I suck at social media. I really do.
I’ve been on Twitter for almost a year and a half now. In that time I’ve amassed a grand total of sixty-nine followers. (Suddenly I’m thinking “amassed” is perhaps not the best word to use…) Sometimes weeks go by without me posting (or reading) a single tweet, except for my blog posts via Publicize. Come to think of it, that probably explains my low follower counts, and the fact that for every five followers I gain I lose two. (I also don’t follow indiscriminately everyone who follow me, just like with blogs, and some people on Twitter seem to take it as an insult if you don’t immediately follow them back.)
In September last year I decided to create a Facebook page for this blog as well. In the five months since I’ve managed to get – are you ready for this? – TWENTY-FIVE FOLLOWERS. I don’t understand it. I go to much more trouble with the page than with Twitter. I’ve invited all my friends and family. I post stuff there every day. I have a widget in the footer of the blog. I guess it’s true what I’ve read somewhere on the interwebs: people are leaving Facebook. What other explanation can there be?
This year I decided I might as well have a blog on Tumblr as well. I have no idea why I did that. I haven’t the slightest idea how Tumblr works, but from the little I’ve seen it seems to consist of reblogs and likes. You can’t seem to leave comments, as far as I can tell, and it seems to be more about pictures and videos. In other words, not as fun as traditional blogging if you ask me. I’ve not found anyone on there who seems worth following, except Neil Gaiman, but all his posts just redirects to his regular blog, so I don’t even read him on Tumblr. I suppose it’s another way to get my blog out there, but to date I have zero followers and zero responses to any of my posts. But then I don’t spend any time on there, so I shouldn’t be surprised, should I.
And then, this week, I finally decided to embrace Google+ (or rather, grudgingly admit it into my life). Actually I just wanted to comment on a Youtube video posted by a friend of his daughter being silly, and Youtube informed me once again that I cannot do so unless I have my Google+ account linked. So I created a Google+ account for the blog, though Google, for some reason they only know, won’t allow me to call myself KokkieH on there. I did manage to keep my picture of me with a hammer.
I’ve managed to find a few fellow-bloggers on there and added them to my “circles” and some of them has actually added me back. I’ve managed to have the blog post to my profile and have even managed to share one or two things (okay, one) I found elsewhere on the net. The only snag was when I tried linking my blog to Google+: suddenly none of my posts were authored by KokkieH anymore, but by my real name, so I unlinked it again. (Google really seems to have an obsession with people’s real names. I guess it’s harder to steal legally obtain, as set out in their privacy policy, people’s personal information if they use fake names.)
Apparently you can create a page on Google+ as well, but I reckon I’ll stop for now. Baby steps, you know.
Why am I telling you all this? I need your help. PLEASE help me feel like I don’t totally suck at social media. Click on the links and follow, like or add me as applicable. Or not. As mentioned I really suck so I’ll probably bore you out of your mind. Except here. Here is where all the action really happens, but you know that else you wouldn’t be following me, would you? Thanks for sticking with me and making blogging fun 😀
if all else fails...use a hammer 
I have similar issues withTwitter and Google + . I’ve had some random success with my personal Facebook account, though I’m not ready to make one for my blog. I think that Mathew Wright has it correct with his point about discovery. I think my main problem with social media though is the fact that basically I’m a misanthrope.
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My personal Facebook account is just that – personal. I have my privacy levels set that you can’t even find me on search and won’t see anything even if you do. Only two people from the blogosphere have made it on there, and only after we had already made friends over here. I don’t share anything personal on G+ either.
Discovery is a big issue. First, there’s just so much content out there. And second, as I mentioned in a previous comment, most people who have great social media success were already famous when they got on Facebook/Twitter/etc. Us wannabes don’t have much of a chance.
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I only use my Twitter to stalk celebrities and sometimes tweet something that makes no sense because you are allowed to do so there. No one can stop you 😀
And as for Tumblr, it’s a site where people share loads of GIFS and it makes your day! You won’t stop laughing. And once you start, you can’t stop. I think you’ve been saved! 😉
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See, I don’t really get gifs. I know they say a picture paints a thousand words, but I prefer words.
I’ve had a few fun interactions on Twitter, but I seldom have something clever to say. At least not in 140 characters. Now, 140 words I can work with.
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I don’t know if it’s a good idea to try to be great in all areas of social media. I think we’re the types of people who are better off blogging than the other stuff you mentioned. Twitter is okay, but it takes work to get a lot of followers when most tweets don’t really say anything anyway, so I’m not sure it’s worth the time. You have a great blog. Most people who do social media don’t have a great anything.
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Awww! Now you’re making me blush. I don’t think anyone really gets “good” at social media. Those people with thousands of followers are usually famous first, and then the followers come. Still, it couldn’t hurt to have more channels open, could it? Anyway, with the exception of the Facebook page, they’re all pretty much on automatic. I’ve set them up, and am publicizing from the blog, and otherwise I only log on if I get an e-mail notifying me of a new follower or something.
Now writing about social media seems to be a hit. This thing went up on a Saturday, when there usually aren’t people on the internet, and the response is almost better than my first spam-post of last year. I’ll need to make a note about that 😉
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Rest assured there’s always someone worse than you, and that someone is me. I’m not on Facebook, twitter, Google+, I don’t even understand tumblr. My total lack of presence on social media does sometimes make me doubt the nature of my own existence… I had wondered if I should try and link my blog to other media when I had more time, but this post & the comments make me think maybe I shouldn’t bother? If I ever get round to it I’ll follow you!
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And I’ll follow you right back 😀
But I don’t know if it’s really worth it. I’ve had very few views directed here from social media, and many more from other blogs where I’ve commented and Google searches. Rather be good at one thing than falling around trying to maintain multiple accounts.
(And I don’t think I get Tumblr either)
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Sounds similar to my experience – I focus primarily (95%) on WordPress. I have a Twitter account which also gets fair attention. I’m also on Pinterest and Google+, but they don’t get too much time. Facebook? I created a page as a placeholder, mainly… don’t like Facebook’s reported attitude to privacy and haven’t used it. Still, it has amassed one follower. The risk is spreading too thin – I just don’t have time to focus on absolutely every form of social media, and I’d rather give a selected couple of venues my best shot & be genuinely committed on them, than end up giving everything a once-over-lightly and leaving people feeling somehow abandoned. To me, social media is about making genuine contact with real people.
The hard part is getting followers – the issue isn’t that we all suck at social media. It’s the perennial problem of discovery in the first place.
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Time is the big issue, isn’t it? Maintaining a presence on each platform requires a significant investment in time. Sure, there are programs that can help you manage your different accounts, but every step toward automatisation is a step away from genuine connection, and then you miss the point.
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Time is the thing. Social media soaks it. And discovery. I am sure there is a lot of great content out there that is seldom seen purely because even with the best search optimisation it doesn’t surface. And it takes time to look (that time thing again).
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I totally agree with your comments on the Facebook page. I put quite a lot of effort into mine (if you can call links to my blog effort) and I’ve invited most of my friends but only got 25 likes. I don’t think it’s just because people are leaving though, I just think people on Facebook don’t care… You can’t tailor it as much as you can with Twitter for people who enjoy reading and writing.
Keep at it though, and don’t worry too much about stats. Most of my followers on Twitter don’t interact or even read my tweets, I just accept that 😀
Great post.
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Judging by the stats page I don’t think even one Twitter follower has ever been to my blog and on Facebook only my wife’s aunt ever comment on my blog posts. I don’t think it’s that they don’t care, but rather that they’re not part of the blogging community we have over here. WordPress peeps rock 😉
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I never actually use the twitter and BF accounts linked to my blog, so I’m not sure a follow from me would mean anything.
First, I’d actually have to learn how to follow someone, though…
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I often wonder why I maintain those accounts myself.
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Because your wife refuses to do it for you?
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Ha! She’s even more inept than I am.
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well, I concentrate on blogging on wordpress so I’ll only follow you here – but I hope you’ll get more followers on the other sites (maybe by attracting others by comments?)! Can’t give you better advice since I also suck in social media : -)
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Yay! I’m not the only one who sucks 😀
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