My struggle with social media

As all my friends will know I’m not exactly at the forefront of technology or social media. At University I was the only one visiting the 24hr library every night because I didn’t own a computer and I was still using disposable cameras until only a couple of years ago.

 

Despite joining Facebook in 2005 when it was ‘all the craze’ at uni, I have only really used it for stalking people I haven’t spoken to in years or checking out friend's boyfriends. So now I want to get the word out about Andrea’s Arcade and everyone tells me the way to do it is via social media. So where do I start?:

Facebook, great I have one of those accounts but do I really want prospective craft fair organisers to see photos of me posing with the naked cow boy in Times Square? – So I created a Facebook page to add all my new items I have been sewing and craft fairs I am going to: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Andreas-Arcade/373278779411448

Looks good and easy to put things online, but who am I targeting here? Now all my friends who knew me as a party animal know my deadly secret that I love nothing more than a cross stitch and sewing a tote bag, and despite all the lovely and complementary comments (90% of which are from people I am related to) is this really getting out there what I am doing?

 

So next I tried Twitter (@angekellegher), my boyfriend twits and gave me a crash course in how it works (to be honest I still don’t have a clue), I have a very small number of followers (again mostly friends and family) and not sure how I'm meant to increase them. I have also managed to link it to my personal facebook account so those who I am trying to impress with my crafty skirt making skills now know that last weekend I went to a Bowling for Soup gig and made a Christmas cake! Hmmm not what I planned to be twitting about.

So looking for another avenue I’m trying Instagram. I have so far recruited 11 followers (all of which I went to school / uni with) and have taken 3 photos, deleted them and uploaded 0. I think I need to have a practice of this one a little more.

 

So I have now achieved the following through social media......my friends know I sew and are bombarded daily with pictures of door stops and owl pillows.

Positively I have boosted my etsy shop viewings(http://www.etsy.com/shop/AndreasArcade) and I do have a good record of how my work is starting develop.

Who knows one day I may have a website for just my friends to look at too!

Please any help on widening my social media skills would be very gratefully received.

Thanks for reading my blog (particularly if you are a friend or family member who has unwillingly been harassed by my social media efforts and have supported Andrea’s Arcade).

 

Andrea