Social media can be a boon and it certainly can help the isolated writer feel more connected with the world. During the Covid 19 pandemic it has probably been a life-line for many. It is powerful tool. But it also may become a tyrant and we have to make sure we master it and it doesn’t master us.
I start my day with a visit to either Twitter, Linked-in or Facebook. This time of year though, I play with my Jacquie Lawson advent calendar for a short while before I settle down to work.
Then at various intervals thought the day I’ll pop into my social media platforms. Also, when I trawl through my emails after lunch I will also see some notifications from my various social media accounts which I will follow up. But I only do this for half an hour. I then move on to answering only the important emails and the rest of them are ditched.
I’m not too concerned how many likes etc. I get because I only like what I genuinely like and have time to give some attention to. It’s a bonus when it happens. It’s not a disaster if it doesn’t.
I’m also quite careful that for every proactive piece I put out there I respond to four other messages. In addition only about one in ten of my posts will be about self-promotion.
Sometime I will get involved in a good old political argument and it can get tricky. Then you have to remember that you can just walk away from it and mute or disconnect form anyone who is giving you grief. It’s good thought that we can express our views openly and find like-minded people. So, there are clearly some advantages and some disadvantages:
Advantages
- You can connect with people from all over the world.
- You can connect with people you’ve never met.
- If all else has failed when you have an issue with a big company a tweet can perform miracles (we got our broadband fixed that way)
- If you have a sound idea others will promote it for you – think of the power of the retweet.
- It offers free advertising.
- You may also come across opportunities through it.
- You can get rid of nuisances easily
Disadvantages
· It can become addictive.
· It can become time-consuming.
· You may feel under pressure to keep up.
· You may encounter trolls.
Bottom line advice
Enjoy it and keep it under control. It is there to serve you not to rule you.