So there’s been all sorts of noise lately about the future of Twitter. I still have no idea what’s going to happen there, but, like many other people, I’ve been trying to work out some backup plans. Twitter is probably my biggest marketing tool at this point, not to mention I’ve met some awesome people there, so I’d be heartbroken if it disappears one day, but it’s good to make plans in case something catastrophic happens, right?
I did start an author Instagram account, which I’ve been…kind of posting to? Usually cross posting from other places, but at least I remember to check it. But it exists, and a lot of my writing friends and I have found each other over there. Not bad.
I made accounts under this name on Hive and Mastodon. I have not logged into either one in at least a week. I don’t love how it’s hard to find people on Mastodon, and while I thought Hive had promise, it’s been having problems. But again, they’re there, and I at least “claimed my name.” I have absolutely no idea how to link to my Hive account, but I’m thealanden there, and I think to follow me on Mastodon, it’s [email protected]. Maybe. Something like that. As I said, Mastodon doesn’t really make it easy for you to find people you know.
And now. The big one.
For a while, I’ve been thinking about joining TikTok, not just to be an audience member, but to create content. (Aren’t we tired of that phrase by now?) I’ve been weighing the pros and cons for some time now. Aside from the future of Twitter being uncertain, as a romance author, I couldn’t help but feel I was potentially leaving money on the table since I’d heard romance could be quite popular over there. Plus, I guess I’m cute and witty and charming and innovative and whatnot. Or at least that’s what some of my better friends have told me. 😉
So, I made an account. And you know what? Surprisingly, I don’t hate it. In fact, I’m liking it a lot more than I expected to, both from the viewing side and the creating side. Coming up with ideas for little videos about my writing projects is scratching a creative itch I didn’t know I had, and it’s been a fun outlet. I’ll also admit that sometimes I do the low-effort “What D&D class are you?” randomizers and things like that, because it’s entertaining and why not. Will I ever “make it big” over there and sell hundreds and thousands of copies of my books because of it? Who knows. But I figure it can’t hurt!