As I mentioned in a previous blog entry, I have commenced my social media phase-out.
I haven’t posted to my personal facebook in something like two years and have only been activity insofar as I have been updating Suji’s page. But now that she’s gone, I see no reason to continue. Akemi has asked me not to delete my account so as to preserve the memories (and countless photos and videos), so I am otherwise done with the site.
The same applies. I’d have done it sooner, but I discovered a way to post via desktop so I ended up quite active there for a while. But my last post, a dedication to my gal Suji, will be my last. Like Facebook, rather than delete my account, it will simply no longer be updated, like a fly forever preserved in amber.
I have posted all my behind-the-scenes materials to the Dark Mater forum and the prospect of a Stargate reboot has led me to wind down my presence in that forum as well. I was most active in the pugs forum where I posted daily images of Suji, but with her gone, and less general interest in Sharky, that’s another account that will soon be mothballed.
X/TWITTER
The suppression algos before Musk bought the app were frustrating. Now, they’re altogether insufferable. I used to be fairly active, posting on average once an hour. Now, I post maybe 3-4 times a day but soon will be posting even less. The way this site is run quashes any enthusiasm to use it.
WORDPRESS
Which leaves us with this blog, almost 16 straight years of daily entires.
We’ll see how things go.
So, how active are you all on social media? And, more importantly, where?
I’ve never figured out Instagram, rarely post on Facebook, but got into Twitter in a big way during the campaign to try and save Dark Matter (bloomin Syfy) and then stuck around for the friendly gardening community stuff mainly (along with WordPress). Twitter/X isn’t the same without the blue bird though.
I understand. Social media is a pain and it has gotten much worse for the reasons you mentioned. I can’t say I post all that much lately either. I lost my wife to cancer last year so I find it difficult to bother with much of it anymore. AI has made creating fresh artwork less interesting for me as well so my Instagram posts have dried up. Twitter wasn’t great for me before and now it’s nothing. I rarely ever click on it. It just badgers me with posts I have no interest in seeing. Facebook is something I continue with as it still connects me with people I wouldn’t be able to connect with any other way, otherwise I’m not a fan of it. It’s possible something will change but that’s where I stand with it lately.
Hey Jon, very sorry to hear of your wife’s passing.
My condolences, Jon.
@Jon So very sorry to hear about your wife
and hope at some point you’ll decide to return
to expressing the art I’d become very much a fan of.
If you feel up to it? … Maybe? come join us for our December 2023
sciart & scifi art share session at our fediverse
science and arts learning and sharing community address.
https://mastodon.social/@NewScience101/111272786152306085
It’s a fairly new, considerably smaller, group than twitter that is only recently very gradually building, with 200+ artists, photographers, writers, musicians, filmmakers,
etc. etc. currently in our fedi arts section.
Albeit, all our 400+ teachers, students, and lifelong learning, members over there
thus far have offered sincere connection, conversation, and significantly greater engagements with all the shared posts. You wouldn’t have to post any of your own work for the session. You could just share a favorite album or book cover. And comment on other’s postings. It’d simply be a way to begin new conversations and maybe gain a bit of fresh inspiration from other artists works? For example, I personally don’t paint but plan to share a few of my all time fav artworks by Roger Dean, Michael Whelan, and others with composition details and some background on each piece.
I stopped using Facebook around 8 years ago when it became flooded with toxic posts to my timeline from people I did not follow nor wish to see the bile they spew.
Instagram used to be okay, I followed only a select few and that used to be fine but Meta now allow unwanted posts to flood that too so I rarely use it.
Like you, I find that Twitter is unbearable, as an example I can never find the latest posts from the handful I follow on there (including your tweets) and I find I am flooded with posts, mainly from left wing political sources in the USA, As a Englishman, I have little to no interest in that so although I do check twitter once every day or so, I can see that is fast loosing my interest.
When I do feel like wasting an hour or so of my life I turn to youtube as you used to be able to pick and choose what you watch. However, Google has changed that so youtube may also be left off my list. Life is too short and I WILL choose how I decide to use it and not some corporation who’s only goal is to make as much money as possible.
Not even using those accounts to browse? lol
Like you, I am also not a Facebook fan and I am only there sporadically, much like Instagram. My preferred social media has always been Twitter (I refuse to refer to it as X). I plan on staying there, but as you had mentioned, the algorithms make it harder and harder to see posts of friends and of things that interest me. A Stargate friend who is on Blue Sky has given me a code for it so I’m going to give that a whirl. For what it’s worth, I hope that you continue on Twitter for as long as you can stomach it; I enjoy your posts. And tbh, I’m really curious to learn more about Sharky 😃 Take care!
I maintain a Facebook account to keep in touch with people I don’t see on a regular basis and I follow group feeds related to my profession. I use Instagram to keep up with your projects and those who I’ve come to enjoy watching on the screen, whether it’s tv or movie. Those are the only 2 I use on a regular basis. I enjoy reading your posts about developing projects and bts of Dark Matter (which I really miss). I like to keep up with projects from the actors too. Sharky is so cute
He is a lucky dog to have such kind owners willing to provide a loving home. Best wishes to you all.
“like a fly forever preserved in amber”
That reminded me of…
Or, like a fly forever preserved by hairspray in the back of a lady’s hair. Yes, it happened. At work. She flew in for a series of meetings. (Think of the people on the plane.) Nobody said anything to her. Poor lady. Lol
I’m only on Twitter and read this blog daily. Please don’t leave Twitter. And DO NOT stop blogging here or I will come git you!
Actually, this November will make 17 years of daily blogging.
Considering you began at blog spot in 2006.
And here’s hoping you never stop.
I’m fairly certain those of us who have been with you on this journey
since the beginning or very near to,
would consider it a deep, sad, loss to our daily routine
and would miss you and our blog siblings very much.
An unfillable void, nothing and no one could ever replace.
It’s been your way of keeping in touch with us
and us with you and each of us with one another for nearly two decades. xo
Many of us have said it before – if you find it too much a chore
simply cut back to posting once per week – instead of daily.
We are your devoted extended family.
We’ll still love you and be here when you are. xo
As for twitter, that the majority are now calling the dead bird site,
most of the members from the arts section of our NS101 community
have either started their own dedicated websites/instance in the fediverse, (because, for $8-20 per month you can make your own rules about who can join or follow you and what people can and cannot post), or continue to reach out to us from BlueSky.social via extension apps.
Many of my rl friends and my few remaining family members are still on Facebook, so I try to check in there regularly. (I mostly just post crap i find funny) There are a few fandom accounts I follow on Twiterverse, and have made some friends through there. I rarely remember I have an Instagram account. That’s about it.
I’ve found I’ve been posting less and less on Twitter (can’t bring myself to call it X) I still have a bit of a look with minimal engagement. I have an Instagram I think I’ve used 3 or 4 times in the 5 years I’ve had it and only use Facebook strictly for family and posting smudge the cat memes and other pet themed stuff.
I did enjoy the YouTube channel you have for Suji related content.
Have tried the new Bluesky which is similar to twitter from maybe 10 years ago or more but at least with my settings mostly cat memes and animal pics.
Looking forward to Supanova Adelaide in a couple weeks with Mark Dacascos the only actor I recognise having been on Stargate Atlantis as Tyre.
I rarely post on FB or Instagram but do browse through them. I like Tik Tok for the cat and dog videos lol. Twitter/X no – no time but You Tube I do like. BTW my partner and I have just finished watching SGA (about the 4th time for me lol) It really hasn’t dated at all, and is far superior in every way than anything on TV these days…
I left Facebook several years ago except for a couple groups I belong to. I wasn’t ever very active on Instagram and not at all in past few years. I read Reddit for special interests, but don’t post. Used to be very active on Twitter. It was my favorite place to go for updates on breaking news. I’m appalled by the changes; it’s not very useful and the atmosphere is terrible. I’ll continue following you here.
I don’t post much at all on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram, but I do find they are all useful for keeping up to date with family and friends as well as my favourite actors and musicians, and any other interests I like to follow.
But, the advertising is very annoying!
Most of all – thanks for leaving X, it really is a trash nowadays. Still, how fun it was with all the #WeWantStargate campaigns 🙂 I left Twitter almost a year ago. Now on the Fediverse and Mastodon to be more precise (@lennart@mastodonsweden.se). Mastodon is a very friendly environment, with a lot of normal people but also cool nerds with all kind of interests. Guess you would like it there. But your blog could very well be enough. There is a Mastodon plugin to WordPress. Would be nice if you could check that out. Then users in Mastodon can follow you blog, read and comment, without leaving Mastodon. Works really well. Else I follow your blog via RSS-reader mostly.
ps – sorry for loss of Suji, what a personality she was. And hope all will be well with Sharky (and soon to be buddy, I guess).
Instagram is the only social media I have and that’s only to post travel photos for my friends. During the pandemic I’d post whatever culinary adventure I undertook that week, but for the most part it’s just a scrapbook of the places I’ve been.
Don’t be so quick to dismiss interest in Sharkey. We’re all invested in the lives of your furry family and I very much look forward to knowing him better as his life expands with you all.
I’ve pretty much done all the same. I’m still randomly on FB, since I need to maintain contact with the Fundy Footpath’s group page, but I rarely scan my own timeline unless there’s specific notifications for it. I have an IG account but rarely visit or post.
I still have a Twitter account, but I almost never go there now. I am on Mastodon, (@gforce2002@mastodon.social) and the big upside there is there’s no algorithm, so you get posts by the people you follow, in chronological order. The downside is there’s no algorithm, so it takes some work to build up a list of who you want to follow and followers, but.. eh. It is much more peaceful and less hard on the nerves than algorithms relentlessly feeding you rage bait, so that’s a big bonus.
And then there’s this blog of course, on which I think I’ve read every entry since I started over a decade ago. I’ve even thought of starting up my own through WordPress blog/page as a place for updates for anyone that is genuinely interested. We’ll see.
I’m just tired of the whole social media landscape, I guess.
I’m mostly on Facebook and Threads since I was permanently suspended on X a few months back. (I’ve no idea why and have had no response to my request to know why.) I’d rather be on Facebook less, apart from my hobby groups, but it’s the only other place I get the local info I want to keep up to date with. I think Threads could soon become what the old Twitter was with lots of accounts opening every day.
First of all, Joe, my condolences on your loss of Suji.
I don’t post on FB except on my robotics team page (https://www.facebook.com/FRC6107CyberJagzz/). I don’t use instagram and I’ve barely posted on Twitter lately. I’ve blocked so many accounts and muted so many keywords that I only see about 30 tweets a day any more. I did manage to get a Bluesky invite code, so I’m on there, and have found many of the Dark Matter and Stargate followers from Twitter on there. I haven’t messed with Mastodon or any of the others.
I have done a lot more reading lately, and I’ve actually read through all the Stargate novels available as kindle books.
When I’m not doing any of that I’m happily coaching my robotics team. We’re building robots! It’s lots of fun! I’m also writing grants for funding, as our budget is over $30000. Only about $15K more to raise!
Very cool. Good luck!
I’m on Facebook mostly because family and friends are. I never started Instagram. I tried Mastodon early and didn’t find many of my connections from Twitter, but now I have a BlueSky login and I am going to try that and Threads.
Then there are Patreon and Substack and I am following some people there and Discord as well. I wish we still had readers like before so we could get an aggregate of everyone we follow and I could see it in one place.
Facebook only. Was on Twitter but abandop it long time ago. Never Instagram
I’m mostly on Threads @thinkwingradio and on Facebook as Michael R Honig (personal) and as Thinkwing Radio with Mike Honig (radio show). I’ve pretty much abandoned X/Twitter with my 1000 followers. 🙁