Just Get Over it & Participate Already!

Welcome to my adventures in networking. As your typical introverted freelance writer (yes, sad but true, I am generalizing) who prefers to remain safely behind my computer screen, socializing on any level is a struggle!

I have this insatiable need to learn. Unfortunately what that does is keep me safely tucked away behind my computer or in the pages of a book rather than out in the real world getting to know people. To combine my appetite for knowledge and also continue my networking quest, I attended Coffee & Social Media, an informal group that meets the second Tuesday of every month at Bad Ass Coffee here in Naples.

The get-together was great --- about 20 people sharing thoughts and issues and questions surrounding their involvement with social media. The problem: I continue to be a spectator rather than actually participate in the discussion. I know what my hang-up is. I sit there thinking any comment or question I bring up will sound stupid or immature among this group of professionals, even though I am technically a professional myself.

My thought is, the more I attend the more comfortable I'll feel with the group and the more apt I will be to actively participate rather than just listen.

Then I thought participating in a discussion via the computer would be easier. Wrong! Yesterday afternoon I joined a conversation about social media for B2B happening on Twitter. The questions from the moderator were thought-provoking and the comments from those online were excellent, but again I felt insecure. I did make a comment and asked a question, but that did nothing to ease my fears of being perceived as stupid or immature.

So where does that leave me? Grappling with my own ridiculous insecurities. The good news: I'm not giving up. I mean, sooner or later I have to get over it, right?