Time to Take the Plunge!
I have just hit a milestone so I have decided that I will slow down and start going back over some of the previous lessons to help reinforce what I have learned so far. I also want to concentrate on optimizing my website as much as possible with its content as well as its appearance. This has been long overdue and I plan on acting on the comments that my generous fellow WA family members have been so kind to pass on to me.
I am also going to finally take the plunge and dive into Social Media. That's right, I'm the last person in the world to not be on any social media. The strangest part about that is that I have been working in the computer industry since 1977. There is a good reason though as to why I have avoided this medium for so long.
My small business has had computers in our office since 1988 and in the early 1990's, when chat rooms and YouTube first started, I remember watching a lot of co-workers spending the better part of their day fooling around on these sites. I was disgusted about the amount of time they were wasting and how it made that much more work for those of us who didn't do those things. I vowed that I would not fall down that hole and have maintained that ideal to this day.
Well now it's 2019 and although social media has expanded even more, the 2-3 recessions we have had has forced companies to downsize to the point where everyone really has to actually work. There really is no place for someone to sit around all day, being paid for work, yet goofing off on these sites. People seem to be more aware that these things are to be done on your own time, even though there is so much more of it.
I realize that Social Media has benefitted society also. I believe that the Boston Marathon bomber was caught because of social media use. And people are able to connect to long lost friends because of a lot of these sites.
So now I need to decide which is the safest social media site to join. I only want to join one, maybe two at most, to start with. Or do you think I should join more?
I am imploring my fellow WA family to help me decide which site to join and which to avoid. Please show me the way, Oh Wise Ones! Thank you.
Jean (a.k.a. grasshopper)
Recent Comments
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I think it all depends on what you want to achieve with it and whether you want a personal page, a business page, or both. It would depend also on the niche you are working in. My thoughts and experience for what it's worth...
Whether you like it or not Facebook has become almost a life essential. It's another channel of communication just like having a cell phone or even a landline telephone (remember those?). Personally Facebook annoys me, but it annoys me when the house-phone rings too but I concede I need a house-phone.
Personally I like Pinterest, but like Facebook it's easy to get lost wandering around in there for hours and hours.
Instagram is probably a necessity too if you want to network and get exposure for your site. Heck even Kyle and Carson have ventured in there of late. Check out Kyle's blog about Instagram if you haven't already. I used to like Instagram when it was simply about photos and it was organic. In other words before Facebook bought it and made it 'Facebooky'
No need to concern yourself with Google+. Even Google got bored of that one and it is now practically defunct. You won't be able to join it now anyway, it's closed to new users as they finish winding the whole thing up.
Tumblr, Discord, Reddit - unless you're 14 and love a good row, or you like to draw your favourite manga characters or you are a social justice warrior or you want to annoy social justice warriors there is nothing here for you! :-D
LinkedIn - personally I don't see any joy in this site. Great for corporate types but not so much for entrepreneurs. I stand to be corrected on this but honestly it bores me zzzzz....
Start with Facebook, Instagram and Pinterest. There's enough there to send your blood pressure sky high!
Good luck!
Thank you so much for this very detailed reply. Although I haven't been on any of these platforms, I have listened as all my friends and family complain about them all and they came to the same conclusion that you did. These 3 are definitely the ones I am interested in. Thanks again and take care.