go out of the house/office, create memories, click pictures, record videos
  4. Meet new people, have fun with friends of friends in a bar, lounge, amusement park
  5. Stay Connected regularly with all the friends/followers online, someday someone will make your day!
  6. Share your Offline content Online
  7. Share your Online Activities Offline
  8. Try all Social Networking Sites, and stick to At-Least One daily
  9. Never Fake yourself
  10. It is not a crime to Promote yourself, especially Online! 
  11. DO NOT OVERDO ANYTHING Onlin or Offline!
  12. As long as possible, do not spam
  13. Read Articles regularly, keep yourself updated.
  14. LOGOUT often, it will gie you the courage to Go Offline, and meet people.
  15. Go Out, meet your family and friends, Say Hi! to them, and give them a Hug, NOW!!!

Before you leave, feel free to remember me:

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Location: Bengaluru, Karnataka, India

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