They said that there is no place like home for the holidays, but the holidays can be both a joyous and hectic time for all of us. From a social media perspective this can be a curse and blessing, just because the holidays are here does not mean that our social lives stop. From tweets to post your virtual friends will want to know what you are up to.

However, given that this holiday only comes once a year and you probably have limited time to talk to your family during the year it is best to put away you electronic devices for the day.

In his Mashable article “The Holiday Survival Guide for Social Media Professionals”, Professor at the Syracuse University School of Information Studies, Anthony Rotolo writes that it’s okay to have a silent night to recuperate from all of the commotion surrounding the holidays. You can go a few days without sending tweets and posts to make sure that you are spending time with your family and friends.  

Setting up automatic tweets may sound impersonal (and may be a nuisance for some that don’t use social media as much as you do), but it’s not a bad approach if you need to continue updating social media throughout the holidays.  

“Apply this approach to e-mail and other work-related connectivity. Many of us, especially social media community managers, have gotten used to an “always on” approach to our jobs. Unless you work for Ebenezer Scrooge, use this time to relax and disconnect a bit. If not, one e-mail will lead to the next until you’ve missed out on holiday memories.”

“Some family members who have not connected with us through social media may be less familiar with the work and interests we share with our online communities. Even our longtime friends may embrace us as who we’ve always been rather than the person we’ve become since our last holiday together. This disconnect can leave us searching for conversation starters at holiday parties or looking like a Grinch as we take refuge behind our iPhones.”

“It is important to remember that social media is not the only place for relationship building. Our family and friends require the same attention. Although we are used to multitasking between in-person and online conversations, and we usually forgive each other for this, your phone can become a barrier between you and your loved ones during the holidays. Instead of trying to convince your family that using your phone at the table isn’t rude (of course it is), look up and show them you’re interested.”

So take the time to relax and enjoy the conversation of your friends and family, because soon the holidays will be over and then it’s back to the daily grind. Use that cool smartphone to take a video or picture!

From all of us at ProActive Communications, have a happy and safe holiday season, and here’s to a prosperous New Year.