When my oldest was around three, she placed a sign in the front window for anyone walking by, that said, “Will you Please be My Friend.”
To be fair, I was a young mom and none of my friends had children…plus, I was at university studying to get my IT Degree…so play dates were a bit on the lacking side of things.
Make no wonder she had an imaginary friend named Amy (who was 64 I might add), for far longer than most kids kept their imaginary friends around.
We’re all looking for friends. In the blogging and social media world, we look for them more than the average person. In fact, I’m trying to make Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Etsy, LinkedIn and Pinterest friends on a regular basis. I’m also looking for friends to join my Newsletter and friends to sit and have a cup of tea with from time to time.
What do I want from my friends? I’m looking for all of my friends to Like, Share, Comment, Tweet, Pin and Recommend me to their other friends but if, and only if, something resonated with them. (While I’m asking them to like and share…I still want everyone to be genuine in their liking!)
As Bloggers, it’s sometimes difficult to get our posts out there as social media does a lot of funny math. Like, CALCULUS kind of math. It’s difficult to determine how the blog posts I put on social media will end up in people’s newsfeeds but the algorithm that’s used is based on whether or not folks are liking, sharing, commenting, clicking, poking, pecking…you get the idea. While my blog is a separate website that people can reach by just entering the URL, I promote my blog posts through the various social channels but I need those reading it to help promote it even further. If my friends are showing their friends the stories they like…then I get more work and more friends and more work and more friends…and so on…and so on!
Instagram:
Currently, I have 1,218 followers and if you aren’t on Instagram, it’s a pretty fun platform to play in. Some bloggers are AMAZING at photography and post some really cool things. Me…I post a few photos a week showing what I’m up to…they often include sports, my dog or what I’m watching on Netflix. From time to time I bang it out of the park and take a really great shot but for the most part…it’s just regular ol’ me doing regular ol’ things!
Like building snowmen!
Click here to follow me on Instagram.
Facebook:
The majority of my blog traffic comes from Facebook so I must be doing something right there…ISH! Currently, I have 2,062 Facebook Followers and I really quite like the chats we get into from time to time. I post every new blog post there…as well as older posts you may have missed. I also post a little about my daily life and share some things from a few of the brands that I work with.
Facebook is a funny thing…even though you follow me, it doesn’t necessarily mean that my posts will show up in your Newsfeed…essentially, the more people who Like and Share, the more people get to see. Typically a few hundred people will see what I post but definitely not all 2,062 of you!!!
So…Liking, Commenting and Sharing in Facebook is pretty important for me…and most companies who use Facebook as a marketing tool.
If you’re following me and REALLY want to make sure you see my stuff as often as possible, you can click on the pull down arrow next to “Following” and choose “See First” from the list. That sort of pushes me up a peg on your fancy Facebook algorythm and makes us BFFs rather than just regular friends!
Click the link to follow me on Facebook.
Twitter:
I can be a little sarcastic on Twitter which may be the reason I have a few more friends there! I have 3,216 followers on Twitter and while I definitely post my blog posts there…I also tell you what I’m doing, where I am and what’s on my mind a little bit more than I do on Facebook.
Every now and then I throw a Twitter Party…or Live Tweet an event…but you can totally mute me if you aren’t interested in me on those days! BUT, don’t forget to un-mute me after you mute me! You know what…how about you just don’t mute me at all! 🙂
I also use Twitter a fair bit for local things…so if I’m visiting somewhere cool or interesting I’ll usually try to tell you a little bit about them in the hopes that you discover a new place as well. AND, I love having a good ol’ conversation on Twitter…so be sure to interact if you find something interesting.
Click the link to follow me on Twitter.
Pinterest:
For the most part, I don’t have a sweet clue what I’m doing on my Pinterest Page! I currently have 688 friends there…and I’m pretty sure they all realize I’m clueless.
I post blog posts on there…and they’re broken down into a few different categories. AND, I have a few other boards for things I find interesting like Home Decor, DIY Projects, Graphic Design Inspiration, Newfoundland, Nova Scotia, Quotes I Like, Everything to do with the word Queen…and a few other things that catch my eye.
I LOVE Pinterest for finding new ideas and projects and it’s my go-to spot whenever I start something creative. I follow a bunch of cool people who are doing some amazing things and even have an entire Board for East Coast Bloggers where you’ll find some neat people.
So…even though I’m not really sure what I’m doing, click the link to follow me on Pinterest and make sure to Pin my blog posts to any of your Pinterest Boards whenever it makes sense to do so!
LinkedIn:
On LinkedIn, I’m totally grown up and professional!!! You won’t find many blog posts there unless it has to do with business or social media and then I’ll share. Mostly, I interact with PR and Design Companies and try to schmooz and network a little for work. I’m currently schmoozing with 510 people/companies over there if you’d like to join me. OH, and if you’d like to recommend me as a social media guru, blogger or guest speaker…go ahead and click all those recommendation buttons (but only if you actually know it to be true…otherwise it all ends up meaning very little. I’ve had people suggest I’m good at things that I’m really horrible at!!!)
Click the Link to follow me on LinkedIn.
Etsy:
I do a lot of business on Etsy as I spend a great many hours every day making custom design pieces for people who find me through my Etsy Shop. If you’re an Etsy user, I’d really appreciate you following what I’m up to and Favouriting my store (oh…and pin the pins from my shop to Pinterest!)
Click here to see my Etsy shop.
Curtains are Open – Newsletter
Be My Friend:
So there you have it…I just totally put myself out there and asked for you to be my friend in multiple places but here’s the thing…this is my business. I’m making a living at Social Media and Blogging but I can’t do it without my group of followers supporting me. I LOVE that you’re reading what I write and if you see something that particularly strikes your fancy or tickles your funny bone, I’d really super appreciate the Like, Follow, Share, Tweet, Pin or Comment as it then allows other people to find me and make friends with me!
I am NOTHING without the people who are reading this blog…it’s because of all of you that I have this wonderful career that I absolutely love.
So THANK YOU…from the bottom of my heart…for being my friend and by all means, if you ever see me in public, come and say hello…let’s have a cup of tea!
xo
– – – – – – –
Do you know someone I should be following online whether it’s through FB, Etsy, Twitter, LinkedIn or Instagram…tell me about them in the comments below! I LOVE making new friends.
Good job Colleen.
Thanks Dad! 🙂
Safe to say your Dad is your friend…;) That was cute…and this was well done. Good job Colleen!
I love the honesty of this post! I didn’t realize you were on Etsy too. It’s where I work my side hustle (yourvintagekitchn) so I’ll definitely give you some love on there! (Oh, and all the other places too. :))