April 16, 2016: Maintaining that all-important online presence!

At then end of this year, this blog will celebrate its tenth anniversary.  That’s ten straight years of daily blogging, over 3500 entries, and lots and lots of dog pictures.  It’s been a huge commitment, but an enjoyable one nevertheless.  The demands of daily posting leave me with little opportunity for much else in terms of online activity.  Still, that hasn’t stopped from trying to cover my bases…

Facebook: As Akemi put it to me last year – once parents start using Facebook, you can be sure their kids will be abandoning it soon.  I mean, it’s a nice way to keep up on the mundane developments in your “friends” lives (Status update: I ate toast!), but otherwise, I find it a complete waste of time outside of the opportunity to share my daily blog entries – along with LOTS of “lost dog” and “dog in need of a good home” posts.

LinkedIn: I’m sure this site offers great career connection opportunities for those who need the introductions but I honestly haven’t used it outside of its messaging feature – and then rarely.  In fact, I’ll go months without checking this site out and maintain a sparse presence only because I’m not at all sure how to deactivate my account.

Google+: Does anybody actually use this?  Judging from the feedback I’ve received to date, I’m going to guess “No.”

Instagram: Akemi loves it – so much so that she manages my account, constantly pestering me for behind-the-scenes photos (that eventually make their way onto the blog anyway).  I use it to follow a good three dozen accounts and their adorable pug pictures.

Twitter: A good way to track breaking news.  Also a fine way to interact with the fans although the limited character count keeps that interaction to a bare minimum.   Twitter does offer the opportunity to reach a wider online audience thanks to the retweet appeal of my Dark Matter-related links.  That’s when I rely on the amazing online support of @SyFyUK @SyfyDE @SyfyAU @SyfyAsia @Syfy_Spain @Syfyfr @Syfybr and @Syfyla who have done an amazing job of liking, retweeting, and generally getting the word out/keeping our international audience informed.  Broadcasters closer to home?  Not so much, which is why I’ve just stopped tweeting them altogether.  I live-tweeted though the show’s first season with, uh, arguable results.  I mean, yay, we trended.  Congratulations?  I do like twitter’s Periscope feature in that it offers opportunity for great live content with all of its potential pitfalls and unforeseen consequences.

Reddit: I’ve been aware of reddit for quite some time but only recently began using it as a means to getting the word out about the show.  As time has gone on, however,I’ve become increasingly active in other subreddits, among them books, food, pugs, science fiction, and, of course, Stargate.  I’m having such a good time that I’m planning to do an AMA in May once Dark Matter’s second season ends. Stay tuned!

 

Tagged: #DarkMatter, Dark Matter