When I was a kid, I used to spend a lot of time at my grandparents' house.  They lived nearby, and I later realized what a blessing this was for me, since I really got to know them.  When I was over there, I had a different set of friends from my own house.  They were a little rougher around the edges than the kids in my own neighborhood, frankly. 

Rather than delving into stories about them (and believe me, there are stories), I wanted to talk a bit about one of our favorite activities when I was 10-12 years old: Exploring the Creek.

Believe me, it was even less sophisticated than it sounds.  In fact, we didn't even name it.  We just spent a good portion of the day walking along the creek as far as we dared to venture before turning around and heading home.  Sometimes, the creek was quite full, and we would dread returning home with mud up to our waists.  Other days, it was more dry and we would go to the pond part and skip rocks.  I am still a champion rock skipper, in case you were curious.  It's an acquired skill.  :)

Rarely did we encounter anything truly dangerous during our excursions, and these memories are almost all happy ones for me, except for the time my friend Marc Newman shot me with a BB gun in the leg for no apparent reason.

Where am I headed with this? 

Well, my own social media journey started right here on ActiveRain in 2007.  Since then, I have developed an almost academic interest in this topic.  My friends here have led me to lots of other sites, each of which has been productive to varying degrees.  Some of them are certainly more "social" than "media", I suppose, but that's okay.  Some "gurus" will tell you to concentrate on finding and befriending others in your industry or your local area, which is sound advice, but I don't think there's any reason to limit yourself.  In my business, everyone has the ability to refer a buyer or seller to me, right? 

If you are just finding your blogging legs, so to speak, I applaud you for making the jump into an unfamiliar landscape.  If you are a seasoned veteran, this post may not speak to you as much. 

I would encourage you to "explore the creek" from time to time when it comes to social media.  There are a lot of different paths, and most of them will provide some measure of fun and learning.  You will find your own favorite spots as you dive in.  You can stick to the well-worn path, of course, but I assure you that a bit of courage will go a long way. 

After all, you probably won't even end up covered in mud, unless you choose to do so.

Thanks for reading!

 Photo credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/91393778@N00/3050548670/