This would be about the social media platforms, not writing platforms.
Social media. It’s crazy how many platforms are out there now. Remember back in the heyday when it was just Myspace? Yeah, I go back farther than that. Think pre-DOS days. I will digress. So tell me if I missed any since I’m pretty convinced that apart from certain sites being generationally friendly, there are preferred locale-friendly sites as well.
(in no particular order)
- Tumblr
- WordPress/Blogger/etc.
- Snapchat
- Google Plus
- then exclusive sites like Youtube, Goodreads, Flickr, DeviantArt, etc.
Well, though that list is hardly comprehensive, they’re generally the most popular “share” options on any given website. I use(d) all of them except for Instagram and Snapchat. I just don’t have the time. The older I get, the less I use facebook. Because I used to be on there all the stinkin’ time simmering with self-loathing over how much time I’m wasting. But in the past 5 years, the platform has changed so much that it’s truly more annoying than anything else. I only use it to keep in touch with old friends and clients.
Twitter (and Tumblr) has become my platform of choice. Besides WordPress, of course. I used Blogger for nearly a decade before I left it to collect technical dust, back when I used to code and fiddle around with the newest code, CSS. Oh boy, that feels like a century ago. I think I’ll have a melancholy sit-and-stare-at-the-wall moment after writing this post. Blogger automatically works with adsense, so it’s tempting but too much of a hassle to switch back.
One of the most important things to me when it comes to any social feed is that is ought to be chronological. This was the biggest “who the f are you to tell me” when facebook decided to choose who’s popular in the feed. Half my friend’s updates disappeared, and the other half (which just so happened to be the obnoxious look-at-me half) was all I saw. Lame.
And why so political?
That goes for you too, Zuckerberg.
I love Twitter, simply for the fact that it’s quick and chronological. And being that I use Tweetdeck, I can view a butt-ton of feeds at the same time. Unless I’m participating in a Twitter chat, I can quickly un-procrastinate when need be. I love sharing people’s work, I love sharing little bits of writing wisdom, and basically, I love Twitter. Except for the fact that they’re taking my Tweetdeck app away. Bad Twitter.
Tumblr? Well, it’s a blog, but not exactly a blog. It’s like Pinterest, but not really. Those who know, know. Companies and renowned folks use this platform, but I see it as more of an informal personal feed. Things get lost in there, especially if you like to reblog a lot. But it’s a niche I like for something a little more personal.
Which is why I pin the super-special articles and pictures I find on Twitter and Tumblr. Because since the advent of Pinterest, who needs internet bookmarks anymore? When’s the last time you bookmarked something? Pinterest is the visual bookmark folder! And people can appreciate your awesome bookmarking abilities, too.
I can’t be bothered to keep up to speed with everything else. Social media sucks up enough time as it is, and I swore I’d ration myself (yeah, right). The older I get, the less I care for change. I don’t use LinkedIn, but my old art commissioner found me that way. So I won’t exactly remove the networks I don’t use, but the best balance I’ve discovered is to just focus on one or two platforms, and stick with that. Last I checked, I don’t get paid for this.
How many social media platforms do you use? Do you find yourself gravitating towards one more often, and why?
ellDimensional 
Tumblr (even though some of the users are annoying [but that’s the case with any social media]) is my favorite. I also use WordPress (obviously) and LinkedIn. I gave up on Facebook and Twitter long ago and I don’t think I will ever go back. I used to be on every social networking site under the sun, but I gave most of them up in favor of simplicity. As you say, “I can’t be bothered to keep up to speed with everything else.”
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Facebook is turning into a giant machine, I personally get aggravated if I spend more than 2 minutes on there! I see the potential for LinkedIn, but I’ve heard folks complaining that it’s turning a little too much like Facebook for their liking. Being that I take art commissions, I like to keep those avenues open though, even though I hardly go on them. +1 for email notifications!
Where are you in Tumblr, if you don’t mind? If I’m not skimming Twitter, I’m definitely perusing Tumblr! Or Pinterest, but that’s just a completely different department. On Pinterest, anything goes!
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I tend to get lost in people’s feeds on Tumblr because I only post about once a day or so (and now it’s mostly Camp NaNo updates). But my Tumblr is “dr1nk1ngm3rcury.tumblr.com” I used to have Pinterest, but it got too time consuming!
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Tumblr’s good for a quick read, too. My only “problem” with WordPress is that there are so many blogs I’m subscribed to that come in my email inbox that it’s a nightmare trying to sift through them! They tend to get backed up by the hundreds, and I just end up deleting them all ): That being said, I like to see my WordPress folks sharing their posts into Tumblr!
I’ve been binging on Pinterest lately, but these binges only come in spurts so I don’t stress out over it too much. I keep a lot of my recipes on there, so it’s a keeper!
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I try to keep the number of blogs I’m subscribed to very low (only about 30 or so) so it doesn’t become overwhelming. And I disabled email notifications for WP since I’m on the site all the time, and the emails are just duplicative.
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Good idea!
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