Social Media

Hole Foods

Homer Simpson and I have a lot in common, mainly our shared love of doughnuts and capacity to eat whole boxes of them. Sugary jam filled doughnuts are my favourite but I will happily eat with or without a hole. Glazed, iced, filled or plain. I love ’em all.

You may be wondering why I am declaring my love for doughnuts. This wasn’t sold as a DA (Doughnuts Anonymous) blog but one about Social Media? Well, I found a helpful info-gram that explained a lot of the most popular Social Media platforms with the help of…yes you’ve guessed it…DOUGHNUTS!!

I like donuts – FaceBook

FaceBook was where I first dipped my toe into the murky social media depths (unless you want to count Friends Reunited but I think that is best consigned to the history books). I was a late Social Media bloomer thinking that it was just for narcissistic people that wanted to talk about themselves a lot.

A road-trip across the US changed all that. Family and friends persuaded me to join Zuckerberg’s tribe so they could keep track of our journey, see pictures and stay connected. I was hooked.

Thanks to FaceBook I can keep up with the comings and goings of my family in England, Wales and Scotland as well as friends that have moved to far flung places. Fast forward a few years to owning my own business and FaceBook is an important way to find clients looking for the sort of services I offer, support groups of other likeminded photographers and hustlers.

A lot of people claim FaceBook is dead, and whilst the youth of today have disappeared off to other platforms like Snapchat (mainly because their parents and grandparents have joined the FB community) it is still a thriving social space. Over 2.23 billion active monthly users in the 2nd quarter of 2018 to be precise (Source: Statista). Sounds pretty healthy to me still.

You should follow me of FaceBook (@JBMoments) if you like reading about photoshoots and seeing pictures of couples getting married and cute babies. If you like blog posts like this one and the occasional silly post that will make you smile. It’s also a great place to hear about special offers like my mini sessions and sign up to my newsletter so you never miss an offer again. I don’t post everyday so your newsfeed wont be spammed by me and my photography posts.

You’ll also never catch me sharing the identical content from my IG feed to FaceBook. You’ve got to respect the platforms and hashtags and geotags on Instagram don’t translate to Facebook well.

Here’s a photo of my donut – Instagram

Instagram is the fastest growing Social Media Platform with up to 1 billion active monthly users now. (Source: Statista)

As a photographer I love Instagram. I love it because it leads with visuals that draw you in to whatever content you want people to read. Those little square boxes of loveliness provide inspiration and sighs of bliss. It took me a while to find my groove on Instagram. But now I post almost once a day. With some regulars like Motivational Quote Monday and Wedding Wednesday to name but a few.

You should follow me on Instagram (jb_moments_photography) if you like beautifully presented quotes, behind the scene peeks, wedding photos, thoughts and observations. As well as links to studio updates and blog posts. All with gorgeous curated images of course!

I’m eating a #donut – Twitter

Currently around 3.5 million people use Twitter regularly. Me? If I’m honest I fell a bit out of love with Twitter when it doubled the number of characters you could use. There was something quite satisfying about getting your message across in 140 or less characters.

I still enjoy interacting on Twitter. I love that when a huge TV programme, news story or event is taking place you can use hashtags and join in the conversation. #GBBO, #Brexit or #RoyalWedding anyone?

For me Twitter is more political than other platforms. My personal Twitter account is the place I am most likely to comment about current affairs and my faith (or lack of) in a political movement.

I tend to use my business Twitter account (@JBMomentsPhoto) to signpost which location I am at for a photoshoot. So…you should follow me on Twitter if you want to stalk me and read my latest blog posts.

Other donuts are available

I’ve got to be honest I don’t really ‘get’ SnapChat. I’ve tried but I just don’t. Maybe one day. I was far more prolific on LinkedIn as a Banker than I am as a Photographer but I believe it is an important CV shop window. I love collecting pins on Pinterest but mainly for home decor and cocktail making. I’ve been barred from my YouTube account – not as bad as it seems. Long running dispute between them and Animoto who I use to create my memory videos over music. I’m hoping it will be resolved one day. Google+…does anyone use it that doesn’t work for Google?

Jam Doughnuts

You already know my fave doughnut but my favourite Social Media platform? Well, it changes all the time but at the moment I am more than a little in love with Instagram. The main thing about all the platforms is…well…in their name…they are meant to be SOCIAL. They should be a way to meet and interact with familiar and new people but not the only way you interact with people. They should inspire and create good conversation but not be a vehicle for spreading hate and fake news. My personal rule is never say anything on social media that you wouldn’t be happy saying to someone’s face or a stranger on a bus. That rule has kept me honest so far in my social media journey.

If you like the way I write or I have piqued your interest a little to look at some of my images. Join my tribe on one or all of the platforms I regularly use above.  I look forward to socialising with you.