I know I said I’d never do it, and very much against my better judgement, but I’m taking friends’ advice and having a go at using Twitter to promote my writing and my painting.
I don’t feel I’m using it properly, though, and confess to a feeling of losing the will to live when I try.
Anyone who uses the thing and cares to take a look at what I’m doing can find me here
Any tips or criticisms or whatever gratefully received!
Mick Canning 
Ah you’ve been tempted to the dark side Mick. Beware. Twitter can waste so much of your time but does seem a good way of connecting and getting in touch with people. Good luck.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Thanks, Jonno. Yes, I fear the devil now has my soul.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I actually quite like Twitter but it can be a real timewaster.
LikeLiked by 2 people
I clearly haven’t worked out how I should be using it.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Good luck mick! Am there too but not active. 🙃 it seems like a v detached kind of life there on Twitter…i know none!
LikeLiked by 2 people
Thanks, Sushi. It certainly seems odd to me, but lots of people seem to like it. I shall persist, for now.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I. Have been on and off twitter (currently off) because I felt like I needed to be on it all the time for it to have any use. Bleh. However, I too, may not have been using it correctly. Good luck, Mick. If I ever get back on I will look for you!
LikeLiked by 2 people
Thanks, Meg. I’m sure there’s a way – several blogging friends say it is most effective, although it is easy to spend too much time on it (as if we couldn’t do that while ‘researching’ online anyway!).
LikeLiked by 1 person
Seriously! I regularly fall down the rabbit hole of research!
LikeLiked by 2 people
It’s a big, inviting rabbit hole full of interesting things!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Indeed!
LikeLiked by 2 people
Twitter is a bit of a dumping ground for communications in my opinion, Mick. It is a necessary presence for a business though. I find Instagram works well for my artwork.
LikeLiked by 2 people
I was going for Instagram, but I don’t use a smartphone and it seems impossible to use it without one.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yes, it is an app on your phone.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Are you on Pintrest? That also works quite well for artwork.
LikeLiked by 1 person
No, I’ve not tried that. I think I made up an account a few years ago and decided I didn’t like it.
LikeLike
I enjoy Twitter, Mick, and have found a community of like-minded people there. I set boundaries for how much time I will give it, and I try my best to ignore the occasional, but inevitable, nasty posts that scroll through my feed. For the most part, it’s a very positive experience (and, for me, far preferable to Facebook). Good luck and have fun (I’m serious about that last part: have fun!).
LikeLiked by 2 people
I’ll try, Donna! Perhaps the fun part will happen in its own time…
LikeLiked by 1 person
Good Luck, Mick. All the best…
LikeLiked by 2 people
Thank you!
LikeLiked by 1 person
I too have not crossed the event horizon into the black hole of twitter time suck, mainly because I already have too many diversions. I suppose I could figure it out if pressed, but for now the blog will have to limp along without it. Good luck with the excursion.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Thanks, Dave. ‘Lost without guidance’ is probably the phrase that sums it up best.
LikeLike
Following you, Mick! Good luck out there … it’s a confusing world but I do like to share other’s posts and news out there! It seems hit and miss if I see other’s missives! Happy Weekend! 😀
LikeLiked by 2 people
Thank you, Annika. I’ll be over shortly! Yes, hit and miss is rather my feeling at the moment.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Oh, Tweety Pie, (sorry, just couldn’t resist that) I do feel for you. I keep wondering about joining the Twits myself, but I spend far too much time on the Internet as it is. On the other hand, a lot of writers/scholars I follow one way or another do it, so I’m tempted…
LikeLiked by 2 people
That was my quandary, essentially. Time will tell whether it works for me.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Good luck with this new try Mick. I use twitter to get better updates of current political happening as not every news comes in newspaper, that’s it. But there are some face book blogs who are doing good business and NGO pages who getting instant help when needed. I guess publicity matters.
LikeLiked by 2 people
That’s it, really. Publicity. It’s something I’m not very good at, and I need to try harder.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Sadly, I don’t use Twitter, so I can’t offer advice. But I am impressed you’re using it!
LikeLiked by 2 people
I’m not sure whether I’m impressed or not, Ann. Mildly baffled most of the time, I think.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Twitter is good only for visibility. People who sells things especially hand made stuff recommends using Instagram. They vouch for generating business from this social media. I’m not sure if you have tried it. But key to success also rests upon using right hashtags
LikeLiked by 2 people
I looked at Instagram, Arv, but I don’t use a smartphone and it only works with an app.
LikeLike
True. It’ll work only on smartphone or maybe a tablet
LikeLiked by 2 people
It’s a good way of connecting, Mick, but beware of its addictive quality or you’ll never write again!
LikeLiked by 2 people
Funnily enough, Stuart, I’m not finding it at all addictive – quite the opposite. Maybe I’ll get into some sort of rhythm with it, but at the moment I have to force myself to just go on there.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I suspect it depends on your follower/following numbers, and what teets you receive, Mick. I’m ‘politically’ active, so tend to get involved in those areas of political life that concern me. Trouble is, it can feed your passions and get you involved more deeply than you intend. I’m currently slowly withdrawing from a number of discussion points, so I can spend more time on my own stuff. That was the reason behind my warning.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Warning taken! No, I really want to limit my engagement to my projects and other related ones.
LikeLiked by 1 person
The hashtag contests can be fun and interesting ways to find folks to follow. I just followed you.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you. Ditto done!
LikeLike
I have a love/hate relationship with digital technology in general. I hate the way things so frequently go wrong- my printer just seems to have gone kaput – and my wi-fi causes regular problems. But I love my email (when it is working) and I love being able to research everything from crossword clues to census statistics to “what are those little brown beetles invading my room?” on the internet. But I still need the library too.
Judith
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks, Judith. I think I feel much as you do. The research is a lot easier now, although care is needed to ensure the information is actually correct – I don’t use Wikipedia, but will look for a site I trust (as far as possible), and I like emails because I can choose to answer when I wish, much like replying to a letter. But there are nothing like books!
LikeLike
I’m too clueless to offer advice. The only advice I got was not to just tweet self-promotional stuff. That seemed like a good idea, so what little I do–well, I pretty much forgot about the self-promotion and just tweeted other people’s blogs when one really grabbed me. Or news stories that people really, really need to know. You know, like the recent one about the driver who ended up in the ditch because he swerved to avoid an octopus. Or so he said.
Every so often I remember to promote my blog. Does it help? No idea. It doesn’t hurt. If you find out what the secret is and how to bottle it, I’d like to buy some.
LikeLiked by 1 person
No, I still don’t know, Ellen. I tweet my blog posts, and others I like. Now and again I remember to try a promotion tweet – usually going and tweeting a couple of older posts. I’m sure that’s not the way to do it, but I just feel I sort of have to…
LikeLiked by 1 person
Understood.
LikeLiked by 1 person