Last updated on December 10th, 2021
It’s time for another of my periodic updates on what’s going on with this blog. While Diverse Tech Geek is doing fine, its social media presence is going through a few changes.
I admit I do often play with things like the layout of the site and other elements. However, one thing that’s stood for the longest time has been the use of Twitter and Facebook, particularly the former. I enjoy Twitter, though my feelings about Facebook are mixed. However, since Facebook’s such a dominant social network, it’s hard to completely ignore.
My use of other social networks, however, has varied over time. Over the history of this blog, I’ve messed with or looked at Reddit, Pinterest, Google+, Instagram, LinkedIn, Tumblr, and even considered Ello. But overall, Facebook and Twitter have proved to be the dominant social media forces online, for better or worse.
Social media statistics for the blog
Looking at Google Analytics, over the past six months, Facebook and Twitter combined drove 55% of social media traffic to the site; Google+ pulled in 37%. However, most of Google+’s traffic was from a one-month peak during June (for a LGBTQ Pride Month post).
Over the past two months, Facebook and Twitter combined drove 82% of social media traffic. And just for the past month alone, that total’s gone up to 86%. It’s not surprising that people love both social networks, not to mention they’re the two I use the most frequently.
Meanwhile, Google+ seems to have seen a lot of activity on it decline, outside of a few forums. I’ve had a Google+ page for years now, but it rarely sees any activity in terms of comments. While the same could be said for my Facebook page (no thanks to their algorithms), Facebook isn’t treated by internet users as a punchline.
Social media changes: Goodbye Google+ (for now), hello Instagram
Given the above, I’ve decided to pare back on non-Twitter/Facebook social networks. I’ve dropped Google+ from the sidebar links, as well as from the share buttons below posts. However, I won’t shutter the actual page (for now).
My LinkedIn page also isn’t going anywhere, per job-hunting and professionalism demands. However, I’ve dropped it from the sidebar/as a share button, since it didn’t drive much blog traffic.
As a (hopefully) more relevant replacement, I’ve added a link in the sidebar to my Instagram page. While I infrequently take photographs, they might interest some users; plus, when I do post photos online, it’s usually to Instagram.
I’ve used Google+ for years, but I suppose I have to admit it’s not a popular social network. Never mind Google+ fixes most of the complaints about Facebook users have. Still, if social media users insist on clinging to Facebook and Twitter despite both of their flaws (plus the lack of suitable or popular alternatives), then so be it.
RSS and email are still a thing
Along with Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, I’m also still emphasizing RSS feeds and email subscriptions. I’ve written before about the advantages of RSS: no algorithms, it’s an open standard, and it’s built into most websites automatically. You’d have to go out of your way to turn it off, which in my opinion’s a questionable practice.
Besides my site’s main RSS feed, I also offer feeds for each category, for users who only want to read tech posts or media posts (but not both):
Email’s also still a way to follow my blog, via the subscription sign-up box in the sidebar.
