Looking at Social Media on a Friday

boat-harbour-mordialloc-sunrise

There is no doubt that you can get really caught up in Social Media. You can spend hours on it, but you do have to find a balance. We know that we have to use it to promote ourselves, so where is that balance? The more you use it the more promotion you get, but then you get stuck on it and you don’t get any other work done. I don’t have an answer for this, but I’m working on one and I may have some suggestions.

sunset-pier-stkilda-boats-people-1756
A trip to St Kilda Pier at sunset.

It has been suggested that you need to work out which platforms will get you the best benefits. There is no way anyone can maintain them all. You have to select which ones will be best for you and which ones will you be able to use. I use Instagram, Flickr, Facebook and do a little on Twitter.

bee-flower-macro-pollen-heide
A bee captured in the kitchen garden at Heide.

My favourite at the moment is Instagram. I’m trying to build up my following there and at the moment it is where I am spending most of my time. I’m looking at lots of work and seeing how others use it. I’m also trying to use it for our magazine, Dynamic Range. The number of followers is slowly increasing. If you want to follow the Instagram page here is the link: Dynamic Range Magazine.

bridge-river-crowncasino-sunset-melbourne
The other day I went to the city around sunset and captured this.

One thing that has been good about it is getting me to process a lot more images. Though, not just for Instagram, but also for Flickr and even more so for this site and blog. I used to do photos for my other blog and then talk about what I did to them, or the thoughts behind the process. I really want to start doing that again, but here.

lorne-waterfalls-macro-mushrooms-rainforest-2103
A bug carcass that I saw while looking at waterfalls near Lorne.

Instagram also means that I can go through old photos and use them again. It has been nice to have another outlet for them. I post everyday, sometimes twice, but that is rare. There is a philosophy about how often you work and that you shouldn’t post too much. People do get annoyed if you post too much and will stop following you.

I keep hearing that you have to allocate time to do it. Set aside an hour a day or something like that to spend on it. Limit the time or the whole day will go and you won’t get anything else done.

boat-harbour-mordialloc-sunrise
A boat moored at the Mordialloc marina at sunrise.

There are other sorts of Social Media, but Instagram seems to be the one at the moment. All the things I’ve been looking at are saying we should use it. I’ve increased how many followers I have, and that’s been great, but I haven’t seen a lot of benefits from it yet. When I do, I will let you know.

The downside is also that it is all about numbers. People take notice of how many followers you have. They even take notice of how many you follow. If you follow too many it doesn’t look good, apparently. Then there are the people that will only follow you if you follow them. Strange game. Good luck if you decide to go that way.

The photos today are ones that have been on social media this week. If you want to follow me, here is the link to my Instagram page, leannecolephotography.

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10 Comments

  1. The fine line Elen speaks of is rather true. One can certainly become so involved that you lose track of time, but more importantly of the original purpose.

    Regarding photo-sharing, I did Flickr several years ago but stepped away. I would describe that experience as a being a tree in an immense forest. The more successful Flickr users that developed large followings invested a significant amount of time before they scaled back their daily/weekly interaction. At 500px, you really need to interact to build a following of any kind. I did a few things with 500px before deciding to close my account there.

    1. Yes, I think she is right too.
      I’m enjoying Flickr, but I don’t spend a lot of time of on it. 500px I think has become a popularity contest really. I do flickr to load photos elsewhere. Thanks David.

  2. Leanne your images here are stunning. I agree too .. Instagram is interesting and moving ahead with vigour. Have a lovely weekend

  3. Beautiful photos. My three favorites are the insects and the boat.

    I have reduced my blogging and am concentrating that saved time on Facebook, which readers like.

    1. Thank you Nicci.
      I’m trying to build up my fine art images, so Instagram, Flickr, not so much Facebook, but might have to rethink that. I’m doing a lot more research into what I can use and how, I will be an expert by the time I’m finished.

  4. Your website is looking really good Leanne! Wonder if you will close the Blog side down at some point. Be well.

    1. Thank you John, I don’t know about the other blog, no immediate plans now, but I have noticed that people don’t seem that interested in it anymore, so who knows.

  5. Finding balance on social media is a fine line. I’ve been letting that slide recently, which is not a good thing. I love Instagram. It’s quick and all about the visual. I have a Pinterest account which I haven’t used yet. I need to look at Flickr. I admit that I am not fond of Facebook. A lot of food and lifestyle bloggers have moved to Snapchat and Periscope and/or Vlogging on YouTube. It kind of takes my breath away sometimes. I’m leaning towards taking a few and being really good at it.

    1. It certainly is Elen. I love Instagram as well, I am trying to learn how to schedule posts for it. I like Flickr, I like the portfolio look of it. I don’t use Facebook a lot, I put things up there, and use it to chat to people, but that is about it really. You have to find what works for you. I have Snapchat, but really only use it with my daughters. I am tryign to do the same Elen, just have a couple and use them well. Good luck.

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