Normally when you hear people giving advice or guidance about social media, a big point is “follow through” with all things you do. Now this is certainly good advice when it comes to starting a blog, or getting a social presence rolling, but I’m don’t believe that social efforts have to go on forever.

Plan ahead. Set Goals. Set a time frame. Let it end.

And honestly, what’s so bad with having an effort end? As long as you don’t quit everything entirely (which would be disappointing because, c’mon..we love you) and you have a follow-up planned, don’t feel like ending an effort is wrong.

Because the alternative is almost certainly worse. The biggest offenders (in my mind) are media releases. How many books have we seen get their own blog, put up posts on a regular schedule, promote the hell of out it, and then slowly let it wither and die? To me, there’s a certain sense of neglect in that. For example take the blog for Made to Stick, which is one of my absolute favorite communication books, and look at the posting schedule. Now I know the brothers Heath are busy men, and right now the blog for a book that’s a couple years old is probably not very high up on their lists. All the more reason to end it. Give us some closure and let us move on.

Look at what Geoff Livingston did with his book Now Is Gone. In declaring the end, he helps the audience (and himself) move on, ready to tackle whatever is next. Or take Blue Ion’s 301 Blog, which chronicles their move to a permanent office location. When they move it, that’s all she wrote.

Don’t hold on to your efforts too long. Plus they only go to a nice farm owned by Mashable out in the country.

I’m talking about The End in a grow, seize the day, adapt, change, move, “Now is Gone”, type of way. Because, if we’re being honest, The End is always nigh.

The End of Twitter being for early adopters. The End of your Mom not being on Facebook. The End of “Social Media Expert” being a good thing. The End of Technorati being important. The End of a digital sin going unpunished. The End of Auto-DMs (well I can wish, can’t I?), The End of thinking that creating content for someone is a good idea.

But with each end, comes a new beginning. So really…

The Beginning is Nigh. Tell your friends.