I’ve just signed up for a 30-day social media challenge for authors. And through the initial discussions it has occurred to me that social media can be very much likened to a playground (particularly by me – as I write children’s books, it’s a totally fitting analogy!)
So there’s:
Th
e slide– You climb to the top, only to slide back down to the bottom, before starting your climb again. If you are not making a constant effort you get no-where, and even when you give it a huge push, you always end up right back at the beginning. For me, this is Instagram.
The Roundabout – Need I explain? You’re going round in circles. You’re not sure what you’re doing. You have momentum, but you’re not really sure you’re achieving anything at all. This is most likely linkedin in my world.
The Swings – Look at me! Look at me! Look how high I am. You can build momentum and keep it there, so long as you keep on swinging those little legs. Facebook!
The Fying Fox – We all love the flying fox right? Well the bit as we’re zipping along at breakneck speed, wind through our hair, huge cheesy grin on our faces. But then we hit the end, DOINK! And we have to get off, and run the thing all the way up the hill back to the beginning. This is Twitter, you have moments of fabulous engagement, you’re flying. Then DOINK! You run out of momentum and have to work you’re ass off to build it up again. But how much fun is the ride?!
The Phones – You know, the talky funnels. You think of something important to say and then in your biggest boldest voice you announce it into the funnel. Only to be heard, or miss-heard by the one person at the other end, who just happens to have their ear to the other funnel (your mum?). The Blog!
The Spinny Things– These I fear! I have been green in the past – I’m not being green again. They’re my no go zone. In social media, this is snap chat and pinterest. I’m not saying they’re not awesome for some people. It’s just I don’t have the stomach, especially not when I’ve already exhausted myself on all the other equipment.
But it’s all good fun. It’s all playing, right? Important not to take it too seriously, but maybe there are techniques to making each ride easier and more fun. And at the end of the day we all need friends at the park, if we don’t take them with us, we can make them there, and there’s lots of fun in that!!
For those interested the challenge is being run by Michelle Worthington, you can find it on facebook https://www.facebook.com/groups/socialmediaforcreativebusinesses/?multi_permalinks=297067150819636%2C294818521044499¬if_id=1517826002446951¬if_t=group_activity&ref=notif
If you’d like to come play with me in the playground, you can find me here:
Blog: https://shellyunwin.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/search/top/?q=shelly%20unwin%20author%20page
Insta: https://www.instagram.com/shellyunwin/
Twitter @unwin_shelly
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shellyunwin/
shelly unwin 
Love the analogy. It is interesting to read how similar the experiences are to my own. Social media can be a lot of work but it is a great way to engage with your readers which you would not usually get the opportunity to do. Thanks for sharing.
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