Save Social Energy!

I grew up in the 90s meeting people in bars and parties. These days, much of the socializing is done online, through Facebook, blogs, forums and other virtual communities. I’ve counted my FB friends (1,500 or so of them) and realized that 70 per cent of them I wouldn’t recognize if I met them on the street. Then it dawns on me that I’ve been spending most of my time facing dear lappy in the bedroom. The friend I used to have coffee with in 1999 is now the friend who sold me a cookie cutter in Multiply, chatted with me after a webinar or added me as a pal on Foursquare.

Frankly, I see nothing wrong with this increasingly virtual world we’re in. Juggling work, blogging, family and more work (!!) is no easy task, and that is why it is a better idea to drop me a line on Windows Messenger than let me brave the traffic or ride the train for a short tete-a-tete. But I have to admit all this social networking stuff can sometimes be overwhelming.

Mind you, things happen online like they do in the real world. It’s easy to be distracted by who’s gossiping about who, who’s raising hell about what and all those strange friend requests you sometimes see. There’s definitely a need to organize and achieve balance if we’re able to make good use of our time in in the internetz.

That’s why am all for this site called Save Social Energy. Basically, this movement is pinned on the premise that we must use our time on the social networks more efficiently. As online denizens, we are “exposed to a lot of clutter and can end up missing on the conversations that are truly important.”

How best to avoid this? By using sites that aggregate the different social networks so that you don’t have to open a lot of tabs. The all-new Windows Live seems to be good at meeting my requirements. I wrote before about how I’ve switched to Hotmail because it can do a lot of things apart from just being an email service. For instance, I can create a PowerPoint document from right within my inbox or send high-resolution photos via SkyDrive.

And now as I get to use Windows Live Messenger, am happy to learn that I can just link up my Messenger with my Facebook and other important social networks in order to be updated about the status of everyone. Too many online friends? No problem coz you can customize your settings and choose only updates from favorite friends . A great way to save social energy, we think!

The best thing about Windows Live now? It’s really oozing with social energy. After my magnificent experience watching the Katy Perry concert in Australia last May, it is now sending someone to watch the world premiere of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 in London! The winners are already announced but I’m sure they have more cool stuff to give in the coming days. Watch the website closely at http://www.savesocialenergy.com/ . Check it out! 😀