Like many Domo social blogs, mine starts out the same: “When I first heard about the Domo social experiment…” I was worried I’d get sucked into the Facebook vortex that I was in when I first joined in December 2008. Back then I would spend hours finding all of my relatives (I have a lot) and the long-lost high school and college friends. I didn’t spend the time pontificating (not the Roman Catholic kind) so much as catching up on everyone else’s lives. It was all so fascinating to see how people had changed over the years. But I stopped when I realized I was spending more time online than with my kids.

Right now, I have a full-time job in a brand new field, a teenage girl and a 10-year-old boy who are involved in multiple activities, a husband who still likes to spend time with me, church and community obligations, friends, and sometimes I even get to spend time on some of my other interests. How am I ever going to be able to work on this social experiment?

So I came home and told my daughter that I’d pay her to do it for me. She was excited about the money, but I guess she’s got her own life online and doesn’t want to create an online life for me, so that hasn’t worked out so well. Needless to say, I haven’t spent the required time on this experiment. I’ve squeezed in a few badges here and there, but when I do remember to post something, I often forget the #domosocial tag.

Thank the technology gods for the social apps on the Android. If it weren’t for mobile apps, I’d be even worse off. I’ve got 25 social apps on my phone that I’ve downloaded and explored while waiting at the dentist or for the cheer competition to start, but I don’t have apps for all of the required ones in the social experiment.

Despite my lack of time, I’ve come to learn some things from this experiment:

1. Our world is taking social to a whole new level. We no longer socialize at the appointed time, but in real time.
2. Everything is social. Anything and everything is being tweeted, posted, pinned, blogged, IM’d, and shared in any way possible. There is no limit to what your influence is and can be with those you know (and don’t know).
3. For some reason, online socializing makes us more apt to be more open. I learn more about my daughter and her friends in social media than I do in our morning conversations while getting ready for the day or the times her friends hang out with us.
4. Businesses want to hook up with your friends. Not in the creepy stalker way, but in the “give me your money” way. (Perhaps that’s still a little creepy.)

I’m excited to keep plugging away and discovering more, and who knows, perhaps I’ll be able to convince myself that just because it’s fun doesn’t mean it’s a lower priority.