The Facebook Experiment

Readers of this blog will know that we are both big fans of social media and the opportunities that these technologies create for small business owners like ourselves. The traditional marketing/advertising model seems almost obsolete because of these innovative new ways of creating interest, spreading the word, and keeping in touch with our customers. For us, Facebook is a hybrid in the sense that we use it for both professional and personal reasons -- a happy medium. We spend roughly 30 minutes a day on Facebook, and just like everyone else, we are not immune to the almost hypnotic powers of Facebook and its ability to draw one into its world -- which can result in spending more time on the site than one would like.

We are always quite busy, but this week is especially challenging for Judy, as she is presenting the oral exam in the hopes of becoming a Supreme Court of Nevada state-certified court interpreter (a long shot, due to insufficient simultaneous interpretation experience). She needs every minute she can get to study, so she has decided to save the 30 minutes a day usually reserved for FB by staying away for 7 days. Can she do it? Stay tuned and find out. Today is day #2 and she is alive and well. Note: if you are reading this posting on FB, it is because it is fed automatically into the application by our blogging software. Judy is keeping in touch with the world via Twitter.

What about our readers: can you live without any particular form of social media? 


4 comments:

Anke Betz on September 5, 2010 at 11:39 PM said...

I actually did an FB "fast" for a whole month a few months ago. At first, it was hard, but it got a lot easier as time went on, and now I am a lot more selective in what I do on FB, and I spent a lot less time there, even though I added a fan page for my business!
I can only recommend it to anyone who feels like they are addicted (even if they won't admit it out loud!) to anything like that!

Tess Whitty on September 8, 2010 at 11:42 AM said...

Not sure when this one was posted, but good luck on the exam Judy!

I should try a Facebook fast too, but it is a great way to keep in touch with friends "back home".

Judy Jenner and Dagmar Jenner on September 12, 2010 at 7:33 PM said...

@Anke: funny, now both of us did a little "fast" and we feel the same way you do. FB is a fantastic tool, but sometimes self-discipline is needed. Now, with that, we are off to answer a potential client inquiry that came through FB!

@Tess: thanks, girl. The exam was on Thursday. It was very tough, but fair. Not sure if I made it -- I just don't have enough simultaneous interpretation experience, but we shall see. The waiting game begins...results are back in November! (Too long.)

Judy Jenner and Dagmar Jenner on September 27, 2010 at 11:35 AM said...

Facebook report: it is entirely possible to stay off FB for a week, but Judy actually received a translation project inquiry via FB while she was on hiatus!

Join the conversation! Commenting is a great way to become part of the translation and interpretation community. Your comments don’t have to be overly academic to get published. We usually publish all comments that aren't spam, self-promotional or offensive to others. Agreeing or not agreeing with the issue at hand and stating why is a good way to start. Social media is all about interaction, so don’t limit yourself to reading and start commenting! We very much look forward to your comments and insight. Let's learn from each other and continue these important conversations.

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The entrepreneurial linguists and translating twins blog about the business of translation from Las Vegas and Vienna.

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