Posted on by Jina Bazzar

Social Media Inept, Expert, Or Just Clueless?

I’ve been trying to get more active on social media lately. It’s harder for me on twitter and facebook, seeing that neither likes me very much.

I’ve been known to write a message to someone on facebook, only to press enter and realize that the comment went to someone else. Imagine one time when I asked my cousin to come over because my back hurt and I needed a massage? That message, sadly, went to a friend of a friend’s timeline.

After countless of those blushing moments, I kind of gave up on facebook.

Then I was told I needed to get an account on twitter. So, like the good follower I am, I did. That was in December of 2017. So far, I’ve managed to confuse myself a few times, get a little lost here and there and wonder how people keep up with hundreds of thousands of followers when I haven’t been able to keep up with a little more than a hundred (Note there are no thousands there).

A while back, I was told to try on Pinterest. I did sign up, I did share my amazon page to it. That was… about two, three months ago. I have two pins, and I think 3 followers.

I still haven’t figured out a way to pin something that isn’t a share from another page, or even how to follow someone else.

Yesterday I was told I needed instagram. My answer? A flat out “hell, no!”

I’m envious of how people manage to have an account on all these platforms, write and still manage a life – it makes me wonder if I should’ve been born a century ago.

Meanwhile (and my SM ineptitude aside) I’ve finished the first draft of the third and final book in The Roxanne Fosch Files trilogy – which will be called Heir of Fury.

Time to start plugging holes, rereading side notes and comments I left all over the place, fixing bad dialogues, adding details – smells, feelings, impressions, thoughts, and so on – and yes, helping my English teacher to stop writhing in her grave by fixing my bad grammar and spelling mistakes… all that and to keep up with SM. I know that being blind and managing platforms riddled with images are harder for me than others, but do you have trouble managing social media and still have a normal life outside of cyber space?

88 Replies to “Social Media Inept, Expert, Or Just Clueless?”

  1. You are not alone. I don’t send messages intended for ABC to XYZ. But I still don’t know how twitter works. Facebook isn’t something that I am fond of so I deleted my account. The toner social media sites that you mentioned, I have only heard of them. 😂😂 We don’t have to be on every social media there is, isn’t it. 🙂

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  2. lol welcome to the club of social media challenged people. i have tried a lot of things and couldn’t handle anything except wordpress. now i have come to a point where i wonder why do i even give it a try. i mean i know i can’t deal with it.

    congratulation on finishing first draft of the book and best of luck 🙂

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  3. I have NO IDEA how to use social media…. I see people in so many platforms receive hundreds of followers in a matter of days while I’ve been on social media for a little over a year now (yes, I’m in my 30s and JUST joined the technological age… Against my will and reason.) and have only managed to dredge up a few hundred. I honestly don’t know how people do it and CONSTANTLY ask if I’m doing something wrong. I guess I’ll never know! Ha ha!

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  5. This was a cute post, Jina. I am not social media inept, but I’m not the most savvy either. And I am constantly trying to figure out how to get more time back in my day, so honestly, I would tread lightly. It all takes up so much time and means less reading overall, though I do love it.

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  6. I tried Instagram and got really bored in about a week. My business FB page is fine but its just kind of there. I refuse to do Twitter. It just seems like a place to be able to argue or spread hate anonymously. I stick with blogging. It seems a lot more interactive and a good place for my writing. Plus only doing this keeps me off the screen and doing other things.

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  7. I am trying to get with this whole social media thing too. I just began insta which has been a rough road of sorts. I have Pinterest, which I find helpful for certain things, but I’m only now beginning to share my own content. Slowly. It’s a process

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    1. sm is too time consuming, more than i really have to spend. i try, but so far, wp is the one i know how to use, and even so i’m no expert.
      Thanks for the visit and have a nice day.

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  8. I also wonder how people manage. When I write a blog post, I disappear from social media, when I’m active in 1 social media, I disappear from the blogsphere and so on, I can’t handle more than 1 thing at a time. I check my blog email like twice a month. My brain can’t keep up with notifications from different places and on top of that I need my 0 distractions space for reading books to review. I prefer interacting with people who have small amount of followers. In my experience, many of those who have thousands and seem to be active everywhere usually feel “empty”? as well. Like for example, instead of analyzing what you wrote, replying with “lol, that’s so relatable” and move on to comment somewhere else… At least that is what I have noticed…no connection, just quick reaction.

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    1. I agree. i’d say i noticed people with too many followers – the ones who get hundreds of likes in one post in a matter of hours? when i follow them, i usually keep on reading and liking and leaving the occasional comment, only to get ignored. So i decided to follow back only if they come around more than once. of course, i always reciprocate the visit.

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  9. Oh! This so sounds like me!! I too have been lately trying to get myself on Insta, Fb and Twitter – But yeah, it is not easy at all! Managing posts, likes, responses, replies, comments, putting up regular posts that make sense – it’s all too much for me to do! 😦

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  11. A person could spend nearly all their time trying to keep up with social media. I’ve been told to choose what works best for me. I tried Pinterest, but it really isn’t for me. I’ve been trying to be more active on IG and BookBub. We’ll see what happens. With FB algorithms, posts may not be seen, and it’s becoming a waste of time to post anything. Good luck, Jina!

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  12. I’m not good at Social Media either, Jina. The blog gets 99% of my attention and everything else is just fed my posts. It’s too much and too time-consuming when life is meant to be lived. I decided to do one thing well and not worry about the rest, rather than do everything half-baked. 😀

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  13. LOL – I can so relate. Social media is not my friend. It’s a necessary/viable platform, but I can’t maneuver it well. One day, with focus and resolve (and gritted teeth) I’ll make it work!

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  14. LOL! I have Twitter and Instagram, although I’m not always great about keeping up and I am always feeling like I should do more! However I can’t figure out Pinterest to save my life so I’m just staying away from that one!🙃

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  15. Think you nailed it, there simply isn’t enough time to keep up with all these platforms. Blogging can be creative and interactive, good, but I am not clear on the rewards of, say Twitter. Part of me feels I should do more social media, another part me sees a row of greedy babies waiting to be fed.

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  17. I juggle them all, because I’m silly. For Pinterest — if you go to the website, you’ll see a red plus sign in the upper right corner of your profile page. You can upload photos from your computer from there.

    Or, of course, you can download the pinterest reshare button, hover on an image, and reshare it. I use Pinterest to:
    1 – reshare my blog posts, linking them back to my latest post.
    2 – share the covers of the books I just finished reading
    3 – collect inspiration pictures for characters and settings and costumes

    I also follow some hashtags/etc and pinterest loves suggesting things to share with you. So, I reshare some stuff from pinterest, labeling them ‘writing tips from online’ or ‘story ideas’ or ‘pictures’ by adding them to a board I’ve named after whatever label I like to give them.

    For Twitter, I mostly only pay attention to what I post and whoever responds to me. Searching hashtags is a great way of finding other people with similar interests. #writingCommunity #bloggingGals #amwriting are some of the ones I follow.

    I’ve grown most of my audience by joining groups (fb writing groups, etc) and following everyone in that group.

    Mostly, I share links to my blog, the occasional 1-liner thought. And check if anyone has commented — following back any accounts that aren’t crude, empty, or full of click-bait. And once or twice a week, look at my feed and like a few things, reshare the really cute ones. In 3 years, I’ve hit over 5k followers, although, maybe 10 people respond to any given post.

    I LOVE lists, so I can keep track of certain writing groups worth of people I’m following, or people I know in Real Life, or humorous authors with fun twitter feeds (Seanan McGuire and Ursula Vernon).

    Of all the social medias, Instagram really is the easiest to keep up with and least likely to be full of angry rants. Post a picture 1-3 times a week (of something you’re eating, reading, or writing. Or selfies! Or the sky.) Then, flip through and like other peoples.

    I found most of my followers from my fb writing support group and from a #2019booklovers follow loop I stumbled across in January. (You can search the hashtag and see other people in the group. Then, i followed them, assuming they didn’t have 2 or more times the number of followers to following.

    If they have a lot more people following them than they follow, either they’re a public figure, they’ve gone viral, or (more likely) the follow people, wait for the follow back, then unfollow you. Because they are jerks.

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    1. Oh thanks for all those many tips. I just know i’ll be back here now and then to read this one again when sm is giving me trouble.
      it was really nice of you to take the time to explain it all. much appreciated.

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  18. Social Media is a bit hard to navigate, I totally agree. I don’t know how people have accounts on so many different sites and don’t lose their heads. It’s also hard to keep up with which one is trendy because it changes so much!
    I’m having the most luck with Twitter by following #WritingCommunity and #amwriting hashtags. #amquerying is also a good one.

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  19. I couldn’t agree more. I’m now doing Twatter because everyone told me I needed to, but I’m still not convinced – just another way to use up precious time, I fear, but I’m persisting for now. I feel stuck with Facebook because I have friends on there I message regularly, but it’s only the blog I really enjoy using.

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  20. I’m right there with you.
    I think it might be because of the “engage” factor. I cannot have an endless feed. I need to be able to read what people say, and interact with them. Most of Twitter is liking and retweeting. Why do we feel the need to duplicate so much useless crap? And Instagram is a bunch of likes and selfies. So shallow. At least that is how I feel.

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    1. yes, that reading part is a factor on why twitter isn’t working for me. the same person can tweet up to …. countless rts in a few minutes and going through them all just isn’t working for me.
      Thanks for sharing your opinion. i appreciate your honesty.

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  21. Jina, a resounding yes to your last question! It is impossible to be on all social media platforms, interact to the level required for lots of likes, pins etc AND have a normal life. I use twitter a little and enjoy sharing now and then as well as reading a few tweets each day. However, when my son suggested Instagram my reaction was the same as yours, no! I honestly feel that the most meaningful contact is here on your blog and visiting others as you are doing … and most importantly enjoy what you’re doing. Congratulations on finishing the draft of Heir of Fury .., and wish you the best with the edits etc.

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  23. I think social media is exhausting, to be honest. I have an account on most platforms but I don’t use them all because it’s too time consuming. A lot of people seem to love Instagram but it’s my least favorite of them all.

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  24. I may have been on blogging hiatus for a while and still working to come back so I haven’t kept up much with fellow bloggers (sorry!), but I don’t “keep up” with everyone on any social media. It’s impossible.

    I set special notifications for friends and people closest to me and keep up on those. I search hashtags for groups or writing prompts and to read the corresponding posts.

    Otherwise, feeds are too time consuming to give anything more than the occasional skim, even if the definition of “occasional” varies at times.

    I’ve been working on a calendar for keeping up with people on social media. I’ve got favorite bloggers, Twitterers (again, not trying to use the word that sounds more concise 😂), friends and family that I don’t want to miss anything of and am trying to make a system to make this less overwhelming.

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  25. Yes, I have a lot of trouble, especially because I try to be considerate about reading and commenting on other blogs. Those (blog) relationships matter to me. Twitter is different and I’m not very good at it. Facebook is interesting and helpful too, so I try to keep up, especially since I’m an author, but that’s very difficult to do.

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  26. Thank you for this post. I’m also a Social Media dork … I hate Facebook with a passion but once I started blogging, it felt like I just had to finally sign up for this. If I check it every other week or so I’ve been good. Still no idea how Twitter works … erm …

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  28. I do okay when it comes to maintaining my social media presence, etc. What I’ve found is that many people don’t know the difference between each. Each one requires a different type of engagement/posting. I say try Instagram…it’s the least daunting (in my opinion). Also, I had Pinterest for about 2-3 years and then deleted it. It seems pretty pointless.

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    1. Pinterest is my least favorite and i admit i haven’t made an effort to understand it. Instagram – as i know – is a visual platform, so it’s more difficult to navigate with screen readers. As is FB, but if i don’t get stuck, i can manage it – barely. That leaves me with twitter and wp, and i’m comfrtable with wp alone. But i still drop by on twitter and try to mess around.
      Thanks for the visit and the comment, Kathy. Hope you have a nice day.

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  29. I don’t like Facebook, but as a YA author I’m told our audience don’t really use it anyway. Apparently Reddit and Tumblr are popular, but I haven’t gotten my head around them yet. I use lists on Twitter to keep up with people, and I’ve made a few friends, but I’ve only really been blogging lately whilst I re-think what to do about social media. I know a lot of people use social media management programs to schedule posts across all platforms, but I think I’d rather focus on the platforms I like.

    Congratulations on finishing your draft, and don’t worry too much about social media. Where ever you are, your readers will find you 🙂

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    1. I try, but i think fb is quite popular still – not as before, but still going on strong. As for tumbler, i did make an account, but am still figuring it out. It doesn’t seem to be screen reader friendly, but i’ll give it a few more tries before i give up.
      And sorry for the late response, Louise, i really thought i’d replied to your comment before.

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      1. Hmm, I think maybe more research into fb is needed… I’m making a marketing plan for my next university assignment, and there’s so much to learn.
        That’s all right, hope you’re having a good day 🙂

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  30. I’m 70 years of age, well I will be in July, and I only started to write in 2012. I didn’t even know how to copy and paste for a good many months, so that when I joined Twitter and someone followed me, I typed my usual response each time–‘Thank you for following me, but I’m following a dream and as far as I know, there are no rules in a dream’— It was senseless for the occasion, but it not only got me noticed it started to wear my two typing fingers down to the bone.
    As it stands now I have about 128,000 twitter followers and for a time that meant a severe dedication to promote a lot of their work along with mine. In some ways, it helped.
    I was invited to a live interview on London ITV news because of a Film production company’s interest in my first novel and a Waterstones book signing tour of England which I obviously tweeted about. But overall the burden of so much time spent on Twitter against the benefits received from it was too much and now I visit Twitter on average maybe twice a week.
    The film was never made because of distribution problems but had it been made then I probably would not be here now.
    FaceBook I divide in two. One for updates on my novels and the other for having fun with the friends I’ve been lucky enough to have made.
    Pinterest I love simply for an opportunity to see art from different periods of time and the ability to revisit my collection of photographs when time allows. I have photos of London, England, Italy, the game of rugby (I used to play) and one for animals. I have a french bulldog. I haven’t bothered with Instagram.
    My one SM regret is not trying harder with blogging. I think I tried too hard with the rest and this format escaped my attention.

    Having said all the above and bored you to tears no doubt, my first love is writing. From 2012 till now I have 11 various written works published.
    At first they were all self-done, but now I have a publisher, not one of the fancy one, but nevertheless they do all the work for free, leaving just three self-published Kindles in the name of Danny Kemp.

    The only weapon you and I possess in the process of writing and then the publication of that work is persistence. I do not write for money. I write to be read. There is no pleasure better than reading a good review of your book.

    Keep going. You are obviously enjoying great success on your blog so why not with your book. Good luck to you and may you enjoy the pleasures of the written word for years to come.
    Daniel Kemp

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    1. No boring to tears here. I’m a creativia author too, Daniel – I’ve seen you around the discussion board.
      Now, as for twitter, wow, i have what you have for followers, minus the 000. As i’m blind, other platforms are harder for me than wp, because they’re mostly visual.
      So i focus here the most.
      As for writing, i love writing too, and i don’t write for money either. I’ve given away so many books, i lost count.
      Thanks for the visit and have a wonderful day!

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    1. haha, thanks. I have many mishaps with social media – being blind and navigating basically visual platforms have caused many embarrassing moments. Depending on the occasion, i either apologize and move on, or act clueless.
      Thanks for the visit and the comment. Have a lovely weekend.

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  36. I am very inept about social media. I have no instinct for it. I kind of like Instagram just because I like focusing on images and don’t have to write a lot. But if I had my choice, I’d rather be walking or writing fiction. Congratulations on finishing your first draft. That’s the hardest.

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    1. Ah, but the research takes toooooo much time and then you have the trial and errors – and not all the buttons they tell you to use are compatible with screen readers – I’m blind – so i can’t tell where everything is.Still, I did make progress on twitter – again through trial and error – but it’s progress nonetheless.
      Thanks for the visit!

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  39. I hear/read all the time that one needs [fill in the social media platform] account. Why? To create a platform, network, keep up with all my friends, etc. As far as I can tell these things actually mean: this is how you get your fifteen minutes of fame. And I want to be famous and loved, so signed up for them, hated it, and dropped them when they didn’t “work.”

    I have NO idea how to “do” social media. Likely that’s because of the first word: social. I’m NOT social, even virtually. Not really. I mean, I do it (am doing it right now, right?), but just like in the real world, I am lost. As a writer this is not surprising, right? We tend to be introverts. In my case add Asperger’s to that and you get my level of ignorance.

    In the end I went with what I enjoy, and has had a little “success,” WordPress. I know it’s a platitude, but go with what brings you joy. Forget the rest. Life’s too short.

    How’s that for “help”? Muddled thoughts about myself and a couple trite maxims. 😜

    You’re welcome!

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    1. Well it helps, and i agree, wp is the best. I don’t want the fame, or, to be exact, I want a fraction of the fame so that my book circulates around. But, clue in introvert and not really social, (no aspergers here, but i’m blind,) and that whole social media this or that leaves me clueless.
      Thanks for the visit.

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  40. I definitely have trouble with social media. I use wordpress and that’s about it. I occasionally visit a couple of forums that I used to spend a lot of time on and use Skype on occasion. I tried Facebook once. I’m inept and clueless and to be honest I’m glad I am. I think the real world is a way better place to live…
    Love, light and glitter

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    1. Ah, I’m glad I’m not alone. I still try getting around social media, but like you, wp is the place I’d rather go. Apologies for the late response. Hope things are good in your side. Stay safe.

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