I mean you can read a post on your phone, your iPad or tablet or your computer. You can see a picture with some discussion on Instagram. Pinterest will allow you to pin a picture, search a topic, or just see what's going on with the pattern companies. Then there are the sewing boards - PatternReview and Stitchers Guild. Let's not forget Twitter (though I think it's starting to fade in the sewing world) and the newbies on the block SnapChat and Periscope.
Now while I'm an active user of Instagram and Pinterest, I also finally set up a Twitter account but to be honest I only set it up to follow the conversations of the Empire and Scandal casts! I don't have a SnapChat account but that's because my daughters threatened to take my phone from me if I did! hahahahahaha! And even though I'm intrigued by Periscope, have yet to set up an account.
Hey I can lose hours on YouTube ~ do I really need another time suck that will eat up precious sewing time? So my Question of the Day (yes, I'm going back to Q&A Days in 2016) is how many social media platforms do you participate in and why? If you use these forms of social media, how does it affect your sewing time? Are these new platforms necessary to learn techniques and improve your sewing or communicate with your fellow sewists? From all of the examples above, which forms of social media do you think are necessary to keep current in today's sewing world?
That's the "Question of the Day" so talk back to me!?!
...as always more later!
Let's see...Pinterest (the easiest way to keep track of and organize all of the things which inspire me), Facebook (to participate and interact with various sewing groups), Blogger (to share whatever I'm into, projects, etc.), You Tube (my favorite "learning" tool because I'm HIGHLY visual and prefer videos to learn new techniques, and not just Dow sewing and crafting), Instagram (just to see what others are doing; I keep saying I'm going to use it but haven't gotten around to it. I think that's all the social media I use. Like you said, I don't need another time suck in my life, either.
ReplyDeleteOh, wait...Twitter, to keep up with fast-moving news events and fluff stories.
ReplyDeletePinterest is #1 for organizing my inspiration. I use periscope some, but I'm not sure what I think of it. It's not that inspiring. I've kinda walked away from Instagram because the time I've wasted there.
ReplyDeleteI have various social media accounts – Twitter, Pinterest, Facebook etc. I do spend a lot of time watching Youtube videos and I can spend the entire day doing that! Especially when it comes to tutorials or reviews, I prefer to hear it this straight from the source anyway.
ReplyDeleteI struggle with modern media! A sign of age I fear. I use Pinterest. I have an Instagram account but haven't got into it. Likewise Polyvore. I signed up to Periscope for a particular event and found it wanting. I gave up Twitter as it's just not me. My daughter was waving lyrical last night about Polyvore, I think it was (on phone to sister) so I might have a look at it again. However, I already waste too much time just with PR and blogs so I'm not sure I have room for any more. I go to classes and don't shave much time on You Tube or even watching the many Craftsy classes I have. I feel a bit overwhelmed to be honest.
ReplyDeleteTypos. Waxing not waving. Don't spend much time not don't shave! Oh, I also have a Facebook account but don't use much. I have a family account on Google+ and on Whats App and use the latter quite a bit. Pushed towards by daughters as always!
ReplyDeleteAnother sign of age is that I find white text on a black background hard to read!
I haven't even heard of Periscope! And I use SnapChat to communicate with my daughters and sister during the day. We send photos rather than txt's. Not sewing related but very useful and fun to keep in touch. I use Pinterest and Instagram but don't think you need them for sewing.
ReplyDeleteI work in tech and limit myself to Instagram Facebook Bloglovin and Pinterest. Love FB for the direct subscriptions to pattern designers and makers for design inspiration and tips or upcoming releases. IG for searching those tags on a fabric to see how they were used or same inspiration on a pattern. Most of all tech brings me together with a sewing community that has the same unique love as me.
ReplyDeleteIt took me awhile to get into Instagram and now I love it. I like the instantaneous interaction and how it allows discourse that isn't as present on blogs/forums.
ReplyDeleteI participate on PR, though less so than in the past couple of years.
I use snapchat but only with my kids <3
I've never been a Twitter fan and am not a big YouTube user. Well, I use YT but I don't interact there. I don't subscribe to anyone really or follow anyone's channel. I may watch a 5 minute video on a technique but don't like video reviews or long tutorials.
And I hate Pinterest. Hate. I do searches with " -Pinterest" because I hate it so. I've tried to use it. Tried. Hate the entire idea of it. I would rather go directly to the source than route through Pinterest.
My number one source of sewing interaction is still blogs. Nothing else quite covers it for me. I want to see the photos but more so I want to read alllllll about the project.
It doesn't impact my sewing time as much as I generally read and comment when I'm just chilling in bed or during other down time. I'm not a tv person so I'd tend to spend more leisure time reading blogs than watching the tube.
I am addicted to Pinterest, check out Instagram daily or so, watch YouTube regularly, occasionally play with Polyvore. I ignore Facebook for the most part (makes me a little paranoid about too much info being shared), don't use Twitter, haven't heard of the rest you mentioned.
ReplyDeleteIt is hard enough to find time to sew without adding more screen time to the day1
Pattern Review (which I wish was more like Ravelry as a searchable universe of projects.) I use FB only for family & friends. The occasional YouTube instructional video but more for knitting techniques. Mostly I turn to my books, especially Betzina.
ReplyDeleteI know I am in the minority, but I do not have any social media accounts.
ReplyDeleteBack in the *day* (HA!) I did have a MySpace account to support a friend's band (when MySpace began, it was meant for musicians & their fans) but after the demise of the band, (too many years ago) I never bothered to log in there again.
My introduction to Facebook was as an adult learner in college and at the time, it was meant for the younger students to interact with each other. (And, in the beginning, you had to have an invitation through your higher learning institution to join) Since most of my classmates were young enough to be my kids, I never felt like Facebook was the place for me. I realize that now FB is so much more than what it began as, but I have never gotten past my feeling of *it's not for me*.
I prefer to read blogs, maybe have a mini conversation in a comments section & I still participate in a handful of message boards. I can do these things at my leisure, read a bit now, read a bit later. I don't care for the implied urgency and immediacy of social media platforms.
Pinterest stores my "one day" sewing ideas. Facebook lets me see what my friends are doing and where they are traveling. Any spare time is for catching a few blogs and you tube sewing videos. I don't even have a cell phone as I never even leave the house except for medical appointments or dinners out. Being an extreme introvert and overwhelmed with brides keeps me out of trouble and away from too much social media contact.
ReplyDeleteI use Facebook (family and close friends only), Pinterest (those are my crafty friends), Feedly (to keep track of the blogs I like) and Tumblr because my eldest is on there. That's it. I got rid of my Twitter account last month because I wasn't feeling the love. Also, I use a cell phone, but don't have a cell phone account, so I use an app for texting my kids and a couple of friends. That's it.
ReplyDeleteGreat post Carolyn! I have a Pinterest, Twitter, Facebook, periscope, Instagram and YouTube account. My blog currently is my first love and where I post most of my information. Second would be my Facebook and Instagram account. I find it easy and quick to post something to these two as opposed to composing a blog post. I have not posted anything on YouTube yet I just use that to subscribe to others channels. For me YouTube has become a HUGE time sucker! Some of the channels I subscribe to have become like "reality shows" to me. And I am now starting to wean myself from that! I started by searching for tutorials and ended up subscribing to channels I really liked. I now go back to only using YouTube to find something I need quickly. Pinterest I have gotten away from all together. I have not "pinned" anything there in quite some time and that sure if I will use it again. I don't know a lot about Snapchat and I don't have an urge move in that direction yet. However, Periscope is very intriguing to me. I love the fact that you could essentially record your blog live about your sewing project. Your viewers would actually get to hear your voice and comment back to you immediately! I have not recorded anything yet but plan to very soon. I also like the fact that the recordings don't stay around very long. I believe they only stay active for 24 hours. If you want to capture the recording you have to sign up for a different program like "Katch". Periscope is connected with Twitter and I only posted a couple times on Twitter (is not my favorite). I like to occasionally use it to see information that's only been posted on Twitter. So this would be my current list of apps and the order I would rank them for my use...My blog, Facebook, Periscope and Instagram (I would use Instagram more if I could zoom photos). I recently got to speak with Faye of Faye's Sewing Adventures on Periscope. It was extremely nice to actually hear her voice and communicate with her live! I look forward to recording a brief post myself and hope that other sewing bloggers do the same! There is already a group of crafters who periscope (they have a Facebook page devoted to them called "PeriCrafters"). While there is a lot of sewing going on on this Facebook page, there's also other crafts as well. I'm not much of a crafter but I love anything relating to sewing! I would love to see you on periscope Carolyn!
ReplyDeleteMyra - I've watched a few Periscope videos but I'm not joining. If I have extra time I want to use it to sew. People always ask how I get so much done and it's because I just sew...not alot of other distractions though I am addicted to Instagram!
DeleteCarolyn you are absolutely correct, I spend way too much time trying to catch up on all the different social medias! As you may have noticed by the decrease of blog posts, it does impact my sewing! I am now starting to wean myself from some of them! Technology is great but it can also be a huge time waster!
DeleteI'm on Facebook, Instagram,Pinterest and Tumblr. I have a couple of games I waste time with as well. :)
DeleteGreat conversation! I use Instagram, bloglovin (as well as my own blog) and Facebook daily. Less used is Craftsy and PR, these are mostly for classes and patternre views. I almost never use Pinterest, you tube, periscope, snap chat or Twitter. I find Pinterest to be a time sucker without any real benefits. I don't mind YouTube if it shows up in a google query. Periscope doesn't seem mature enough yet and something a bit lacking in the interaction end and snapchat and Twitter are just not for me.
ReplyDeletePartly some of the decisions to not use some of these social media outlets is due to a wasting of my time. My time is precious and I can't be bothered with every single one. I have picked the ones that I think are the most important to me and stick with those. Although, I do think Pinterest and Periscope both have the potential to be more useful if I put the time into using them properly.
Don't have any social media accounts. I did have a Facebook account so unused I can't even remember my sign in name or password. Keeping up with Stitcher's Guild and reading off of your blog roll plus a few others is enough for me. I could easily spend all day on the computer but nothing would get done and the dog would be very annoyed with me. She's trying to get my attention right now to go for a walk, but I'm only on the first cup of coffee and it's still too chilly. Good question, though. I always enjoy your conversations with readers.
ReplyDeleteTheresa in Tucson
I'm on FB and I blog. I follow blogs (such as yours) and refer to sewing sources online (such as patternreview) to keep up on sewing fun. I also joined the ASG, which is a huge source of knowledge and connection. I would say the most important thing for sewing is the blogs.
ReplyDeleteI probably spend too much time on social media. :)
I have my blog, a Pinterest account and a PatternReview account - that's it - and I barely have time to participate in those.
ReplyDeleteNo social media. Just follow some blogs. My adult children have to send me separate photos of the grandchildren when they post on FB. They are good-natured about it. However, it is funny when my MIL calls to ask me if I know what the kids are up to (she does--she is on FB).
ReplyDeleteI started my personal blog ~2005 and that is my primary personal social media. But I also took the inaugural session of CopyrightX and joined the class alumni Google+ group. I subscribe to the YouTube channels for both the Berkman Center for Internet and Society and for Caltech (a holdover from when I took a MOOC in AI from Caltech.)
ReplyDeleteIn my former job for the military, they wanted me to keep a low profile.
Now that I work for NSF, the National Science Foundation, they want me to up my profile. So no more hiding behind initials. They want me to put it out there that women, particularly mothers, are out there doing jobs depicted in the movies as only belonging to men.
So, you will see me regularly on the NCAR CISL channel (National Center for Atmospheric Research Computational and Information Systems Laboratory). I also write the ncarrda.blogspot.com blog, targeted to teaching graduate students how to work with earth science data. That links to our FB and Twitter accounts and our web front door, rda.ucar.edu. I have a burgeoning social media empire--like Martha Stewart, but for big data. ;-)
I keep my personal social media small. Just Blogger. Not on IG yet. Hardly ever look at Pinterest and FB, though I have account on them. Check twitter every day or so. Don't follow many people--just people I know. (It's mainly a circle of female scientists.) Oh, I check LinkedIn every week or so.
I am enjoying the answers on this topic, but I gotta wave my hands in the air for this! Go Science Mom GO! And could you add a 'follow by Email' to your blog?
DeleteCarolyn, I have registered with both Twitter and Instagram and even Periscope. Why, I don't know because I don't use them or follow those who do. I find there is a huge resource of sewing information on blogs and forums. Those two platforms offer the opportunity for in depth discussion. Platforms like FB are fun and "hook you up" with like minds but the information sharing is generally quite shallow, a quick snippet to wake your senses up and then a big "move on", rarely in depth. I do like that some of the groups I belong to on FB give me viewpoints as well as a vista into sewists I wouldn't normally find on forums and the blogs of those experienced like yourself. I belong to several "newbie" PDF groups and have learned much about their mindset. I have also gained a huge respect for the hard work many put into selling their PDFs. They may often be of poor quality but dang, those women work at getting them out there and I always admire hard work. I also find in my FB groups a diversity of "sewing friends", something sorely lacking in my sewing life up here on the border. I enjoy their different viewpoints, sizes, histories, etc. But again, not much in depth. I will continue to blog, paricipate in forums and cruise FB for now. That is all I can fill time with. And I choose to fill time with platforms that IMO provide the most in depth opportunities to share our passion.
ReplyDeleteGreat question, thanks for asking.
I forgot Pinterest, where I organize my "pins" and find it any easy go to source for inspiration and knowledge.
DeleteReally interesting question! I'm primarily into blogs so Feedly is my first read of the day. I definitely use Pinterest for inspiration in the same way I used to use the more private Evernote. I check out reviews on Pattern Review but don't interact. I don't really like the interface, preferring Ravelry's versatility. I don't have Facebook or Twitter and have been avoiding Instagram as too big of a time suck. I rarely consult YouTube because many videos drive me nuts. Too tedious! I do like Craftsy though. Guess I'm just not very social? :)
ReplyDeleteMy boss made me set up a Twitter account but I have never used it. Between answering the phone, and phone texts, and walk-in questions, and e-mails, and website inquiries, and Facebook questions, one more social media is just mosquitoes circling around my head.
ReplyDeleteFor personal use, I rely on Facebook ... and there are some sewing blogs that I really enjoy. Since I am 57, and have been sewing since I was 8, I don't rely on social media for learning new skills. I do rely on all the sweet young things just learning to sew for fresh ideas about fabrics and color combinations, and sewing patterns, that I might not try for myself -- and for the companionship. Social media has made it much easier to find and communicate with persons who share my interests. It can be a dessert out there if you live away from a large city and convenient shopping.
It seems most of the comments don't find social media worthy of their precious sewing time - myself included. I don't work and so I initially started reading blogs to connect with other sewists. It was important to me to connect. I agree with one of the comments above regarding FB, it just doesn't convince me that the entire world will know too much about me personally. I cannot 'get' the FB platform. To my eye it needs a big redesign.
ReplyDeleteI vowed to use IG, but may have posted one and only one picture. I never thought of myself as a technophobe, but I'm also not someone who jumps on a bandwagon for the sake of it!
Every single interaction is a time suck in my view and so that interaction had better be worth the time invested. I love the inspiration found in blogs and now that my sewing is no longer beginner standard, I like the advanced techniques found in blogs.
Pinterest is a platform I really enjoy, though don't spend a huge amount of time on.
Great stimulus question Carolyn - thanks. Xx
I am very low profile. I use Feedly like a couple of others have mentioned to track the blogs I am interested in. I have a Facebook account and Pininterest but don't use them much. I use Skype to communicate with long distance family members and use messaging on my iPhone . I know about most of the others but no interest.
ReplyDeleteI have a very hard time reading if the text is not black on white. So I use bloglovin as my blog reader, I have a filter on my Facebook for no ads and easier reading. I check Instagram a few times a week but post just a few times a year. I have Pinterest and Twitter but never use them, I'm saturated with enough media through blogs and Facebook ! I love following your adventures.
ReplyDeleteIn order of signing up....I started with Patternreview, which led to Sewing World (RIP) and inspired the creation of my Sew Random blog. I resisted Facebook for several years and finally got on there, more for keeping up with far-off friends than keeping my sewing updated. I created a Pintrest account, but have only, I think, 4 boards...one for home dec inspiration (I am a total decorating KLUTZ and need all the help I can get), one for sewing inspiration, one for curly hair styles (need all the help I can get there, too!) and one that I post my choir outfits to from time to time, just so I can see them at a glance. I generally don't spend a lot of time on Pinterest. When Sewing World died, I signed up for Stitcher's Guild. I don't have a smart phone, but I did get a tablet for Christmas 2014 and I signed up for instagram, but, to be honest, most of the folks I follow also post to Facebook so there's not a LOT of different stuff there. I use it a little, mostly just to make the tablet worth carrying around. My most-used sewing references are bloggers who really talk about fitting/construction details and the Pattern Review data base; like you, I always check the reviews on a pattern before I pull it out of the envelope. Wonderful resource. Then, I cruise Stitcher's guild for inspiration; mostly on two or three threads (Louise cutting's, Loes Hinse's, the annual SWAP thread, sometimes others if I have time). I have learned an awfully lot about tools and techniques over the years from the online community and I don't think my sewing would be anywhere near the level it is now without it! But my participation kinda wavers...life is different now than it was when I was a stay home mom...glad I picked up all that info back then. ;-)
ReplyDeleteI don't do all that much, exactly because it does eat into "creating" time. I consult Pattern Review for "how they did it" and whether a particular pattern had issues, check into a handful of lovely blogs now and then, and bookmark helpful tutorials so generously posted on the internet (something I hope to reciprocate someday). One could go truly nutty trying to keep up with every single interesting sewing blog, source and platform, so I don't even try. But I do also spend a few minutes each day getting a big "cheer up" shot in the arm by zipping out to either blow through one of the clothing retailers right near my home to analyze the gorgeous colors and style lines of garments that have just been put out on the racks or visiting my local fabric store to pet fabric, study new patterns, and dream big dreams. It's hard to find the right balance between the learning and the doing, and I truly admire people who've mastered it. Cindy, Creative Hormone Rush
ReplyDeleteInteresting converation! I'm on Pinterest and Instagram along with my blog and following other blogs. I have been avoiding most social media lately because it's eating into my (limited) sewing time. But I also want to support fellow stitchers, and it feels a bit one-sided to put anything in the world and take up space without giving something back. It's a balance that I haven't figured out yet.
ReplyDeleteI use Pinterest to communicate with clients; it's a great mood board for sharing ideas (often very very random ideas) about a project. I make clients sign up for it, and I learn a whole lot about what they really look at and are driven by with it.
ReplyDeleteI do read blogs first, but somehow a lot of what's happening daily has moved to Instagram. I very rarely post anything personal on it, except to make my boss laugh.
Facebook works really well for pattern testing feedback groups; privacy settings are easy to navigate, photos are easy to load and comment on. I spend more time on FB when I'm in a test. It's also good for keeping track of sewing institutions and companies.
I only go onto PR for updates on pattern sales and to read/post reviews of patterns I either love or despise; it's hard to navigate.
Light type on black is almost impossible for me to read, but I make an exception for this blog. Otherwise, no.
True confession time: I check on GOMI to make sure nobody hates me. It's like the girls' bathroom in high school, and I'm lurking in the last stall. And about as genuine an experience.
And I don't comment from my phone as my big fat fingers don't text well. I still need a screen and a keyboard.
First I love your blog I have been following you since the beginning but do not comment much like the other person stated I follow a few blogs but some have fell into the reality mode so I stick toinforative blogs pintrest utube I will try the two new ones you mentioned and I find your tutorials very helpful so thanks for everything
ReplyDeleteReading blogs on Bloglovin is where I spend the most time, followed by Instagram. But that's it for me. I have a fb account but it's strictly personal. No sewing. I don't know why I like to keep that separate, but I do. I am definitely not as active on any kind of social media as I used to be, though. Having a two year old sure does change how much free time you have!
ReplyDeleteI try to keep it simple. I love Pinterest and it's a great way to organize my interests plus share certain things with my daughters (4 and 13 grandkids). I am minimally on Facebook just to follow some machine embroidery designers or shops. I'm interested in a sit-down quilting machine so I follow that group too. I have a yahoo group (7 series Berninas) that is great to learn more about my machine. And I love Pattern Review. I follow several blogs - you are my favorite! Just so ya know! I probably spend too much daily time doing all this, but heck, I'm retired and it's all part of the creative process. Right?
ReplyDeleteI am on Facebook,Instagram, Pinterest. FB is more social and keeping up with friends; I do post on Garment of the Month group and a couple of other sewing related groups on FB. I do post finished garments on Pinterest and do some photo posting on Instagram. I have a Twitter account but honestly I have yet to figure that out. Have not tried Periscope nor Snapchat and not real inclined to do so. I still love to read sewing blogs, reviews at PR and G+.
ReplyDeleteI blog (self-hosted on my own domain now, yippee) and try to keep up with a huge-to-me number of sewing blogs. Sometimes I read ten blogs a day! I was joined at the hip to Instagram until a few months ago, when I lost the time to scroll through it all day. I've got some boards on Pinterest; I find it occasionally useful. I have logins for Periscope, Twitter, and Polyvore. I don't follow Youtube videos, but it's a great place to find tutorials (and I've uploaded a few random videos myself). I've become active in Pattern Review's forums, after falling in love with groups on Facebook. The sewing groups aren't really that deep or satisfying, but being able to connect with people who sew is priceless. There might be more social media outlets I've forgotten.
ReplyDeleteAll of this eats into my sewing time immensely. That being said, I have the attention span of a baby, so I'd take tons of breaks while sewing, anyway. This at least keeps the breaks on topic. For skill building, I go right to Craftsy, but for specific things I'll Google search or refer to my sewing library. Mostly I get cool ideas and small tips from all this sewing social media I consume. That being said, I think the way to keep current in today's sewing world is to follow the big names--House of Pinheiro, Tilly and the Buttons, various indie designers, etc. They're the ones who create the sewalongs and other memes we flock to!
The word time suck is one I have only recently discovered and it is true to some extent. But I don't think I waste time with writing my blog or reading others - I always learn and discover. I recently became active on IG too, and I think for many people that this would be enough - a blog in addition is too much work if you don't enjoy writing or have a lot to say. I am going to gradually eliminate the blogs and IGers who don't say anything new - be more discerning I guess. Otherwise I really am dealing with TMI.
ReplyDeleteWell, for me it's mostly my laptop, our table top computer or my Acer tablet but I have to say that I've become totally addicted to Pinterest . However, I only let myself go there at bedtime, sometimes for hours at a time !! Lol.
ReplyDeleteI have a Facebook account which I am less and less enthusiastic about. So much of it is about projected image. Now it carries a lot of mass media stuff, which I don't really like. I had a Twitter account and could not discover a reason for it. Unless you are planning a revolution, it isn't much use. Why follow someone else? Seems so silly. I look at Blogs when I have a chance, and the Curvy site. Getting the motivation to sew is my main concern. I started a Blog and found it so all about self, that I gave it up! I hope to be re-educated about all this.
ReplyDelete