I’m on the verge of leaving Instagram. There’s one chat group that’ll stay active until mid-April and that’s it. I check the app once in the evening unless my brain needs some pretty shiny or my thumb needs a scrolling workout. I scroll way more than I stop to enjoy content. If I can’t bring myself to be there for long, how can I expect my readers to do the same? I will give the manifesto a go though because I do think I need to be somewhere other than Substack’s Notes, at least until more readers arrive.
Hi Sam, thanks for reading and commenting. I've just had a quick look and LOVE this idea. I immediately feel very excited about it! I'm going to give it a little more thought and then come back and fill in the form, but please let me know if there is anything else I can do to get involved.
Thanks Nicola! For now, share it with those that you think will resonate with it at this early stage and might want to share their thoughts on it :) At this pre-launch stage we’re trying to get ideas and feedback before making anything too public. This will very much be shaped and driven by passionate creators who want to see things differently.
These are helpful reminders! Now I’m going to search your content for how I can have a presence on social media to build up a better following for my writing, but still actually have time to write. Sigh. I know this is the constant conundrum. … Thanks for the reminder to stay true to myself and to focus on community, which is always my touchstone.
Hi Dianne, thanks so much for reading and commenting. This balancing act you refer to is super tricky and can take some testing and refining along the way. I'm actually planning to record a follow up workshop to the Instagram Manifesto workshop that focuses on 'time management' so keep an eye for that, but in the meantime, you might be interested in this piece that suggests some different options for how much time you spend on the platform. https://open.substack.com/pub/nicolawashington/p/faq-6-how-often-should-i-post-to?r=4mw0i&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=false
So freaking sensible, Nicola! Better for the soul and for business. I spent last year moving from ‘I hate social media, why do I have to do it?’ to ‘I can do this on my terms’. You’ve expressed that beautifully. Thank you!
This is such helpful advice. I've only been there for six months and I'm constantly shown reels about how to go viral and it reinforces the feeling that this should be a goal - rather than the enjoyment I get out of the genuine human connection. Thank you for sharing!
oh gosh I know EXACTLY the reels you're talking about! They really annoy me because although there are tweaks that can be made to content in order to 'optimise' it, what goes viral is actually quite difficult to pin down and often there are external factors in play e.g timing. This isn't true for everyone - viral humour and entertainment vids tend to follow more of a formula - but for the most part you could drive yourself a bit bonkers trying to apply these 'magic formulas' and end up absolutely no where! In my experience, it's far more sustainable and enjoyable to focus on the connections and see where that gets you. Thanks so much for reading 😊
That's great to hear - the 'powers that be' have such a chokehold on how we approach these platforms, so it's always good to hear from fellow resisters!!
I’m on the verge of leaving Instagram. There’s one chat group that’ll stay active until mid-April and that’s it. I check the app once in the evening unless my brain needs some pretty shiny or my thumb needs a scrolling workout. I scroll way more than I stop to enjoy content. If I can’t bring myself to be there for long, how can I expect my readers to do the same? I will give the manifesto a go though because I do think I need to be somewhere other than Substack’s Notes, at least until more readers arrive.
This is great! I'd love to connect and chat at some point about something similar myself and a few contributors are working on at the moment which is in this realm. I'd love to get your thoughts on it! You can check out the pre-launch version (which is open to contribution) before it goes public as a manifesto/pledge that creators can take: https://soundquakepodcasts.notion.site/We-Respect-Your-Attention-Initiative-Strategic-Overview-152cd78f5e8380b0805bf92e70374ff7?pvs=4
Hi Sam, thanks for reading and commenting. I've just had a quick look and LOVE this idea. I immediately feel very excited about it! I'm going to give it a little more thought and then come back and fill in the form, but please let me know if there is anything else I can do to get involved.
Thanks Nicola! For now, share it with those that you think will resonate with it at this early stage and might want to share their thoughts on it :) At this pre-launch stage we’re trying to get ideas and feedback before making anything too public. This will very much be shaped and driven by passionate creators who want to see things differently.
I will have a think of who might be interested. I've put some time aside tomorrow to fill in the form though so will def be doing that.
These are helpful reminders! Now I’m going to search your content for how I can have a presence on social media to build up a better following for my writing, but still actually have time to write. Sigh. I know this is the constant conundrum. … Thanks for the reminder to stay true to myself and to focus on community, which is always my touchstone.
Hi Dianne, thanks so much for reading and commenting. This balancing act you refer to is super tricky and can take some testing and refining along the way. I'm actually planning to record a follow up workshop to the Instagram Manifesto workshop that focuses on 'time management' so keep an eye for that, but in the meantime, you might be interested in this piece that suggests some different options for how much time you spend on the platform. https://open.substack.com/pub/nicolawashington/p/faq-6-how-often-should-i-post-to?r=4mw0i&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=false
So freaking sensible, Nicola! Better for the soul and for business. I spent last year moving from ‘I hate social media, why do I have to do it?’ to ‘I can do this on my terms’. You’ve expressed that beautifully. Thank you!
YES! I love this and totally agree it's possible to do!
Love this so much, thank you! x
you're very welcome as always, Anne!
This is such helpful advice. I've only been there for six months and I'm constantly shown reels about how to go viral and it reinforces the feeling that this should be a goal - rather than the enjoyment I get out of the genuine human connection. Thank you for sharing!
oh gosh I know EXACTLY the reels you're talking about! They really annoy me because although there are tweaks that can be made to content in order to 'optimise' it, what goes viral is actually quite difficult to pin down and often there are external factors in play e.g timing. This isn't true for everyone - viral humour and entertainment vids tend to follow more of a formula - but for the most part you could drive yourself a bit bonkers trying to apply these 'magic formulas' and end up absolutely no where! In my experience, it's far more sustainable and enjoyable to focus on the connections and see where that gets you. Thanks so much for reading 😊
Very useful advice and it’s where my mind is at right now, so was good to feel affirmed in my choices. ❤️
That's great to hear - the 'powers that be' have such a chokehold on how we approach these platforms, so it's always good to hear from fellow resisters!!