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[galadhir]

I have just joined Bluesky, but it does seem to be very worthy and very focused on the big issues of real life, so I don't know how long I'll last over there.

I'm doing it again already, spreading myself too thin. That's it now. No other sites of social media allowed. I already know I can't keep up with one, let alone two. (Or three, in fact, since my non-writing real life friends and activities are all on Facebook.)

Comments

[mistressofmuses]

I want to be able to use and keep up on Bluesky, but I just haven't been able to!

I really don't know how people do manage to keep up with so much social media! I use DW, and scroll through tumblr. FB just for a handful of family/friends/communities that aren't elsewhere.

I can barely manage that, and other than DW I don't even really make posts or interact very directly most of the time. I don't know how people manage to keep up with instagram/twitter/bluesky/discord/snapchat/reddit/etc.

[galadhir]

From my three day attempt to get on with Bluesky, I'm finding it quite boring, although it's easy to strike up a conversation. In theory I'm supposed to be promoting my books, but I hate doing that and I'm sure everyone else hates it too.

I don't know how people do it either. Do they have extra hours in the day? Perhaps they just don't think about what they type - that would explain a lot. The people I actually know in meat space are all on Facebook, and the groups I belong to - belly dance groups - are on there too, but it's not fun to scroll. DW is so nice because it's not constantly pushing things on you for engagement, but you have to put a bit more work in to continue engaging with it.

I remember even with LJ it was a struggle for me to think of what to post, though I tried to do so twice a week. I should make that an aim again now, and just not worry too much about what I do say.

I'm so glad I'm not on TikTok, having seen some of their memes while I was on Bluesky :)

[mistressofmuses]

I don't think I've ever met an author who enjoyed self-promotion! Everyone seems to hate it, even though it's a necessity, ha. (The people who DO seem to enjoy it tend to be the ones who aren't nearly as interested in the writing itself, and seem to fall more to the grifter 'I make a six-figure income selling low-effort ebooks, and give me more money and I'll teach you to do the same!' side. And I'm not sure they even truly enjoy it.)

Ha, maybe that's it! The lack of thought would explain the general state of social media, haha. I definitely do enjoy the style of DW more. I like having more thoughtful conversations that I don't have to be pressured to respond to lightning-fast.

I try to post fairly often without posting just to post, but sometimes I feel like a lot happens in my life that I can talk about, and other times it feels like there's just nothing going on! I suppose that's not that uncommon, ha.

Oh man. I knew I was forgetting some dominant social media when I was listing them off, and I just couldn't think of what. It was TikTok! I'm so glad I am not on there and have never found it enjoyable. (Even though apparently it means I do miss out on a lot of current stuff.)

[galadhir]

I do sometimes think that the only way to make a living as an author is to run highly priced courses about how to make a living as an author. I'm not going to do that either!

I do like the way DW is set up to allow you to actually journal, rather than just make short quips or post pictures (like Tumblr). When I come back here after a break it's very rewarding to scroll back and see I've written about things that I don't really remember well any more. And then it's nice to get to know other people in the same way. It's much friendlier because you really see other people's lives in a better way.

I've never actually seen TikTok, except for the TikToks that get reposted onto Tumblr. I wish that I had had something to do with BookTok, but I think I've missed that bandwagon :)

[mistressofmuses]

Right? So many "take my courses on how to become a successful author" grifts out there!

But very much true about DW. I like being able to continue a conversation over days or weeks, and not feel like I need to reply instantly. I like tumblr for some things - it's nice for looking at and sharing art from artists I like, or those short quippier things, but that's not really the sort of thing I'm interested in making myself. And DW definitely lends itself to a more personal connection with the people you get to know.

I do love being able to look at my own DW to be reminded of things I've done or thought about. I often forget details about places we've visited, or things we've gone to do. Looking back at my entries here reminds me of a lot of things I would have otherwise forgotten completely!

Yes, I tend to wait for tiktoks to "escape containment" to tumblr or the like, haha. I do sometimes have a bit of FOMO with regards to booktok, because I know that IS where a lot of talk about writing and reading and book releases and events happens, and I feel like I miss out on a lot of it. (Again, until it escapes containment and people start talking about it elsewhere, which often just means the drama parts, haha.)