Over the past year or so I’ve experimented a bit with various social networks, trying them out to see what might fit best for my creative efforts. This site in particular has undergone a few design changes in the process, but mostly I’ve tried out a few other platforms to complement them before settling on what I saw as the most appropriate for what I’d like to focus on.
Granted, many writers and artists will cater to nearly all social networks made available: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Good Reads, Tumblr, Flickr, YouTube, Google+, Pinterest and LinkedIn, among others.
I’ve tried many of these and have seen the power each holds – and the results, which an be equally positive and negative for each individual artist. The problem I had with dabbling in so many of these was that I found many to distract me from what I wanted to do most – and that’s read, write, listen to music, run, meditate, spend time with family and animals, etc. Those are above all the pinnacle of importance to me, personally. And so I needed to find the balance of what I enjoyed using in the world of social media. What I have landed on are three platforms: Twitter, Tumblr and Good Reads.
These are the ones I’ve found to be the most interesting and useful for my personal needs. Granted, I understand each has his or her own taste when it comes to this kind of thing, but I thought this would be a good opportunity to weigh in on these three particular platforms.
Good Reads
I battled with this one for a while. First signing up, then removing my account, thinking that it was only a distraction for myself actually reading books. I felt that I was reading more to just check off the “read” button on this site, so I took away the distraction.
Then I re-joined. Then subsequently removed. I think I repeated this pattern three times.
And after this back-and-forth craziness, I finally (and recently) decided that I should put any qualms I had to rest and just embrace the fact that there is a social network that allows one to swim in a sea of books. Books have become one of the ultimate joys of my life, and for that I am quite grateful. While I certainly have nothing against e-books, I personally opt read traditional hardcover and paperbacks, and I love the fact that we can use Good Reads as a means for discussion. Quite good.
For more, check out my Good Reads bookshelf here. I’ll be updating this frequently with books I’ve read in the past and providing more notes on what I’m reading as I go along. If anyone has suggestions on how to get the most out of Good Reads, let me know your thoughts; any insight is more than appreciated.
I won’t go on about books on this site; I’ll be using my Tumblr as a means of discussion on what I’m reading and what I’m listening to in the way of music.
Tumblr
I’ve always found Tumblr to be one of the more intriguing blogging platforms out there. I realized after a time that it was not robust enough for the kind of “official” site that I waned (hence why I’m using WordPress, which is also a great platform). That said, I was always hesitant to remove myself from Tumblr because of its minimalistic elements, which I really love.
I’m now just returning to the platform after some time off, and I realized too that I’ve been spending much of the time just re-blogging others’ items – there are quite a few brilliant posts out there in the Tumblverse, mind you. I aim to spend more time on Perk Chops (the name suggested by a dear friend of mine – thank you, Chuck) and focus my efforts there on books and music, both of which have become a veritable food and drink for my mind over the years, as well as photos. WordPress will still be a home for jaunts on writing – be it fiction, nonfiction, poetry, journalism, whatever – and other efforts; running, food, meditation, etc.
So if you’d be so inclined, come check out Perk Chops anytime you’d like, and if you’ve got any suggestions on how to best use Tumblr, I’m all ears – let me know!
I first tried my hand at Twitter back in 2009 and it wasn’t long before I removed myself from the equation, not really seeing the point. I was, admittedly, at a different point in my life and career at the time, and after several years away, I approached it with a fresh perspective, and re-joined in late 2013.
It was a good move; I’ve really seen the power of the tool, and really love what it can offer. Granted, I tried on a few handles before finding one that fit (@MattBPerk), and like Tumblr, I will be updating more frequently with actual notes and thoughts, as opposed to just re-tweeting everything I enjoy out there (though I’ll still be doing that, too).
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Some thoughts on other social media platforms: I have yet to really dabble much in Google+, but we’ll get there at some point I think. I’ve used Facebook for professional purposes in the past, but have no interest at this point in the game to use it for writer-ly things, which many of you may think stupid. Instagram is a whole other entity that I tried and somewhat liked, but I will say that removing myself from that platform has been great.
I know that my mindset on all of this may change at some point, but this is where I’m at now, and as many others have suggested, I would agree that the best bet is to use what works best for you, as opposed to trying to keep up to speed with every available platform out there (because in that case it will distract you from doing what you want the most). For me, this is what I like best, this is where I feel I can stretch out creatively.
