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Learning Social Media

As a content creator and blogger, I love working with social media. I am happy when I earn your “likes” and ever so grateful there is no “dislike” button. I don’t think I could take that kind of rejection.

Since 2008, Facebook has been my go-to platform for work and personal writing. It is my online home for what is happening in my daily life. It helped me find a community of writers and readers. Throughout my career, I’ve used FB to inform, engage, and inspire others to take action and hopefully write checks to worthy causes.

But, deep down, I knew there was a whole world of social media that I was not a part of and that needed to change.Here is what I’ve discovered so far.

LinkedIn

Coming in a close second to Facebook is LinkedIn. The platform is easy to learn because it is similar to Facebook. I love it because I can keep my personal life out of it and focus on my personal brand instead. I learned how to network online better than I ever did at an in-person happy hour. And I am more likely to befriend strangers on LinkedIn than on Facebook because they could be the missing link to a new opportunity.

Here’s the bottom line. If we want successful careers, LinkedIn must be a big part of it.

Twitter

I never thought Twitter would last this long. Wasn’t it a few years ago when people were calling for its demise? As a writer, how can I possibly say all I want to say in 140 (now 280) characters or less? It was too limiting for me, and I didn’t want to bother with it. But, I think the Trump administration has changed my mind about Twitter. For the record, I don’t follow the president on Twitter. He doesn’t deserve me as a follower; if only to read what outrageous thing he tweets next. However, I am a huge fan of members of the media. Jake Tapper, Dan Rather, Yamiche Alcindor, and other media giants may not be my Facebook friends, but I would follow them anywhere. As an added bonus, this platform has also introduced me to some of my favorite pop culture stars of the decade – Sarah Cooper, Randy Rainbow, and my all-time favorite – Room Rater.

Twitter – I’m a fan.

Instagram

Where to start? If I want to see what my kids are up to, I need to be on Instagram. They don’t post that often, but when they do I get a window into their lives. As a content creator, I don’t have the best images to post. I know that a picture speaks a thousand words. But what pictures work best? And what are the rules? Do I have to be a graphic designer to be effective as a marketer? Is it okay to share other people’s images and repost with my own content?

Instagram – I don’t understand you yet, but I’m not giving up.

The back end

Digital marketing didn’t exist when I went to college. So, I’m learning it now. I’m spending my Thursday evenings taking classes toward an integrated digital marketing certificate. Before this, I used to think learning one platform and doing it well was the way to go, but that is no longer the case. There are so many social media platforms to choose from and if you want to reach a certain demographic or target audience, you need to know where they live online and engage with them on a regular basis. And it isn’t enough to learn the ins and outs of the social media platforms. You also need to know the tricks of the trade to get noticed. Things like images, hashtags, keywords, analytics, and search engine optimization.

So much to learn and so little time. But, I’ll get there because I like being social.

Keeping the Horror out of Halloween

Have you seen the latest horror movie? I sure haven’t. At this time of year, every chainsaw-wielding, zombie-chasing slasher movie comes out, and I have zero interest in seeing any of them. The world is scary enough these days without adding in a layer of supernatural terror.

I know this means I miss out on some excellent filmmaking. I’ve never watched a Stephen King movie or experienced the brilliant storytelling of Jordan Peele. I’ve never even seen The Exorcist – a true Halloween classic.

I guess I’m more of an “It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown” kind of a girl.

My kids enjoy a good scary movie once in a while and especially at this time of year. They attempt to lure me downstairs to a dark den with promises of buttered popcorn and quality family time. But unlike the doomed characters in their movie, I don’t tend to make bad decisions.

The last horror movie I saw was M. Night Shyamalan’s, The Sixth Sense. To this day, my family tells me it doesn’t count because it’s more spooky than scary. But, I am proud to say that I sat through the whole thing and enjoyed it.

When I was younger, I watched the original Poltergeist complete with the attacking trees, terrifying clowns, and haunted burial ground. As a teenager, I was pressured into seeing Halloween on a date. I watched it with my hands covering my face the entire time. For some reason, he thought I would enjoy seeing a horror flick before dinner. It didn’t, and I asked him to take me home instead.

These days, I still prefer candy over carnage, Skittles over serial killers, Butterfingers over bloodbaths, and most of all, fun over fear. And who knows, maybe Ghostbusters will be on television this year. That is much more my speed.

 

 

Will You Quaranteam?

If you could choose 5-10 people to quarantine with who would they be?

This is the question we may all be facing as we head into winter. If you live on the east coast like me, you know your days of fun in the sun are dwindling fast. Even today, there is a chill in the air that tells me colder weather is on its way. Tomorrow, it’s supposed to rain and someday soon there will likely be snow.

I bring you this weather report because we are going to be spending a lot more time indoors. Now that I understand the virus a little better, I can be more strategic about who we choose to spend time with and remain healthy.

Quaranteaming vs. Germ Pods

If you aren’t sure what your plans are yet, you have a few options to choose from. Some people form “quaranteams” which technically means leaving your home behind to stay at someone else’s home or inviting friends to live with you. The purpose of this is to have some form of social interaction – besides with your immediate family — while on lockdown.

Personally, I don’t think I could quaranteam. I love my friends, but I want to KEEP my friends. Unless we were all quaranteaming in Hawaii – then, I’d make an exception.

I’d prefer forming “germ pods. Or as I prefer to call them, quarantine bubbles. (Sounds nicer, doesn’t it?) These are made up of about 12 people, or three families, who stay in their own homes but agree to go steady – meaning they don’t socialize outside the group.

They share the same values and follow CDC guidelines like wearing masks everywhere they go and wash their hands frequently. These are people I can spend quality time with without much fear of being exposed–and we don’t have to share a bathroom for three months.

My Bottom Line

Of course, there are no guarantees. I can be exposed to COVID-19 while food shopping or pumping gas. Every time I venture out for basic necessities, I know there is a risk. However, socializing with friends in person is important to our well being. It is a luxury and a responsibility that I am willing to take on if it results in keeping us all happy and sane.

So, what are your plans? Are you quaranteaming this winter? Forming a bubble? Or winging it?

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