My Lovely Followers

Friday 10 March 2017

Social Media, Love it or Hate it?

Ok so.....not a bit of cardstock or coloured image in sight for this post today (don't worry there's lots in the draft folder for sharing later), as I wanted to have a bit of a chat about social media.


So....social media and I have a bit of a love hate relationship going on. I love it in that I can share my creations with more people, I love it that I can see what my friends are making, that I can see new crafters that I wouldn't otherwise have come across, that I have a whole melting pot of inspiration to fire my creativity when my mojo takes a nosedive.

So where does the hate come in I hear you ask?  Well that can be answered in one simple word....time.

When I first started blogging, that's all I did. I did use FaceBook socially, but not in connection with my crafting.

Over time and as I joined DTs, I added (in no particular order), a Facebook page and also started sharing my cards on my personal page, I added Pinterest, YouTube and Instagram. Currently I have no plans to add Twitter, but hey I had no plans to add Instagram originally!

All of these things soak up a huge amount of my very small pocket of spare time. It takes time to upload to each place, write a blurb and post, time to add a bunch of hashtags, time to look through, like and comment on other's creations, time to reply to comments on mine.

I fail miserably some days, I would love to be able to comment on everything I see, but time is not kind to me. As I work a full time job with around two and a half to three hours journey time each day, I only have a few hours in the evening and the weekends to do everything else I need to do. That includes all the normal chores such a shopping, cleaning, washing, cooking etc as well as contacting/visiting family and friends and any RL social stuff I can, plus actually crafting, then photographing, uploading, editing and making my original post. Trying to cram in all the other social media sites can be very difficult sometimes, I manage (mostly), but there are the times when it feels a bit like work. So in the main if I comment on a post of someones on one of their sites, I may not comment on another. Some days I don't get a chance to comment at all, and though I try to catch up where I can this isn't always possible, I do try at least to run through and like stuff quickly on Instagram or FaceBook though.
Where YouTube is concerned I would love to share more, but the combination of a lack of free time, no room for a permanent video set-up and rubbish internet speed due to the distance from the exchange, means that I haven't posted in recent months, though I'm hoping to rectify that after my guest room/craft room makeover.

So in conclusion, Social Media and I have a bit of a love hate relationship going on, I like it and I use it, but I think I'd need a time machine (or retirement!) to truly love it.

What about you? I'd love to hear your views, are you a Social Media guru, or do you hide in the corner, love it, or wish you didn't lose half a day due to one post you clicked, which of course led to another and another (and Pinterest you have a lot to answer for here!), we've all done that right?

Thanks for dropping by, I'm looking forward to hear how you balance your time.




7 comments:

  1. I have blog,facebook and instagram.
    I share my creations and my cats photo :D
    Somtimes I also dont have time to comment on all what is going on on fb and ig,but on my favorite blogs I leave almost every day some crafty love.
    those social medias are good to stay coneccted to people.
    To me is great because I meed many wonderful people.
    And I saw so many wonderful creations and inspirations!
    have a great weekend!
    hugs

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  2. Hi Linda
    I have to admit sometimes i don't get the time either to comment on everyone's blog my time is taken up keeping up with all of my DT project's and i have to admit i do get more comments on FB then i do on my blog sometimes i feel it's just too much lol xx

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  3. I too have the love/hate relationship. I love the fact that Facebook makes it easy to see what everyone is doing but I miss getting comments on my blog. I know a lot of people are going through the same thing. I even see that the most talented makers get very few comments on their blogs. Who has the time? I think that that is discouraging to a lot of crafters and card makers from creating more and why so many people are giving it up and, in turn, why a lot of our favorite challenge blogs are dropping out.

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  4. I agree with Laura above. I much prefer my blog, I have a bit of a dislike of Facebook and rarely post anything there, but I admit on the rare occasions I do, I get a flurry of 'likes' and comments almost immediately, whereas I often get only single digit comments on my blog. I think it's a sign of the times that no-one has enough time to do what they'd like to do. I work full time, long hours and I like to spend what spare time I do have away from the housework crafting to relax. It's difficult to fit in all the commenting but then I've made some fabulous friends through blogging.

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  5. I think that your opinion and that of Laura and Annette are very similar to most people who craft blog. I must admit to being more involved on Facebook than I am on my blog, despite only joining FB because of a DT post - on my blog I feel I need to write blurb and explain things, edit photos, list products, etc, whereas with Facebook it is an instant Like or just a quick comment. I do prefer my blog (although am not really a fan of the new dashboard as I have to go looking for my blog list instead of the feed appearing when you open Blogger) but as you say, it is time...I wouldn't want to be without my blog and if I had to choose just one platform, then it would probably be that, even if I don't get any comments - I feel that I am able to 'share' more...more of my crafting, more explanation and more of me...I just wish there was another day in the week! I do feel that we also put a lot of pressure on ourselves to blog daily/weekly and we need to get out of this habit and blog out of want rather than feeling the need. Although I don't have as much time to blog hop these days, when I do, I would like to think that the people I visit appreciate the comments I leave and the fact that I've taken the time out of my day to share in their lives...as I do for those that visit mine. Hugs, Lisa x

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  6. I totally agree with you Linda... and had a bit of a rant the other day about it on my blog... I think crafting is moving so quickly into Facebook and Instagram, and it's not a move for the better. Particularly with Instagram, it's too quick to run through and hit 'like' quickly, without even reading much about the card, or even taking the time to see it properly. And then the 'likes' become to mean very little. I would love to go back to the time when our blog posts were actually read, and commented on...... where we shared a little of our lives, not just the ingredients used to make our cards. I made a lot of friends through blogland... that I have since met and still enjoy chatting to.

    However, again like you say, it is lovely to know that our cards are reaching further afield with a different audience, and that we're also able to see and be inspired by a whole new range of crafters.

    I do actually read people's blog posts that I follow (you can tell because I'm here replying! LOL), and if I comment on them, I fail to see the need to comment or even 'like' two or three times on the same make on FB or Instagram. What a pressure we put on our valuable crafty time! (And I'm a happy retiree!)

    I'm so glad to hear another few voices here saying the same thing.. let's hope it comes full circle and we get our lovely blogging back!

    Christine x

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  7. Good read. And I have to say I know exactly what you mean. I was just thinking about this the other day.
    As you, I also have love/hate relationship with social media. I am using Facebook, blog and ocassionally YouTube and Pinterest. I don't have Instagram or Twitter, and don't have any intentions of starting using them, but who knows, this might change ...
    I started using Facebook to keep in touch with my friends from other countries. I think it's a great way to stay in touch. At the beginning I didn't post (m)any of my craft projects on there, maybe just one every now and then. Also, I only added people I knew in real life or people I've been penpals or online friends with for a while. Things changed a bit now ... Now I post more craft related things on FB and I also added some people I didn't know for too long (but we were in the same DT for example). Still, I don't just add people or accept friend requests from them. I prefer to have at least some conversation/contact with them before adding them.
    As for blog goes, I still enjoy it, but I think it's much more time consuming than FB for example. It takes time to write a post, not to mention leaving comments on other people's blogs. I actually like to read what people write and then leave a proper comment, not just "that's nice" for example, and that takes time. Time, which I don't have a lot of (baby being the main reason, but I'm hoping to go back to work soon too). For me, leaving a short comment on FB is way faster and easier, especially since I would be using FB anyways, because I have quite a few friends who are not crafters and don't blog. Also, sometimes I see my crafty friends post their creations on FB as well as on blogs. I might read the blog post, but if I commented on their creation on FB, I don't see the point of commenting on their blog post as well. (I hope this makes sense)
    I met a lot of AMAZING people through blog and became (good) friends with some of them - people I wouldn't meet otherwise (I'm also hoping to meet one of them in person this summer; how exciting!). So in that aspect blog is much better in my opinion. Besides that I found many amazing artists which inspired me and wrom who I learned a lot from. If I look my first cards and my cards now ... Oh boy, what a change!
    And as for Pinterest goes ... If you are in need of some ideas/tips etc. I think it's the perfect place to go. But whenever I am on Pinterest i think time is flying by with the speed of light. I used to be on Pinterest much more than I am since Amadeja was born, mainly because I don't have so much time. I really wish days would have more than 24 hours sometimes. *sigh*

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I love to read your comments and feedback and every one left is read and appreciated. Please feel free to ask any questions you may have, I will always do my best to answer them. Thanks for visiting!

Linda xx