Monday, April 15, 2013

I'm Suffering Social Media and Online Presence Frustration!!!


I know I have to do it...
I actually enjoy the creativity involved...

...though the amount of time it takes to do it correctly and effectively 
is hard to find!  



I cannot tell you how many hours I spend online with 
websites, FaceBook, blogging and two Etsy sites 
working on an online presence for 
really...it's alot!  

If that were all I do that would be fine...but it certainly takes away from 
painting time, rummaging time, shop time...family time!

I spend each morning getting inspired by my favorite blogs, a little Pinterest, posts I follow on FB...and then I post/share what I think are cool creative ideas each morning.  Click on the link below to visit my page and
please click LIKE while your there. 


Since my beloved and favorite site builder iWeb 
is no longer available from Apple
I have to build a whole new website 
after years of easy site building with iWeb!

Here's where the real frustration is...


...having to build a whole new site!  

So far I've chosen WordPress so I can have a web page & blog all in one place.
But...that is taking alot of time and reading and figuring out...

I need to be painting!!!


I can't seem to get past finding a theme for my new website...
but I have found a great source I think I like for WP themes, 
that only took me on and off...
6 hours!


Then I'll need to go through hundreds of photos in iPhoto
to select which I want to show in my online portfolios for each
of the medias I use...
can you feel the frustration?

 Furniture painting for two retail spaces


Painting both walls and canvases



Collecting and sewing vintage linens and hankies.

So...take a deep breath Denise.  
I have to either start from square one,
simplify my process 
and keep it streamlined.

I found these two great articles to get me started...
(click on them to visit the sites)

10 Social Media Time Management Tips for Small Business





The Simplified Guide to Social Media for Small Businesses


OR...
hire someone to do it for me!

For the amount of time I spend figuring it all out 
this might be the best time management option...
though I'll have to paint alot more furniture to cover the cost!

I really am frustrated over this, 
and know for sure some of you share the same dilemma.  
I am so open to suggestions and ideas...
please share and let me know how and if you've solved it!

Trying to ENJOY!


7 comments:

  1. I hear you, Denise, about social media, otherwise known as The Big Time Suck. I'm on WordPress, too (self-hosted, not free, site). I'm certainly not an expert, but if you have some questions, I can try to point you in the right direction. If you're looking at themes, ask yourself if you want your site to be EASY vs. CUSTOMIZEABLE. Twenty Twelve is the former, and Suffusion is the latter. Of course, there are lots of other choices. (I use Suffusion, which meant more of a learning curve, but definitely customizable and definitely manageable by someone who isn't a coder!)

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    1. Hi Judy...
      Thanks for lending a hand! I did find a few themes on Elegant Themes that I like...mostly want to make sure they have a good photo gallery and that I can make each page look a little different since I offer a few different things. It's hard to imagine what it will look like after I make changes...even for a visual person like me.
      Anyway...I'm not techy and am having trouble making a banner for the home page...any suggestions on where to go for that...that would be a great start!
      Thank you Judy :)

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  2. You do a great job of social media!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Thanks for the tips and for sharing your frustrations.

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  3. Oh gosh, so true! You are keeping your eye on the ball, though, and staying super creative despite wearing all those wonderful pink hats above!

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    1. Pink hats...that's the happy part Betsy! I actually enjoy the creativity that goes along with social media,
      it's making it effect and helping to grow business that I need to learn more about! I know you're someone who is familiar with many hats too!
      Thank you for commenting Betsy.

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  4. I agree that creating a reputable online presence can take up a lot of time, especially with the many platforms available. I've been using tools like Tweetdeck and HootSuite that allow me to simultaneously post a single message on various platforms like Twitter and Facebook to cut time. The options to automatically post a blog link to other social media accounts are much appreciated too.

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    Replies
    1. Thank you Kristofer for the info, I will check that out. I did find a blogger...Blog Tyrant...who has many helpful tools and tips for social media...http://www.blogtyrant.com/social-media-guide/. It's now finding the time in between painting, keeping shops and clients happy, to learn and implement social media platforms to be most effective. Sometimes feels like I'm starting all over again...but I'm up for the learning curve! Thank you for your comment...enjoy the day!

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