Did you ever read something that smacked you between the eyes? It makes you blink – and then you see things differently.

Ileane published a new Hubpages post about Amplify, the social sharing service. With her usual excellent attention to detail, Ileane makes a compelling case for using this service.

It wasn’t until I reached the end of the article that lightning struck:

The easy way to avoid “over-sharing” of a clip with Amplify is to do this: When your clip is loaded and ready for final review, double check the list on the right hand side and make sure the appropriate service is unchecked before you Amplify it!

Don’t Overshare – Carefully Choose Where To Amplify

Trust me, what I saw and what you just read are two different things. The revelation came to me that using every tool, service network and plugin is just too much. I don’t need to be doing all that.

This is in no way a criticism of anything but my own Shiny Syndrome Addiction (that’s ass-backward, by the way ). I realized that this need to incorporate multiple functionality into my social networking efforts is a mirror of my former opportunistic tendencies in the Internet Marketing world. Essentially, this weakness dilutes my focus, scatters my message and probably annoys my friends on Facebook. I keep blogging about it in an attempt to remind myself to Deprogram the Difficult and to Chase What Matters.

I thanked Ileane in the Hubpages comment, but I felt the need to expand on that theme.

If you feel overwhelmed by the plethora of plugins, the wealth of websites and the surfeit of services, try stepping back from it all and asking yourself how much of it really helps you. Then pick the ones you want – using sites like Ileane’s to guide you.

Above all, stay focused.