By Barbara Neal Varma //
Last month’s column about social media distractions sparked a little more conversation.
Several of you relayed your own experiences with eavesdropping smartphones and other techno gadgets that can trigger pop-up ads at the mere mention of a random word or phrase.
Some folks even conducted experiments to prove “They’re listening” with varying results. One friend’s baited topic over dinner did indeed show up the next day as sponsored content on her husband’s Twitter feed. Another jokingly tried to gain a Mega Millions windfall by talking about it while in the company of Alexa, but no such luck.
A helpful writing friend told me about the timesaving Hootsuite app that doles out prewritten posts on a set schedule. I appreciated the tip but I’m not sure that’s the app for me. Composing content ahead of time would take days as I labored over each message to get it juusst right—and then by the time the postings flew out, I’d have tweaked them many times over, thereby negating any time saved.
Now, I did have better luck with an internet blocker that bars me from my social media accounts and lack of impulse control. Best part is when I forget I have it running and try to open, say, Facebook, the Freedom app fills my screen with its butterfly logo instead and one of several validating messages such as: “You are free. Go do great things.”
I also heard more than a few good-use stories, too, from writers who stock their social media accounts with inspiring words and pictures to win the hearts of current and future readers.
These intrepid souls have chosen to lead with quality over quantity and have faith that if they build it, lots of followers and fans will come, a strategy that best-selling author Jane Friedman recently wrote about in her “Electric Speed” newsletter:
I favor discoverability through organic search (creating content that leads people to me). I try to do my best work and let others decide, rather than going out to persuade.
Amen, I thought, and so inspired, I joined Twitter. I stocked it with some of my favorite published stories and dutifully followed folks that Twitter’s algorithm thought I might like plus a few others I selected all on my own, like Donny Osmond.
Then, while my tea was brewing, I retweeted funny and interesting messages to really get the Twitter kindling going.
As of this writing, @BarbaraNVarma has a not-so-grand total of 14 followers. Alas, not one of them is Donny.
That’s okay. I’m just happy to have checked off another writing platform box while not spending an undue amount of time courting fans and chasing followers—an oxymoron, if I ever heard one.
And now, if you’ll excuse me, I need to go brew a second cup of tea, giving me five free minutes to try and hook up with Instagram.
BARBARA NEAL VARMA is a contributing writer to Orange Coast Magazine and has appeared in other notable publications, including The Atlantic. Her easy-humor personal essays have proven popular with readers, one gaining numerous hits on Orange Coast Magazine‘s website. (Hello: Desperately Seeking Donny.) You can learn more at BarbaraNealVarma.com.
Good post! As an aspiring writer, I feel I’m not doing enough social media posts, the right kind, and not on enough platforms. Twitter is still a mystery to me. I’m confused as to whether spending time on platforms relates to increased sales. There are a lot of conflicting posts on the subject.
Thanks for your comment, Barb, and I absolutely agree! And even though I tried to put a lighthearted touch to the whole topic, truth is, it (social media) makes my head spin. And is it a magic wand or Pandora’s box?? Either way, I wish it came with a better instruction manual!