What are the benefits of social media for stamping?

[Far North]

How do you use social media:  Websites, blogs, facebook, Instagram, pinterest, you tube, periscope, twitter??  Do you find social media helps your interest in stamping?  Does it help you find new inspiration, stretch your creativity or simply adds fun to your stamping interest. 

Really no right or wrong answers here. I’m just trying to figure out what is happening with stamping and social media.  And I am seeing some new strategies and not sure if this is edge of new change or not:  yesterday one of the blogs I subscribe to had a general invitation to participate in a facebook group that already has 2,000+ members with interest in Simply Cardmaking.  Such a large group surprises me when other previously large flicker groups for Hero Arts and Penny Black are barely getting much participation.  Today I watched a video that encouraged viewers to add the tips to their Pinterest…really if I am looking for ideas on a specific topic do I want to see 50+ postings of the same thing?   
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Here is what I use and my thoughts:
  Websites-I use to learn more about a specific new product I am considering buying.

Blogs-I started my blog about 7 years ago when they first started.   During the first years a lot of attention/comments were given on blogs.  That has taken a big dive unless you want to regular host contests or are affiliated with a specific company.  I don’t play in blog hops any more…do you?

Facebook, Instagram, pinterest, twitter-no interest or rarely if ever use.  As for the large facebook group—My choice is not to be a part of such a large group.

Periscope-I watched parts of a couple but found them to boring or poor quality.

Please share your thoughts….Jan

[howdyheidi]

Websites: use to find out about a product, and to find out about new products from companies I already like. However, they usually have a blog that seems like a more personable way to look at new products.

blogs:  I use a blog quite a lot lately, and I have always read a lot of stamping/crafting blogs.  I like certain challenge blogs and sketch blogs, certain company blogs, too. and I rarely go through blog hops.  Yes, I agree commenting is down, partly due to the way the blogger has made it harder for people without Google+ to comment and also because people can comment more easily on Facebook or they read via email or in a reader instead of at the actual blog.

Facebook, don't use for crafting, but I think this is how a lot of companies (not just crafting) reach the largest number of customers since they are on there anyhow and can get instant feedback with comments and likes.  I don't really know much about crafting groups on Facebook and how they would work because Facebook doesn't offer organizational tools like blogs and message boards like this one!

Instagram, don't use for crafting

pinterest,  I do Pinterest, but no rhyme or reason to how I use it.

you tube, I follow certain stampers, but I prefer to follow their blogs to see their cards that don't have a video attached.

periscope,  Periscope stinks for stamping, IMO.  The quality is too poor right now and if you need the live aspect YouTube has that.  Plus you must have a Twitter account to use Periscope and many people don't want to do that.

twitter??  Nope.

[howdyheidi]

This is on topic:
https://thefrugalcrafter.wordpress.com/2016/02/28/weird-tricks-for-getting-exposure-for-your-art-on-socail-media/

[CarefreeSadie]

What an interesting topic.  I have joined all the social media but apparently only to follow others not to actually get followers of my own.  I have a blog but the comment part doesn't work the way I want it to so I turned it off.  I belong here and a few other message boards.  I mostly just read the other ones, I very seldom post anywhere else.  I do the youtubes to watch but have never posted a video.  I belong to Twitter to follow other people.  I have never tweeted but holy crap I have a couple of followers, go figure!  I belong to periscope and used it to watch CHA coverage.  The only reason I belong to Facebook is so I can follow my family members, my children use it a lot. 

I truthfully don't read a lot of blogs, mostly company ones.  Oh yea I do Pinterest too.  I am up to 3 boards and maybe a couple hundred pins.  I also have followers, which I find funny.  I follow a couple people on there but I haven't gotten into it that much.

For me social media stops being fun when it takes up too much time and energy.  I am most fond of YouTube.  I think it depends on what your end goal is with social media...do you want to invest the time and effort to build followers and maybe make money from advertising?  Then it becomes a job.  Whenever I try to make money doing something it turns out I don't like doing it anymore.  I would rather use social media to enjoy my hobby not turn it into another job.  So basically I use social media to stalk crafters and family members......LOL

[stampwilly]

I have a blog and try to keep a lot of things going on it. I also love to do challenges so that is the good spot to post the challenges. Also when I do a challenge I post it on face book so others can see it too and I post the link back to my blog also.

I do see a lot of techniques and crafting on face book and get a lot of inspiration that way. I also pin techniques, card ideas and templates on my pinterest so that I can go back later to try them out. This has really been a helpful tool for me.

I also do blog hopping -- I just did that this morning in order to win some of their products and I do get some inspiration from them as well.

I also look at you tube and other videos for inspiration and pin the ones I want to look at again.

I am on this board and another stamping board where I also get a lot of good ideas too!

April

[Iring]

I use social media to learn/sometimes teach, inspire and be inspired and for the friendships.  Actually, that really applies only to this message board!  On this board there is more give and take.  On other forms of social media I am usually taking, though I do try to leave comments on blog posts and thumbs up on youtube videos I like.

Twitter and Periscope - nope

Youtube - I love to watch stamping videos.  I don't post videos.

Facebook - mostly joined so I could see my kids' pictures.  I rarely post.  I find some company pages hard to read.  Too many columns.

Blogs - I used to blog hop more than I do currently, and like April mentioned, I started a blog long ago so I had a place to post a project for a challenge (I think for OWH).  I like blog hops, but they can really suck up time.  I don't read blogs regularly any more, just occasionally.

Pinterest - a little too much!  I don't post any of my own cards, but I pin recipes, cards, techniques, wedding ideas   I haven't been asked to post to Pinterest but I did take an online class where inpiration was posted to a Pinterest board as a resource.

Instagram - I have an acct, again for an online class ... I don't really use it or look at it much.

Message boards - almost exclusively here.  Occasionally I look at splitcoaststampers for inspiration and technique videos.

So I guess to answer your question, finally, haha, I do use social media for all of the reasons you mentioned ... inspiration, to stretch me to try new things, just for fun, commaraderie ...

[Far North]

I am really enjoying and certainly learning these posts and hope you are too!   

Heidi, thanks for sharing Lindsay's video...so timely!  I particularly liked hearing about how she posts on several sites at once* and yet makes a point to provide a visual to increase interest and her thoughts about keeping the viewer on her main site. The one thing I wish she would have addressed is for folks to be honest when presenting content like techniques-share if "just learning" or if you feel some aspect would be better if done differently.
Thanks for sharing!...Jan

*So is this why some bloggers are posting "This post (post name) appeared first on (blogger's name)?"

Edited 3/3 9:15am to delete the aboveThe one thing I wish she would have addressed is for folks to be honest when presenting content like techniques-share if "just learning" or if you feel some aspect would be better if done differently.   So sorry my above statement was poorly worded and not clear.  Yes Heidi, your suggestions are in the direction of my intended comment. However after a lot of thought I feel it would be better to have a separate discussion thread on the topic at another time.

[howdyheidi]

I am really enjoying and certainly learning these posts and hope you are too!   

The one thing I wish she would have addressed is for folks to be honest when presenting content like techniques-share if "just learning" or if you feel some aspect would be better if done differently.

Thanks for sharing!...Jan

*So is this why some bloggers are posting "This post (post name) appeared first on (blogger's name)?"

Jan, I am enjoying this thread too. 

I am not sure what you mean by the quoted things above.  Do you have an example to share for those? 

For example, did you mean that you feel like people are trying to look like stamping experts (instead of just sharing ideas and inspiration) or that they are afraid to share any criticism when they are representing companies? 

[CarefreeSadie]

I would assume that naming and linking the post name and who posted the technique first is a courtesy to the original poster, giving credit where credit should be.........if they are posting where they themselves originally posted this technique or idea I would assume it is because they are pointing out that they had a post or technique on a company blog or youtube.  This would also be a courtesy to whoever they originally did the youtube or posting for.

[Far North]

Sadie, all you said seemed to be logical possibilities.  When I look back on Jennifer McGuire's posts I am only seeing it when she posts a You tube video and embeds it. 
Thanks Sadie for sharing your thoughts.

[Conniecrafter]

When I started out card making my hubby introduced me to the internet and told me I could probably find more people out there and get ideas, he probably didn't know where all that would lead, LOL... I can't remember now which came first Two peas or another group I got involved in but they were right around the same time.  The other group really wasn't too into technique at the time just making cards however you wanted and at the time I didn't have a lot of supplies so I think I was a little closer with that group.  They have since moved on to a few different blogs and we all kind of just went our separate ways except a handful, they just recently a lot of the girls from that group joined a facebook cardmaking group and asked if I would join in so I have.  That is the only group that I am involved with on facebook that is connected with card making and they are still not really stamping technique oriented but into digital images (already colored) and using die cuts, and I think I am enjoying an all diecut card as much as I like stamping.

I do like Pinterest because when I go to a blog that I like and they have a technique or something about the card I would like to remember I can save it on Pinterest in a folder that I can go back and check out when I want to try a new technique.  And that way I can share with others where I found it so they can take a look at where my inspiration came from.

That takes me to my blog, yes I have a blog, not a huge following or anything but I like it that way, I guess I like small groups where I can feel apart of and it doesn't feel overwhelming to me that way.  I started a blog because I had some encouragement to do so a couple years ago, and yes I do challenges and thought that would be an easy way to link the card back to my blog.  Also I like other crafts too, so this way I could share more than just my cards.

I do Blog hop on Our Daily Bread mainly, but that's about it anymore.

I love youtube because I am a very visual person, it is hard for me to understand written directions it is so much easier to watch someone do a technique.

I subscribe to quite a few blogs and always comment if it is something that I found useful or inspirational.  It probably does take up way too much of my time, but I get so much out of it too, for all the others twitter ect. I don't use any of those.

[howdyheidi]

Connie, I think that is funny.  I mean, when I started looking for directions for stamping, I never knew there would be so much stuff!  I was looking for how to's and that I how I found Two Peas, and I totally was posting on the wrong board for a while, and then I found the stamping board and then all my stamping dreams came true (okay that is being dramatic) but really all my questions were answered and everyone was so encouraging. 

I am glad you like the die cutting a lot. I noticed how huge the die cutting plus felt plus sewing all of a sudden is, and I think that is so crazy how quickly it started. 

[howdyheidi]

I also just wanted to say that I think maybe it is confusing for us because maybe it is confusing/changing for the stamping/crafting companies too. 

[Conniecrafter]

I think I did the same thing for quite some time, posted in with the scrapbooking pages instead of the stamping, but I also didn't do all stamping cards just like now I don't do all stamping cards, glad you guys let me share some of my all die cut cards