Happy New Year! I’ve been thinking a lot lately about how I use my time on social media. I’ll be the first to admit – I do love Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, and to a lesser degree Facebook. I’m drawn to the technology that makes connecting with others possible through the touch of a screen. I’ve met some fun people through Twitter, looked at lovely photography on Instagram,  found some appealing links and ideas on Pinterest, and do enjoy Facebook groups to connect with my family, cookbook writers, and other topics that interest me. I also read that Pinterest is starting to replace Google as a search engine for visual ideas and inspiration.

Despite this, I find social media can be a time drain (maybe I’m procrastinating) and I also find it difficult to draw the line between how each site is best used. For example, when I see someones Twitter feed filled with Instagram links and when I read status updates on Facebook that are a series of daily complaints, I scratch my head wondering if that’s all there is? It’s at times like these that infographics appeal  to me. I need someone to distill the information and draw me a picture of how to make the best use of my time and my attempts to connect with others on social media.

Today I share a favorite infographic for social media use. It defines the best use of each platform with tips to connect with others in a meaningful and supportive way. You can click on the photo to the left to see the full infographic or here’s a link to the infographic and the article “How to Rock Social Media in 30 Minutes A Day”. And, if you’d like to connect on social media with moi, look at the lower right-hand column (>>>>>) for links except for Instagram. To connect click here for Instagram. (I just made a note for my web guy to add Instagram link to the site.)

Cookbook author and culinary dietitian Maggie Green coaches aspiring cookbook authors in the process of writing cookbooks, cookbook proposals, and building their author platform. Download her checklist “Am I Ready to Write A Cookbook?”.