How many apps are currently installed on your mobile phone?
The number isn't really significant, the next question is the more significant one.
How many of those apps do you actually use -- frequently?
If you're like me, you likely have a ton of apps; because maybe you might use them all? Not daily, but many of them like Coffee Finder are pretty damn handy at times. Certainly some are necessary; such as The Bus Cancellation Notification System, because certainly I would never know it was a Snow Day when it's only 4 inches of snow on the ground. In Canada. Others, are necessary simply because we are social beings. We love to SHARE. Connect. Inspire.
And I love that about us. Except.
Quite a few of those apps have become redundant and in fact are inhibiting my ability to share, connect and inspire. How many social media apps do I really need to share a picture? Update my status? How much loyalty do I owe other apps when they seem to be aging not so gracefully?
Also, OMG THE ADS!!
I guess you have to take a little bit of sponsor interruption when your app is free; but I don't know about the rest of you: I don't find Facebook's littered appearance and dodgy timeline appealing any longer. I've kept my account because I do stay in touch with family that live out of town, but you probably won't find me in your timeline much these days. Part of that will be my choice. Facebook decides the other half.
Twitter? Meh. Over it. Still have it for sharing others work, but again, you won't find many of my own updates, let alone engage me in conversation. I simply can't keep up with it all and live a full life.
Flickr. Deleted.
Photobucket. Deleted.
Steller. Deleted.
Flipogram. Bye bye.
Snapchat -- had to keep to monitor my teenage son. You will not receive a Snapchat from yours truly.
Blogger - already said good-bye.
Network Blogs/Blogfeed - deleted.
Blogging groups. Unfollowed.
I found I was not using many of these apps frequently enough to warrant their space on my phone. Or, the apps themselves were not servicing my "brand" effectively. Good Lord it's like the attic has been cleared and thought can now roam freely about the newly vacated space. Because that clutter was seriously suffocating me. Not to mention all the notifications and replies and commenting, etc. etc. was sucking up too much time I'd rather use taking a picture, wrangling words, or you know... Living.
Of course I kept a few since I am not actually becoming Oscar the Grouch and moving into my dumpster can. Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, the Blog are manageable since I really only use two of them daily. It was time to Narrow the Focus. What do I want to do, and how can I choose Apps that help me accomplish those goals?
If you've looked around Ink Interrupted, it's clear my basis is Writing and Photography. I started this new blog so I could present my creative works in a more pleasing manner. The Apps I choose should do the same. The blog is for writing, and my Archive of my Own account is for publishing written works. Those two are no-brainers. Clearly Instagram stays since it is a photo sharing app and I truly love seeing all the photos in my feed. Daily. Yep, addicted to that one, freely admit. However, I don't really find it presents your photographs - at least ones you consider "professional" in the best manner. It's also now clogged with ads and an inconsistent timeline. Thus I am finding it hard to grow my page and started looking for a better option.
Enter Vero.
I love the presentation of your photos in full size and that you have greater options in terms of shared content: music, books, movies, links. All organized into collections. I joined only a few days and already have made several new connections. It is very appealing visually, and NO ADS. A chronological timeline which means you do not miss anything. It's still in the growth stage and will not likely be Free after Beta testing, so now is the time to join. Check it out.
This new site will eventually offer for sale my Original Ink; both writing and photography. Writing comes fairly natural, but Photography is still a new passion that I don't often feel completely confident about. Would anyone want to buy my photos? Never really gaining many likes on Instagram, it's been hard to gauge the interest. So another search began.
And I found Pexels.
Wait you say -- why are giving your photography away for free, if you want to sell pictures eventually? Folks, last count I had near 5,000 photos on my laptop. I can assure you not all of them will be shared on Pexels. And more will be coming. The MAIN reason to use this app is to Gauge Interest. IF you are fortunate enough to be featured on their main page, which three of my photos have thus far: your views can skyrocket. And I mean BIG.
Keep in mind the most views I ever received on Instagram was about 100. And I think that was a picture of Tom Hardy; which Of Course. Now look at this screenshot of my featured photo:
Yes!! That does say over 18 thousand views. It's actually over 22 thousand and 79 downloads at the time of writing this post. The other two are both over 10 thousand views and multiple downloads as well. Which lead to those users looking at my other photos and liking some as well.
So I went from under 100 views on Instagram, to in the Thousands.
Exposure is Everything in the Social Media game; but mostly this tells me: hey, people like your photos. Being featured sure helped, but it's not likely to happen frequently. Still, perhaps there are some who may be willing to purchase a print in the future. If I can create a successful portfolio, I may even be hired for an event.
What I like about both of these apps is that I can use them as little or as often as I like. Upload a few pics every now and then, and like a few others. I will never grow tired of looking at beautiful photos, just as I will never grow weary of devouring words. My creative life and technology have balanced! Once I am settled in here, a link will be shared and eventually all traffic will hopefully lead here.
I promise that the majority of my posts will not be such a traffic jam of words as this one. Creativity needs space. And your time to make your own is important too. Together I hope we can find a balanced manner to engage our respective online content, with the ever pressing time demands of life.
Art inspires Life; but the Life part comes first. xx
I took on the motto this year of less is more - simplicity over all things which includes social media, blogging and life. I must say its been an amazing take on life overall. Thank you for sharing this - its beautifully written and I love how you are moving forward for what works best for you.
I am always purging. I believe Less is More. I also believe that less clutter leaves me more creative. Sometimes, we get so caught up in how to do something (write, photograph) that we lose sight of what we wanted to do and we lose our own personal way of sharing it. You've got this, my friend. Thanks for sharing it. Hugs.