Back in April, planting a vegetable garden seemed like a great idea. Plenty of room in the yard and we’d save loads of money by growing our salads ourselves. Plus, my wife and I had the whole summer stretching luxuriously before us. All the time in the world!

Twelve-by-nine seemed about right. And it sure looked good on paper: Two rows of tomatoes, onions, green beans, beets, cucumbers, potatoes, plenty of leafy greens and a few stalks of corn for good measure.

Well, you’ve no doubt heard what they say about the road that’s paved with good intentions. The realities of life soon set in — as did the weeds. And the rabbits. And the bugs. And the deer. And the drought. When I say we bit off more than we could chew, it (unfortunately) has nothing to do with an ear of sweet summer corn. We were rapidly — and embarrassingly — overwhelmed by the day-to-day realities of maintaining a productive garden.

I once heard a self-proclaimed social-media guru state that since it only takes five minutes to set up a Facebook page for your organization, there is absolutely no reason not to have one. He might as well have said that since it only takes a few seconds to stick a seed in the ground, we should all be farmers.

A friend who’s responsible for digital communications at a mid-sized organization recently confessed that she spends at least 25 hours a week tending to their community of fans and friends on Facebook. And that’s really the right word for it: tending. 

For many groups, an active presence on Facebook makes a lot of sense, but be forewarned: Doing it right can be a huge time commitment. If you already have a page that feels a bit overgrown and unruly or even just stagnant, you might consider an intentionally static presence. A passive approach that lends your organization the credibility and brand awareness provided by the half-billion-member juggernaut of social media, yet without all those hours. You can direct supporters to where they might better interact with you — if not Facebook, then where?

Twitter? LinkedIn? As the potential points of engagement increase exponentially, it makes sense to invest in communities wisely. Better a strong showing in one or two networks than spreading yourself too thin. The trend toward openness and transparency isn’t going away, but there are plenty of ways to be strategic and maximize the bang for your buck. Or members for your minutes. Or tomatoes . . . oh never mind.

If we can help you think through the options, just let us know — in the meantime, I’ll be running to the supermarket for veggies.