Retiring From Work? 7 Reasons Social Media Can Be Your Best Buddy Now

You can stay connected to exciting activities and news after retirement by using social media. Today”s online world is filled with communities that will keep life interesting — and profitable! — long after you”ve retired.

Advantages to taking up social networking after work include:

1. Finding old contacts

Keep up with your old business associates and continue to learn how your industry is performing, thanks to handy social sites like LinkedIn. This type of social connection will also prove invaluable if you are continuing to act as a consultant for your company or performing any type of similar role.

You can participate in discussions, keep track of promotions, and offer your advice to new employees who are looking for ways to move up the ladder.

On the other side of the social experience, social sites are also great places to reconnect with friends and family if you learn how to trace someone! You could get reunited with some old friends you may have forgotten about or lost track of over the years. It’s common for people to find friends they have not seen since high school or college once they start using social media sites. A well as social media you could find people using a people finder website in order to find long-lost friends and family!

Connecting with these acquaintances now that you have time to catch up can prove very rewarding.

2. Find new friends

Social sites like Facebook and Twitter also give you the opportunity to find new friends, particularly those who share the same interests and can recommend retirement activities. Perhaps there were people you worked with that you enjoyed talking to but never had enough time to get better acquainted.

Maybe you even like talking with competitors or clients where a professional relationship previously imposed certain boundaries on your discussions. Now that you”re retired, you can take up social media and use it to forge more personal, friendly connections with these people.

3. Photos

If you have not used social networks much in the past, here”s an important fact: They are flooded with photos. Instagram is all photos, Facebook users post photos every day, and Twitter uses links to photos all the time.

What does this mean for you? Well, it”s a great way to catch up with family and share moments even if you can”t be there in person. Think of all the events that can be documented and immediately shared through photos: births, marriages, new homes, new jobs … the list is a long one.

You can even print out photos if you want to start scrapbooking.

4. Local events

In your work days you probably heard about local activities around the water cooler or in the lunch room. Now you need a new source of information for all those fun local events, and social media is a great place to pick up the latest word on happenings around town.

5. New opportunities

When many people retire, they begin to explore alternative ways to earn money (without too much hard work). Social media can provide a number of community options, groups you can join to get advice on investment opportunities, stock trading, craft businesses, and similar projects you may want to spend your free time exploring.

6. Accessibility

Social media connects you with people right from your home. You don”t need to drive long distances or make complex plans to use it. Speaking with friends has never been easier, which in turn makes your retirement easier — especially if you want to spend extra time taking it easy in your backyard.

7. Plenty of resources to help out

If you have never used social media much for personal goals, a ton of resources exist to help you out. There”s a plethora of online guides on how to get started, and chances are good that you also have a local class that teaches people the basics. In addition, you can ask a younger family member for help in getting connected quickly.