There are currently over 350 million users on Facebook, with the average user spending more than 55 minutes a day on the beloved social media site. This truth equates to tons of posts every second and tons of eyeballs on those posts! With anything we spend time doing, it’s helpful to think about what we are doing and the impact we have on others with what we share.  As we share more of our offline life online, many of the same conversational situations apply. In other words, don’t post stuff you wouldn’t normally talk about or show to others in person. 

I’m not asking your to be perfect or boring- quite the opposite indeed! I’m just asking you to consider the impact you have on others. Enjoy the thoughts below and find out How to Make Facebook Enjoyable For Me, Your BFF & Your Momma!  If you like this post you may also like these recent posts: Four Questions Every Blogger or Organization Should Ask,  6 Reasons I Still Use Facebook or Social Media Ain’t About Me: 5 Ways to Be Selfless on Facebook or Twitter. Many of the below tips apply to Twitter as well, especially if you link a lot of your Twitter updates to Facebook.

Things I Typcially Try Not to Post on Facebook…
1. How tired I am through out the day, because I stayed up all night & want the world to know.
2. How much I hate my job & how much the world should know about it (I love what I do, fyi).
3. Too much Information updates (TMI), “You’ll never believe what I just saw in the bathroom….” TMI people!!
4. What I killed, stole or beat to death on Mafia Wars. Not interested.
5. How many pigs are in my corn patch on Farmville. Really not interested. 
6. Pictures of anyone in their skivvies (trust me, no one really wants to see….)
7. Pictures of anyone with their drunk face on (if this is your thing, might not want to take pics & log it online).
8. If or not I hate someone.  I try to to hate people.

FYI, out to the the right of posts, there is a handy little button entitled hide. I like that button. I’m not suggesting you not be yourself, I’m just asking you to consider the impact your words and thoughts have on others.  Social media can be used to impact a lot of people!

A Few Thoughts of What to Post Instead.  Ask yourself these questions:
1. How can I help someone else?
2. How can I add value to the life of someone else?
3. What do I think people need to hear?
4. What do I think others will want to hear?
5. What is a struggle I am dealing with?
6. Is my struggle appropriate for the rest of the world to know about?
7. What am I most excited about in life right now?
8. Did I see something this week that I would like to share?
9. What is interesting in my life that I can share?
10. Do I have a personal story of something in my life that may be interesting?
11. What is something I have found to be true?
12. What is a memory I am creating that I would like to share with someone else?
13. What is something I have found to be funny?
14. What is something I have found to be encouraging?
15. What is something that I feel needs the attention of others?
16. How can I add value to someone’s life?
17. What friend can I encourage today?
18. Who is different from me that may broaden my perspective on others?

What other thoughts do you have?  What should we post or not post? 

Social Media has become pretty central to what I do with my life, so I use it all the time. I’ve built countless meaningful relationships with a wide variety of individuals.  I have learned a ton from people and organizations around the world. I have seen much good come from both Facebook and Twitter.  Still, I have found that I have to be intentional and careful not to give social media too big of a piece of my mind and life! Can you relate? Here are 27 Obvious Signs You’re Having an Affair With Facebook or Twitter. An occasional one or two for you may be no big deal.  We are human and not perfect.  However, if you relate to a bunch of these, you may be in trouble! Please add to the list!

1. You have a social media logo as a screen saver (or your profile pic) and your look at it lustfully.
2. You wink at this same screensaver and say things like, “what up” or even worse, ”how you doing?”
3. You’ve made out with the Twitter bird on your laptop, then wiped off the screen before anyone saw you.
4. You check your updates while your spouse is talking, saying “yeah….uh huh….yeah.”
5. You think about checking your stuff while someone is talking, saying “yeah….uh huh….yeah.”
6. You wake up in the night and check to see if anyone has mentioned you or posted any comments about you.
7. You check for updates while driving, looking like a drunk fool that almost ran into me on the road the other day.
8. You check for updates while driving with your kids in the car (even worse).
9. You check for updates while walking, and you ran into me at the mall yesterday!
10. When you ran into me, you said you were sorry and went right back to checking your stuff.
11. You check for updates while walking, and you’ve caused a signific traffic accident recently.
12. You get truly depressed when no one comments or reads your stuff.
13. Your primary reason for using social media is to receive validation from other people.
14. You base the success of your day on who may or may not have commented on your stuff (I realize some people do this for a living and depend on interaction and measure comments, so I’m not really talking to you).
15. You have a Twitter bird at home and dress it up and role play with it.
16. You Twitter bird’s name is Sheila or Sweet Susie.
17. You compare yourself to big names on Twitter and dream about being them.
18. You have an old Punk’d shirt and you wish you were Ashton Kutcher.
19. You drop your follower count in conversation with friends- “What are you doing tonight man?” “Not much, trying to hit 1000 followers this week.”
20. You fanticize about the number of followers or friends you have.
21. You are a woman and stalk other dudes on Facebook or Twitter.
22. You are a dude and stalk other ladies on Facebook or Twitter.
23. You are a women and comment on every single thing a dude posts, but not on anyone else (this type of stuff leads to an affair through Social Media, not just with Social Media). Relationships online can be as real as they are offline in my opinion. Watch who you are watching.
24. You would rather spend a night on Twitter or Facebook than with your spouse.
25. Your laptop or phone gets more attention at home than your family.
26. You fanaticize about the number of followers or friends you have or want to have.

And the final sign you are having an affair with Facebook or Twitter: 27. You called the local trophy shop and had them make a trophy with a big bird, your name, and your airbrushed picture on it.   It’s hidden in your closet, but you know you bring it out on Friday nights and listen to John Tesh’s Sax By the Fire.  Admit it, you’re having an affair!

Here are a few tips if you are having an affair with Facebook or Twitter:
1. Set healthy boundaries.
2. Communicate about these boundaries with a friend or family member.
3. Leave your phone in the car if you need to; mine goes in my desk drawer when I get home.
4. Watch your motives. Are you using social media to grow, connect and help others or feel good about yourself?
5. Monitor your habits with social media and see if things might be out of whack.
6. Take a short break on a regular basis from Social Media. The rest of us will be ok, I promise.
7. Take a long break from Social Media.
8. Don’t find your identity in what you can do online, but in who your Creator has made you to be!

What are some other signs you may bay having an affair with Twitter or Facebook?  What other tips do you have for the obsessed?

I’m no Dave Ramsey, but the crazy economy has forced my family to be crazy creative on saving cash. Many of the following ideas are practical things my family has done to save some coin. There are a million ideas out there on ways to save cash, these are just a few we’ve implemented. Remember, small life decisions added up over time = large impact. We’ve cut the unnecessary things and have still done the following this year: taken an awesome vacation to a swanky beach village in Florida, gone out on a date every month, done a lot of fun things with friends, and been able to give and help a lot of people! Your success in saving money comes down to your willingness to be creative and sacrifice one thing for another. “The wise have wealth and luxury, but fools spend whatever they get.” Proverbs 21:20.  Forget the Joneses, Be Different (Part 2 of 4)! You can find Part One from last week Here. Subscribe to the RSS feed above (gold diamond) to get parts 3 and 4 on how to be different: coming up soon!

The below estimates are not scientific in any way, so don’t worry about messaging me to say the estimates are off. The ones with totals out to the side are what you can save over a year’s time period (some are once a year, others are monthly decisions).  A lot of them are small decisions, but over twenty years, they can add up! Please add to the list in the comments below.

1.  Ditch your cable or satellite tv and spend the time doing creative things with your family(or watch online). $500/yr
2.  Cut your own hair, mess it up on purpose. So sorry hair dressers! (doesn’t work well for women) $150/yr
3.  Plan your fill ups! Use gasbuddy and save on gas. Save 10 cents a gallon. $3/wk $150/yr
4.  Keep your tires aired up; this will improve your gas mileage. $60/yr
5.  Don’t drive like an idiot; this will also improve your gas mileage. $60/yr
6.  Trade being rich for doing something you love. Can’t put a value on this one…
7.  Sell a bunch of stuff in a garage sale after trading being rich. $150/yr
8.  Make gifts for people instead of buying them (unless someone wants an xbox….) $300/yr
9.  Be you. This is free.
10.  Don’t dress like everyone else. $500/yr
11.  Be rich in spirit before you are rich in worldly things: priceless.
12.  Don’t use a credit card, pay off your credit card debt. $500/yr
13.  Don’t get a mortgage, save up instead. $1000/yr (very low estimate on interest savings, after tax write-off)
14.  Tip people really well, especially if they are having a bad day. This one will cost you, but it’s worth it.
15.  Learn from your mistakes; they can be expensive.
16.  Call a friend, just to see how they are doing. This should be free.
17.  Don’t ever buy or wear skinny jeans; buy un-skinny jeans on the cheap. $50/yr
18.  Pack a lunch instead of going out every day. $3/day $500/yr
19.  Cut a Starbucks drink a week; brew your own instead. $4/wk $200/yr
20.  Buy a used shirt instead of new. $30/yr
21.  In the warm months, work out outside instead of at the gym. $40/mo $240/yr
22.  Buy in bulk. Over a year’s time you can save a ton. $300/yr
23.  Sell 5 things on Craigslist. One man’s junk is another man’s treasure! $200/yr
24.  Donate used clothes or toys to charity; get tax write off. $500, 30% tax bracket- $150/yr
25.  Eat out one time less a month. $300/yr

Total saved in a year: $5,340. Over 20 years: $106,800.  Okay, please feel free to add to the list.  Why is this so simple, yet so difficult? Share your success stories!

Lot’s of peeps around the world wake up one day to find that they are no longer employed. They are presented with a choice, “Will I take it and finish strong or will stick it to the man for sticking it to me?” The already difficult choice becomes even tougher when the decision seems to be unjust or made in haste (Don’t believe me? Talk to someone who has been fired or just Watch George Clooney’s recent Up in the Air).

Conan O’Brien’s last few days on the job are a bit more public than most, but nonetheless, still somewhat similar in nature. In case you haven’t seen this yet, Conan O’Brien “sticks it” to NBC through the below $1.5 Million comedy sketch. While belly-laughing hilarious (I like COCO), it brings about a great question: Is Conan right or wrong to trash an employer for unexpectedly announcing his demise? It’s just comedy, right? Right or wrong? Watch the vids. Cast your vote and comment below…

Below was last night’s follow up sketch, upping the previous night and unveiling the new Tonight Show Mascot: 2009 Kentucky Derby champ “Mine That Bird” (who came out wearing a mink Snuggie). The horse then watches restricted Super Bowl footage. Price tag for NBC? A cool $4.8 Mil.

So, is Conan, right or wrong? Why? Cast your vote!

So many people in our world strive and struggle to be like everyone else.  Ultimately our identity becomes tied much less to who we are and much more to who we can be like. Here’s a definition from Wikepedia for you.

“Keeping up with the Joneses“- a catchphrase in many parts of the English-speaking world referring to the comparison to one’s neighbour as a benchmark for social caste or the accumulation of material goods. To fail to “keep up with the Joneses” is perceived as demonstrating socio-economic or cultural inferiority.

Is it an issue of identity that we all struggle with? Perhaps so.  This is the first 25 out of 100 ways you can be different from the rest of the world, not just financially, but in every area of your life.  Comment below to add a few to to the list!  To subscribe to thewaytcouldbe.com, click the RSS feed button up there ^^^ (the orange diamond).  Enjoy!

1. Write about being different, then be different.
2. Stop trying so hard, just be you!
3. Read A Million Miles in a Thousand Years, then live out a story worth telling.
4. Invest in your family; their legacy may outlive you!
5. Don’t eat meat, ever.
6. Eat meat, a lot of it.
7. Don’t try to keep up with the Joneses.
8. Drive an old car or just an ugly car or don’t drive a car.
9. Change your profile picture on Facebook…weekly.
10. Make up stories with your kids and be creative (if you don’t have kids, do something creative with a friend).
11. Be positive when everyone else around you is being negative.
12. Be real with someone when you need to, when everyone else is blowing smoke.
13. Trade being rich for doing something you love.
14. Instead of never doing anything, start working out or walking.
15. Instead of freaking out about working out all the time, pipe it down a notch killer!
16. When no one else cares about someone, care about them.
17. Adopt a child or mentor one without parents.
18. Don’t drink caffeine, draw energy instead from being active.
19. Don’t eat fast food; take time instead to plan and be healthy.
20. Ditch your cable tv and spend the time doing creative things with your family or friends.
21. Open the door for people, even if you have to slow down.
22. Smile at people you don’t know, even if they don’t smile back.
23. When someone flips you off on the road, smile and wave back.
24. Drive well enough that people don’t flip you off all the time.
25. Discipline your kids so I won’t want to.

What are other ways you can be different than everyone else?  Do share!

Don’t give up today.  Not for any reason. Not because you are discouraged. Not because you are tired.

Don’t give up today. Please don’t give up. Not because someone told you your idea wasn’t any good. Not because someone told you you weren’t any good.

Don’t give up today. Do not give up. Not because you are hurting. Not because you are hurt. Not because you’ve been mistreated, lied about, forgotten about. Not for any reason. Don’t give up.

Today is a new start, a new chance. Today is a time to persevere through pain, through hurt, through wanting to give up. Today is a chance. Instead of giving up, believe. Pray like you’ve never prayed before. Have faith. Believe.

Don’t ever give up! He will never give up on you!

Click here to give hope to hurting and hopeless in Haiti, through Convoy of Hope.

What is the 6 @ 6 Challenge?  The 6 @ 6 Challenge is something I made up for myself! The idea is nothing new, just a thought that came to me one day while praying for wisdom.  Basically, the challenge is to get up and be ready by 6am to read scriptures, reflect and write for one hour, and keep it going for six weeks.

Why make a challenge to yourself? To grow, become more wise, challenge myself to be more in tune with what is going on in the world and in my own life.  

Why 6 weeks?  From what I undaerstand, 21 days of doing something consistently makes it a habit.  Six weeks felt like it would be even better!  

Why 6 am?  For me, it was a challenge at first to be up and ready by 6am to engage mentally.  If I started at 6am, I would have an hour or so before my family would be up and at it.  It was the only time of day I could find without distractions!  

Why spend time each day being still? It’s a great way to focus and fuel up for the day! I read and reflect on the Bible and believe that it is a big part of growing and learning who I am and who I am becoming.  I also spend time in prayer and write and reflect on life. One can also use this time for reflecting on goals, priorities, personal growth or being generally creative. 

What if I hate mornings? Make it at noon and spend time on your lunch break or at 8pm and spend an hour after dinner.  It doesn’t matter, I have just personally found the beginning of the day preps me for the rest of the day.  Before you label yourself as someone who hates mornings, ask yourself why.  Are you watching four hours of TV late at night (average American) or spending other precious time on less important activities?  You will find time for the things you find important, so check your motives. It’s okay to hate mornings, just figure out what works best for you. 

I promise if you take the 6 at 6 challenge or a cousin version (try 20 minutes a day), you will grow personally and/or spiritually!  A few tips:

1. Decide before you start- when and for what length of time.  You make commitments to others, why not make them to yourself? Build trust with your self by making small commitments and then sticking to them. This will impact the way you build trust with others as well!

2. Decide what you would like to accomplish.  Write it out.  How would you like to grow? What will you do? What will you read/write?  Write out what you would like to accomplish, then what you will need to do to accomplish your objective.

Okay, will you take the 6 @ 6 Challenge?  What tips on personal discipline do you have for the rest of us?

We saw Twitter bring together people around the world in a powerful way in 2009!  Previously local conversations have been transformed into significant global conversations (50 Ways Twitter Has Positively Impacted the World, thanks @scottwilliams).  Learning has multiplied; Twitter users from all walks of life have collided in the Twitterverse (described as the totality of objects, people, thoughts through the social media community known as Twitter).   I’ve personally connected with new friends around the world & grown in a ton of ways.   

With all the impact globally, I’ve heard several people challenge Twitter’s viability locally, both for personal and commercial benefit.  I’ve heard questions like, “Show me Twitter working to build the local community and I’ll buy into it.”   I too have questions about local use of Twitter, but am excited to see positive impact in a few small ways so far!  I’m still new to the social media scene and certainly don’t have one answer.  I do however have a few observations of how Twitter can powerfully impact the local community; let me know what you think! 

1. Connecting Twitter users in your area. One can connect with anyone using Twitter in their area and start a conversation with them (thank you geocaching).  For instance, I have a search that I use through TweetDeck that shows me anyone tweeting in a 25 mile radius (Tweets Nearby is good too).  Twitter search is another great way to find local Twitter users.  On the advanced page, you can search “near this place” and get a real-time stream of all the people tweeting from your area.  This morning, for example, I noticed a woman nearby mentioned giving up drinking in 2010 and was able to encourage her and make a connection.  I also connected with a guy that also loves to run and is training for a local race this spring.  This year make a difference in your community by connecting with other Twitter users in your area!

2. Meeting local needs. I’ve seen a variety of somewhat urgent needs (homeless people being clothed & fed, etc.) met by my followers, simply by posting a need as a tweet.  A few months ago, I was out of state on business and my wife and daughter were stranded back at home with a dead battery.  Our neighbors weren’t home, so I sent out a tweet asking who was nearby.  Within a couple of minutes, I had offers for help from half a dozen friends who were a few miles away.  Twitter allowed me to connect with trusted friends to help my family, instead of scrolling through hundreds of phone numbers or email addresses.  I could tell other stories of followers who have risen to the challenge to meet local needs that they heard about through Twitter.  Use Twitter to help meet local needs this year!

3. Retelling the story of a community. It’s one thing for a community to work together to accomplish a goal; it’s another thing for the rest of the community to actually know about it.  Retelling stories through Twitter is a great way to create awareness and encourage others in the community to work together!  Recently, a ton of friends I know joined together to provide coats to over 200 freezing cold Refugee individuals living in our Texas neighborhood.  After the event, I was able to retell the story through Twitter and create further awareness of refugees living in our neighborhood that need help.  I’m anxious to see how Twitter is used this year to further bridge gaps in local communities.  Inspire a shared vision in your community by retelling stories through Twitter!

I realize my perspective is pretty limited; what am I missing?  How have you seen Twitter help build local community?  What would you like to see happen this year?  What new tools are out there that bring people together locally (here is and older list from Mashable.com)?