• social media icons

    In case you’re feeling social

    July 9, 2023 / No Comments

    Social media sites come and go (remember MySpace and LiveJournal?), but I always try to join the latest ones as soon as possible.

    One reason I do so is because I’m curious about the next new thing. Will it connect with people? Will it help them connect with others? Will it assist me in sharing information with the world, be it news or pictures of cute kitties?

    I also sign up for a professional reason: I want to brand my name. There are 26 Jade Walkers in the U.S., at least two or three in the U.K. and possibly two or three more in Australia. If I want to use my name as a screenname, I have to snag it first. Note: I’m not always successful.

    Although my accounts on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Goodreads and Tumblr are still active, I’ve been using them less than in the past. However, if you, like me, have jumped head-first into the burgeoning worlds of Post+, Spoutible and Threads, feel free to say hello.

  • charity

    Social media only works when we view it as a community and not as a competition

    February 17, 2016 / No Comments

    Articles about online etiquette generally offer sound advice:

    * Do share stories/articles about topics that interest you.

    * Don’t post unflattering pictures — of anyone.

    * Do engage with your readers in the comments.

    * Don’t give away too many personal details.

    * Don’t make nasty comments about your boss, ex, the dead, etc.

    Inevitably, however, these well-meaning stories will also include a suggestion that I find utterly baffling: Don’t post lovey-dovey comments about your mate.

    The thinking behind such advice is simple. Publicly sharing thoughts of love and romance can cause the folks who read your Facebook or Twitter feed to roll their eyes in disgust. Or worse, such caring comments will make readers feel bad about their own love lives.

    This is ridiculous.

    The world is so full of meanness. Snarky posts, trolling comments and outright insults are the norm on social media. What is wrong with countering all that cruelty with a bit of kindness?

    Romantic messages aren’t meant to make people feel bad; instead, the very opposite is true. Public declarations of passion may be aimed at one person but they’re revealed to all because when you’re in love, you want to share that wonderfulness with the whole world. You want to spread that love around.

    Such articles also advise against posting images or statuses that focus on vacations or babies or weddings, as if sharing such milestones means you’re bragging (or part of a massive conspiracy to bring down the spirits of the people who lack these things). Pah!

    The people who write these statuses are simply explaining what’s happening in their world and inviting others to enjoy the fun. Rather than opting for jealousy, I say choose to be happy for them. And when you fall in love, take a trip, wed, graduate, land a new job, buy a house, have a baby, get a great haircut, bake the perfect pie or win the lottery, shout it from the rooftops.

    We’ll all be happy for you, too.

    –Photo by Devonyu

  • birthday cake

    Just a reminder: Happy birthday to you!

    June 4, 2015 / No Comments

    One of my favorite features of social media is the birthday reminder.

    Whenever I receive these emails or spy a notice on a newsfeed, I do my best to take a moment and send good cheer. Generally I’m one of many to wish the happy, yet doing so feels good because no matter how difficult life can be, birthdays should be enthusiastically celebrated.

    The downside of birthday reminders is… well, death. It always makes my heart ache when I receive one of these alerts for a friend or family member who’s died in the past year. Instead of being reminded of joy, I recall the loss of their passing. And it hurts to know they won’t have another birthday.

    Yesterday, I thought about my high school sweetheart all day. Although he died a few years ago, June 3rd has long been a day I noticed because it was his birthday. So even though he’s gone, I can’t help but recall the times we shared and the years we did not. A few hours ago, I received a birthday email for a writer on Livejournal that I followed for more than a decade. He died last year and the loss of his voice has made reading that site just a little less required.

  • I feel pretty, oh so pretty…

    January 5, 2015 / No Comments

    Over the holiday weekend, I updated the designs for this website, my Twitter feed and my Tumblr. Doing so always takes a great deal of time and effort, but I find these template alterations satisfy the new-year-clean-slate urge I get every January.

    Hope you like the changes. As always, comments and suggestions are welcome.