I personally think that the entire premise of social media lies on one simple principle “engagement,” but there are other critical elements that we tend to ignore every so often. Last night while laying in bed it hit me that the way we build relationship and the way social media works is similar to how we build a lasting relationship with our other half. So what can social media teach us about being a better half ?
1. Two Wheels of a Bicycle
There is a reason they call your other half, the other half. You need them mentally, emotionally and physically. In social media you need other users, hopefully not physically but mentally and at times emotionally. Building a relationship and being a part of the community isn’t easy. It takes time and a lot of effort on your part to make sure you become one of the wheels that keeps the bicycle (social media) moving. If you are used to taking and never giving, your relationship isn’t going anywhere in the long run and this applies to both social media and your relationship with your other half. Most of you already know that to keep things moving the way you want on social media, you have to give and usually you end up getting without asking for. I think if we carry this strategy to our married life we will be quite successful in being a better half.
Imagine this …. you’ve always got your wife/husband’s back and when you need them they are right there ready to pick you up when you fall. That’s what community members do in a social media platform, they all contribute equally so the benefits are mutual. Community members are the two wheels of a bicycle who keep it moving with equal participation and engagement. The same is true when it comes to being a better half.
2. I Do
One of the main reasons many U.S. marriages end up going down the divorce route is because there is a lack of commitment. If you are an active user on any social media platforms you know it takes commitment to make or break your presence on the web. Whether it be twitter, facebook, linkedin or social news site such as Digg, Reddit, etc., without commitment you might enjoy a short presence and then get lost in the midst of it all. If you look at “social media movers and shakers” you will notice one thing in common – they are all committed to participation. And that’s one of the core things that will make you a better half in your relationship with your spouse – commitment.
If you are one of those users who is usually facebooking, tweeting, etc. you are committed to using these platforms to both benefit others and yourself in the social media space. Well, put that person who is so committed to social media presence on your personal life and relationship and voila, you are a better half cause you are committed to your other half.
3. There Is No “I” In “We”
We see this time after time and I myself have been a victim of this, we tend to blame some of our work related or social media related problems to the algorithm, other social media users and such. You write an article for days and finally put it up on digg or other social news sites and it doesn’t go popular. Bummer. It’s all their fault. Actually, it’s not. First you can’t always expect the best out of everything and second, if something doesn’t work out the way you expected, there might be a few problems that needs to be worked out on your end as well.
If you are an active social media user, you know that there are no “I” in a community. When we use twitter to help promote a good cause, it’s “us” doing a good deed not “me.” When we are all coming together to bash someone else on these platforms, it’s “us” that collectively ride down the dirty path, not just “me.” Anyway, I hope you get the idea. In a relationship there is no “I.” If there is one thing that is very true when it comes to social media,and can be the best thing in a relationship with your other half is to throw out the word “I” and embrace “We.”
Now don’t be shy and share some of your thoughts on how social media can help us become a better half.
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Hi, My name is Ritu. I am a member of SMA (Social Media Anonymous) ;-) & help bloggers and businesses utilize the social web. 
I totally agree with the commitment you need to have with social media. You must feed the beast. In return, I gain knowledge and meet engaging cyberfriends with similar commonalities.
My thoughts on becoming a better half- Social media will evolve so don’t be afraid to experiment. But you will always be committed to some sort of social media. That is the beauty of this new media. Unlike a committed relationship- I “divorced” my myspace page and revisited recently only to find it a desolate island with a few music dwellers. Myspace also offered me with my own email address which I declined. Not sure why I would need a myspace email address nor the my acct. anymore, I guess it is one of those sentimental things.