As an athlete, I've been active on social media for about 7 years. Facebook is where it all started for me, building a page around running even before I started blogging. Instagram came later, simply because I resisted committing to another social media platform. Plus, I struggled with the small text size on the screen, not to mention that I'm still all thumbs when it comes to texting. Yet, I adapted and to my surprise, built a pretty strong following on Instagram. Who knew?
I've enjoyed so many of the people I've met through social media. In fact, some of them are my best friends now in real life. I don't think I would have gone on to run the races I did--hello, 26.2! if I hadn't received so much encouragement from my tribe. Most definitely, my social media running friends validated my love for all things running! Races have turned into 'blogger meetups' and that has been one of the biggest rewards.
I also won't deny that I have loved all the cool opportunities that have come my way through my blog and social media platforms. Just this summer, I was able to attend that EMPOWER Summer Camp and had a fitness blogger's experience of a lifetime complete with tons of swag! I've also received a lot of products to review as well as being able to represent some wonderful brands and race organizers.
Sadly, though, for a lot of us 'smaller' bloggers, these opportunities have dwindled. Social media has evolved, becoming what I like to call a 'blog eat blog' world. Instagrammers have become 'influencers'. Platforms rapidly change their rules and algorithms, keeping users confused and frustrated. I just read that now we're expected to 'save' posts on Instagram? What the what? Don't we already have Pinterest? Pinterest wants us to leave comments on other peoples' pins? Facebook doesn't seem even to be relevant anymore.
What happened to just liking each other's photos and leaving a comment? Isn't the whole point to interact? Do I really want to do any more than I'm already doing? Am I no longer relevant? Should I still care?
I think we all realize that a lot of what we see on present-day social media isn't the real deal. There are lots of folks posting photos that don't tell the truth. Runners posting about runs that didn't happen or sugarcoating a bad run. Cheaters crossing finish lines with impossible for them finish times. Instagrammers joining groups aka 'pods' where members post in exchange for comments and likes. Curated accounts and people paying for likes? There's plenty of that. Keeping it real? Not so much.
Then there are those of us 'regular folks'. Maybe we're posting to make a connection with other like-minded folks. I started posting fitness photos a few years ago as a way to drive traffic to my running blog. I didn't expect my Instagram account to grow like it did, but fortunately, fellow runners found inspiration and connection in the photos I posted.
This past year I noticed that my followers on Instagram, just like my Facebook page and my blog, remained stagnant. So odd, right? I tried different things to attract more followers. Figuring that I had nothing to lose, I joined a few Instagram pods, both on Facebook and on Instagram. Pods are groups of Instagrammers who agree to like and comment on each others' posts. The numbers of participants in a pod varies, depending on the platform. Some of the pods, especially on Facebook, can be quite large.
There were a few things that happened in the pods and very little of it had a positive impact on my Instagram account:
- there was little to no growth in the number of followers on my account
- not everyone in the pod played fair, ie didn't reciprocate
- pod members dropped out randomly
- pod members (including me) didn't respond to posts in a timely fashion
- comments were not always related to what I posted, meaning the post was not read
- sometimes pod members posted things I didn't like or want to comment on
- participating in the pod felt more like a job, taking away a lot of the fun of interacting with other Instagrammers
I left all but one pod but that is because it's a group of runners that I enjoy and want to see all their posts. I guess you couldn't call it an engagement pod but rather a circle of friends. It's kind of nice because I'm guaranteed to see all their posts. Unlike lately, where Instagram is showing me everyone but my circle of friends' posts.
I've always enjoyed the 'social' aspect of social media. One thing I've really liked about Instagram is that people posted a picture with a caption and a few hashtags. It was a brief interaction and allowed the viewer to interact with many people in a relatively short time. Now what's been happening is some Instagrammers post what amounts to a blog post with each picture. In addition to that, brands want stories and live feeds and you know what? Who's got time for all that? Using banned hashtags? How do I even figure that out? Don't even get me started on 'shadow banning'. I still don't know what it means.
I guess my dilemma is that while I'd love to grow my 'brand', I'm just not committed enough to chase all the changes the platforms throw at us. It's become overwhelming and I can't keep up. As I watch my views on all platforms decline and try to figure out how some people have thousands of followers, I have to remind myself that what I'm looking for is genuineness and people who keep it real.
Social media--should I stay or should I go? The new #instagram algorithm is making me loco! My followers are stagnant. What's a blogger to do? /via @oldrunningmom #socialmedia #bloggerlife #bloggers #Facebook
Who's with me? Thoughts? Are you growing your followers or have yours remained stagnant like mine? Do you think brands are ruining social media by pushing influencers to the extreme? Is there a decrease in genuineness on social media?
I'm linking up with Kim and Zenaida for Tuesday Topics.
I absolutely agree with you on a lot of this. My Instagram has remained relatively stagnant (while FB, Pinterest, and my business have all grown), but part of that is that I don't desire to put in the work required to keep up with the Instagram game now. I don't want to take staged photos, curate an aesthetic, post to my stories constantly... I just like to share things when I want to share things and see what others are (authentically) sharing.
ReplyDeleteMy biggest problem with Instagram is the lack of authenticity. Staged photos, overly dramatic and long captions, paying for likes, pods, all of it just turns me off.
Preach! Agree 100%. It's troubling how 'influencers' are posting to get the attraction of brands without a nod to being genuine.
DeleteI've been giving up on my blog for a year now, mainly posting once a month. I just don't love all of it anymore yet not wanting to delete it.
ReplyDeleteI also spend a lot of time on FB for work so I don't want to go back in for personal anymore. I love IG but my feed is always the same. You have to spend time finding those you enjoy following which I don't always want to do. As my kids are getting older, I'm trying to spend more time off my phone than on it as well.
Maybe that is the rationale behind IG's algorithm change? I agree with you--I just don't have the time or desire to search for posts. However I do want to see them! I wish they hadn't switched things up.
DeleteI stopped looking at my numbers ages ago and I haven't been on IG in months (so I'm not ignoring you!). Blogging is a fun hobby for me -- to connect with fitness-minded women -- and I realized that doing all the things to keep the numbers up made it a chore that sucked the joy out. I'll keep reading as long as you keep posting, because I love your insight and sense of humor.
ReplyDeleteI love the connections I've made through blogging! But it's disappointing to see views decline. I agree with you that doing all the things sure does suck the joy out!
DeleteWe are definitely in the same boat when it comes to this. I've actually lost a few followers since the start of the year. I've tried posting at different times of the day, varying the content, etc, but nothing seems to really stick. Like you, I'm a member a few pods - but I really only like the one that we're in :) But I've also noticed that Instagram NEVER shows me posts from accounts that I comment on the most - it's the oddest thing. Right now I'm just not worrying about growth for my IG, but I'm using it to chronicle my training journey and to keep connecting with friends.
ReplyDeleteI'm enjoying your training journey and glad that we continue to connect through social media! <3
DeleteGreat post! I'm 50/50 on this one. My blog is currently doing better than ever, and I've been blogging for 10 years now. I don't agree with many that "blogging is dead", rather blogging has definitely shifted. People seek out blogs for answers to questions, rather than to read the personal narratives of a decade ago (I think IG has taken over there). Of course, I still LOVE to write the personal narrative, so I started a second blog just for that reason, haha! But even with the more informative blog posts, you've got to work the game if you will. SEO is everything, Google is king, and it can be frustrating.
ReplyDeleteInstagram: I hate it. You are right, it's so staged and fake. BUT, I have noticed a shift...brands are starting to take notice again of those who DO keep it real.
Bottom line, I think it's important to stay true to you , and remember WHY you started all of this in the first place. If it no longer brings you joy: stop. But if you write simply because you love to write, then by all means, KEEP GOING. People are reading...you just have to remember to not get caught in the numbers comparison trap.
100% agree with you that blogging has shifted. I've shifted along with it, posting at least one 'infoblog' per week. Those posts are definitely my most viewed. I also do one 'personal' post per week, and that is viewed by my tribe. I'm starting to repost/promote some of my older more popular posts. Those posts are getting a lot of views!
DeleteI agree with everything you said here and some of it is even knew information to me. I never heard of a pod but I do know that people pay for likes and pay for followers which is actually kind of sad. I am always curious how a non celebrity person (whose photos aren't even really that interesting) can have 58K followers and they are only following 48. That is a dead giveaway right there. NOBODY is that famous!!!
ReplyDeleteI guess you ( and all of us) have to ask ourselves, what is our main purpose with social media? If it is simply to connect with like minded folks, havent we done that? Isnt connecting with 1,000 followers enough? Do we need more? And for what purpose, just to make our follower count higher? Who are we trying to impress? Yes, it is sad that our follower count can dictate what kind of opportunities are offered to us as "influencers " so if that is what people are going for, than I guess I understand. But as far as you or I ( and probably most of our blogging friends), we all have careers and dont plan to make a career out of social media. But maybe I am wrong. I do think people stress about this way to much. I heard IG is thinking of not showing how many people "like" a post which I think is probably not a bad idea. What are your thoughts on that?
As far as blogging, I know we've really slowed down a ton. I couldn't even tell you the last time I looked at Google analytics to see our traffic but I assume it has slowed down because we don't blog as much and I dont share the post on Facebook groups like I use to. I guess we are all changing.
As you can tell, even my own IG account has moved away from always posting about the blog and running to more of a personal account of what is close to my heart ( mostly dogs..lol). I know I've lost followers because of that, but that's okay. I love looking back through my IG sometimes and looking at the dogs. Yes, I look at my own insta sometimes...lol.
Sorry this was so long of a comment. I hope you dont think it was a rant.
-M
I've heard about IG not sharing how many people like a post too. I have mixed feelings about that, but I guess does it really matter if we're not 'influencers"? and no, I haven't looked at Google Analytics for a long time because it's so darned depressing.
DeleteNo rant at all. Glad that you responded!
I've been burned out on social for a long time. My biggest problem is the "curated" content, for every post that I see from a friend it feels like the next 10 posts are ads. It's just not an enjoyable way to spend my free time. I've kept my accounts but I don't go on very much and I've turned off all notifications.
ReplyDeleteI only post when I work out, because my IG is not my personal account. Turns out to be about 4-5 times per week. I agree with you about the ads. It's gotten out of control.
DeleteI run the blog for my reading group, and it is open to the public. I can't even get book club members to read it so yeah, I hear you.
ReplyDeleteI don't read a lot of blogs only because of time. I have a lot of interests besides fitnesss: books, cooking/baking, needlework, writing. If I followed blogs for all of these I'd have to time for the activities themselves. So I stick to a few.
You're right about connections. I still read yours even though I can't run anymore because we connected on a personal level, even though we have not met [yet]. I like you, your personality, and the way you write. I know this doesn't fully answer your questions but I the thoughts are pertinent.
Good luck moving forward. I hope you stay online in some fashion. [Insert heart emoticon here].
I am so embarrassed to admit that I didn't know you had a blog! How did I miss that?
DeleteI am merely the administrator for our book club blog, Wendy. I don't post every day. I've unsuccessfully attempted to get club members to post, gosh, even to read it (!?), so I hear your frustration. I'm not sure how long I'll do it. I feel as though I'm writing for myself and I can do that on f/b.
DeleteMy book reviews are part of it and you can see those on goodreads.
I'm pretty frustrated with all of it, too. I've been trying to get my Instagram to 10K to get more opportunities with brands and events that I like to cover. I have to beg, borrow and steal(mostly beg) to get into conferences that I cover way more than paid influencers. It's driving me crazy. So I've been on this mission to get to 10K. It's stupid and discouraging and I'm thinking of pulling the plug on the effort and just trying to find some fun in it again. I do love Instagram stories to see what people are up to. I think people keep it more real there. And I love trying all of my new things and working with young companies and sharing my running tips and tricks on my blog. I have to focus on what's fun and let go of what's not. It's hard though!
ReplyDeleteI think it's nuts that you can't hit 10k. Your IG is widely popular! While the idea for this post formed in my head, I kept an eye on my IG followers and watched it fluctuate by about 5-10 per day. It's ridiculous. I love your niche and all the product reviews. I'd think that would bring you a ton of traffic!
DeleteI started my blog as a training journal almost 11 years ago. Who knew brands and opportunities would come? I agree with Heather that is seems like few are terribly interested in training narratives anymore but instead are looking for "expert" advice. My issue with that is if I want the opinion of an "expert" a blog is not where I go. I'm so with you on the lack of authenticity out there. I can't tell you how many times I've gone to an event and some people showing up as "fitness" bloggers but are nothing of the sort. Sadly Instagram, Pinterest, etc are businesses who reward those they are making money from.
ReplyDeleteIt's so frustrating to see the people misrepresenting themselves on social media. Or the overachievers who set a bad example for novice/inexperienced runners. The 'so called' experts sharing their workout routines. It's something else!
DeleteBeautiful post. I have only my blog to enjoy the running world and facebook to stay in touch with my former Coast Guard/Navy colleagues.
ReplyDeleteBy the blog I had the opportunity to meet some bloggers and their families from many parts of the world: USA, UK, Argentina, Australia, New Zealand.
My followers don't grow but I understand the reasons. Mainly the topics: mine are not so interesting because I live far from the other bloggers who have a lot of (other blogger) friends with many common interests, I am not a top runner and I don't race anymore often.
I'm so glad to connect with you--I'm always so interested in people who live in other places!
DeleteI got away from blogging about running because I was frustrated with the same things you are, however now that I've been away for awhile I've come to realize that blogging was a big motivator for me to run. I have barely run since March and have gained close to 30 lbs over the past year. I'm in the opposite boat now and will be starting to blog more regularly again to keep myself motivated to be active. Perhaps it's time to set new goals or expectations with regards to your social media presence?
ReplyDeleteOooh! I love your reason to blog. Yes, I use social media as a motivator--if I don't workout, I don't get to post! I'll be looking for your blog.
DeleteVery clearly my blog is just for fun and for me, as is my Instagram account. I do like seeing my favorite bloggers on Instagram but I'm not in any of this for anything other than entertainment. No time for anything else.
ReplyDeleteI don't have the time either, but I sure have enjoyed the connections I've made through blogging!
DeleteI enjoy being a member of running and reading blogging communities, keep in touch with people and share posts for my business on instagram and twitter and don't give a crap about follower numbers. If that helps! I am annoyed I can't be completely my authentic self anywhere except the closed photo a day and ultra runner groups I'm in because of family member stalkers, however.
ReplyDeleteI blocked the family member stalkers and you should do the same! Be yourself!
DeleteBecause my blog is open to all, I can't seem to block them - I don't know their urls and they never comment, they just let me know what they've seen. Not sure how to get around that. But thank you.
DeleteI blog mainly for myself to get my feelings and thoughts out and for my mom to read LOL! With most of my family being in TN and I being in KS, it's an easy way for them to keep up with me. Then I got into the world of ambassadors and the like. I have been trying to get on with several dog companies since I run races with my dogs and rep many of their products. They want what I feel like is a huge amount of followers that i will never be able to hit and they want photographs that look like they have been taken by professionals ( irun with my iphone that it is so they get what they get). I finally decided to not care about trying to do that stuff because I already have two jobs plus i am a mom and I run and that is all I can do. I felt so much better when I stopped trying to meet their ideals of what i needed to be on my blog and my instagram. I still have my core blogs that i follow religiously and will continue to do so. It's jsut all really frustrating for sure!
ReplyDeleteWe all blog for different reasons! I've tried to make mine interesting and readable, yet relatable. I feel like I've achieved all that. It's real and it's all me.
DeleteI'm just trying to keep things as fun as possible, but also real. If I can inspire someone else along the way, then it's a win-win. My blog is more of a story of my journey... struggles, victories and setbacks (and plenty of do-overs). I have seen my blog (and probably my FB and Insta stuff as well) evolve. I'm a lot more gratitude-focused since my scary surgery ordeal, which I don't think is a bad thing.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad that you have found a focus in being grateful. My perspective is a little different from yours since I work with a lot families who live with issues that are life threatening as well as lifelong. Gratitude is relevant.
DeleteNice post. I think you know how I feel... My favorite things now on IG are beautiful landscapes and cute animals. LOL. I've had enough of the fakeness and HUMBLE BRAGGING. That applies for blogging too. "Liking" something you don't really like is just wrong on so many levels. I do still enjoy checking up on my friends (duh - I read this post!) but I rarely interact any more.
ReplyDeleteTotally agree with you! I'm so glad you chose to interact with me! Meeting you is one of the best things that's come out of this blog!
DeleteI was a few years into blogging when having your brand started popping up. I think Twitter was the thing people were doing - I checked it out and noped right back out of it. For a while I was conflicted because I kept thinking I should work on my "brand" but I just didn't care enough. There were other bloggers who were being sent some cool things and of course I wished Brooks would have found me back then, but in the long run I'm happy with the direction I chose to go, which is still writing my own little personal blog, about who knows what at any given week, and getting comments from regulars - and that's perfect. No pressure there.
ReplyDeleteAs for Instagram. Oh man, what you are describing makes me shudder. I joined for personal use and have never tried to connect my blog to my gram. Also, what is the deal about instagrammers writing a long paragraphless blurb, finishing with 30 or more hashtags, and calling that a blog post? Uh, no.
I never wanted blogging or social media to feel like a job and sure, it was a trade off with no fun trips or swag, but not having to jump through random hoops that these social media companies create is very liberating.
I liked your post, in case you can't tell. ;)
Really? My brand popped up? LOL! I'm so glad we've connected and if we lived close to each other, I know we'd be breaking bread together somewhere...
DeleteIG has been frustrating lately for me too. I love the connections I've made with people and especially those who I now consider real friends. (like you). I also don't see posts of those I comment and follow on the most unless I look for them so I don't get that. I am just your fairly mediocre runner who loves to run and post fun photos about my escapades with my run crew. I am just keeping it real and if people want to engage with me, I am here. If not, then their loss right? I also don't care for the photos with long text like a blog post. That was one of the reasons why I switched to IG from FB. Ugh now I am frustrated too!
ReplyDeleteYou are so not mediocre! I love your blog--yours were one of the first blogs I followed. I'm happy to keep blogging to just stay connected and accountable. I think we need to get together and talk over wine! <3
DeleteYes we do need a wine and whine date!
DeleteI"m with you on the love/hate relationship with social media--I resisted getting facebook for my blog for agesssss but did get instagram for cute animal/pretty travel photos, and I guess the rest eventually followed. I'd love to grow my "brand" as well, but the last thing I want to do is be inauthentic, so I'd rather just post as I have been--for me and the ones who truly want to stay connected. :]
ReplyDeleteI keep hoping that it will all come around full circle; that the quality bloggers like you and others will prevail. So much of what brands want is staged and I just can't do that.
DeleteI started to blog mainly to talk about my running. Then I added my goal to run a half in each state. I also talk about my job, my cat, and sometimes my family. I enjoy reading about other bloggers and their running/training/experiences, etc. I am your normal and basic person that likes to run. I've said it before and I will say it again but YOUR blog is one of my favorites. I love your writing style, the different topics you write about, and your honestly. You write about interesting and fun things.
ReplyDeleteSometimes I check out other "popular" blogs and roll my eyes and it makes me sad and angry that companies pick these bloggers to be ambassadors or give them free products. You are a Brooks Ambassador? But yet you are running in Saucony and Nike shoes. Really? You were a Garmin Ambassador and when they discontinued that program, you became an ambassador of another brand. I will never take advice or believe bloggers like that because they are definitely not honest. It is all about the free stuff and the money.
I love and hate Instagram. I first joined to see pictures. I don't have a big following and never will and I am OK with that. I used to care before but now no more. I struggle with my BibRave posts because I am required to post a specific number of them but don't want to post too many of the same thing. Still trying to figure that out. I HATE the long posts and the million hashtags. Can't you just post a picture with one or two sentences? I also HATE, HATE the Instagram stories where people talk and talk and talk. One or two are fine but I will not look at more than that.
Great topic as always! I will always read your blog and check out your posts. :-)
Yes, yes, YES! I love how all of us 'real' people read each other's blogs and have formed friendships. I'm grateful for your support and glad that we've met. Now let's figure out this running thing so we can get back at it!
DeleteI really enjoyed reading what you have to say on this topic, Wendy. As an even smaller blogger than you, I have to say that at one point, I was focused on growing my numbers. I set up a FB page and joined Twitter. I posted on both of these platforms regularly and my Twitter following grew a lot. My FB page not so much. I really am not sure how to grow my FB page. I didn't even know that pods existed. Then I started thinking like you - this is a job! A job that I don't really want! I stopped posting regularly on social media and concentrated on the blog. I like to write, I like to connect with people who have similar interests, but the pressure that I put on myself to be a social media presence just wasn't worth it. I have found that the people I follow on Twitter (all runners, I don't follow anyone else back) are a really upbeat, positive bunch. None of the sniping or negativity I sometimes see on FB.
ReplyDeleteMy IG people are very similar to what you describe on Twitter. I only post about fitness and mostly only follow fitness-minded bloggers and runners, as well as folks with RA. I'm very careful about who I follow because there are things I don't want to see.
DeleteI could have written this! I am so frustrated lately with social media, especially Instagram. So many “influencers” are posting fake or misleading stuff, buying followers, not engaging. Though I may be guilty of being one of those that writes a blog post for my caption 😊 (which is weird because I’m burned out with blogging too).
ReplyDeleteIt just feels so inauthentic and makes me wonder where this is all going to end up.
DeleteThis is going to sound weird - but I like the people and not the personas. Yes, we get freebies that we're posting about but there's a huge difference between "wow, this gadget is cool" and the influencer fawning. I way prefer the humans. I look at social differently since I've never differentiated between my channels and my blog's channels - mostly I don't have time or interest in maintaining a presence for both. It's why my insta will always be run views and not workout snaps - but it's different for everyone. I enjoy the people I've met, but I'm way more likely to leave a substantive comment on a blog than on their Insta. The only real difference is with The Gabarrone Runner -- I'm more active on her FB than I am her blog as it's easier on the go
ReplyDeleteI like what you said about the product reviews--I do like reading the ones written by authentic runners rather than influencers!
DeleteI think it was yours or Marcia's Aftershokz reviews from camp - it told me way more about the model I might want vs. some of the "Hi, I'm paid. they're amazing. The end" And I bought a pair of the socks you reviewed sometime back.
DeleteI'm so glad to hear this!
DeleteGIRL, I am with you. I have been feeling so drained by it all. I don't post as frequently to IG or even my blog unless I feel compelled to because I am just so over posting something because I feel like I "have" to. Honestly, my blogging/social media days might be coming to sort of an end soon. As you said, I enjoy all the the INCREDIBLE opportunities and fun swag but it isn't worth my sanity or my soul :P
ReplyDeleteSay it isn't so! I love your posts! But yes, as the social media world evolves, I think a lot of us are just done with the games. It will be interesting to see how it all shakes out.
DeleteSo it's part of my business, which makes it something I feel compelled to do. But honestly, when I just started focusing on the community part of it, then i have a lot more fun. It's a lot like writing content for me, I think about why people are there and what benefit they might get from anything I share. If you are doing it for fun, then who gives a shit about numbers. It's my business and I'm less concerned with numbers than connections.
ReplyDeleteI think it's great that you have made a business out of it but still find joy in connections. I love that you actually post on IG AND interact with all of us. So many influencers don't do that, or it doesn't feel real. You stand out as one of the few that have the genuiness that so many of us want to see. Keep it coming, my friend!
DeleteGreat post. As a full-time marketer, the algorithms on Instagram and Facebook are meant to reward the posters who have the most engaging content. Same thing with the google search algorithm. Then, people try to game the system, and the system gets smarter and comes out with a new algorithm. I've had the most success when I post things that I think my audience would appreciate. I think the platforms are TRYING to be on your side and not have it be a game, but then it kind of ends up being one anyway! I hope you are able to figure out how much time/effort you want to dedicate to Instagram vs. your blog. Your blog has a lot of really good information and I always read it even though I don't always comment.
ReplyDeleteThank you! I still find the most joy in blogging--I love to write and connect with people who read. What's nice about blogging is that it isn't as much of a 'game' as the other platforms.
DeleteI read this post nodding in agreement the whole time. I've pretty much given up on trying to figure out what it takes to grow on any of these platforms. I just don't have the time nor energy - I just want to connect with the people I enjoy connecting with and the rest of it be damned. I figure I'm just gonna keep being me across the blog and social platforms and not worry about the numbers game.
ReplyDeleteYes! This is exactly how I feel.
DeleteI think we are all in the same boat. I also can't look at it from a number standpoint. I truly enjoy writing, photographs and those connections, so I'll float along as best I can until I'm not having fun anymore. The commitment is great and i've got quite a few balls in the air.
ReplyDeleteRight? I have a job that I get paid for. This is truly a labor of love.
DeleteI think I was late to the social media game and only know the crazy algorithms as they are today. With so many balls in the air I don't have time to focus on just this, so growth has been painfully slow, but that's nothing new for me.
ReplyDeleteI don't think you came on too late--you seem to have made the most of the opportunities that have come your way!
DeleteI'm with you Wendy! I had to take a break from Instagram all together last year for about 6 weeks, it was taking up so much time and it was taking away time from actually blogging. Since then, I post occasionally there or if it is something big. I enjoy following people on the platform though! I still use facebook quite a bit for my blog though. That is where I started out and I am the most comfortable, but I agree it is not what it used to be from a blogging perspective. Thank you for sharing your thoughts, they definitely hit home. You are such a talented writer and I always love reading your posts...so keep on keeping' on!!!
ReplyDeleteYou've had such great success with your blog--I love the niche you've carved for yourself. I'd give anything to have the following you have!
DeleteSo many great points, Wendy! Instagram drives me the most nuts, though. I seem to only see posts from larger accounts and have to go searching for my friends' posts when they're the ones I really want to see first.
ReplyDeleteI've been so loosey-goosey lately with all of my social media platforms, including my blog. Of course, business is booming so I have less time to post to social media, but still, I'm just feeling sort of blah toward it all.