How I Decide Where To Post
TL;DR
The short answer is that I post where I think things would best fit with the audience. Of course, the details are more complex than that.
Introduction
I can be prolific1. Especially when I'm not depressed2. Mostly, I write. I'm starting to get my camera out more too. Figuring out where to post everything has turned into a calculus problem.
The Networks
The main places I post are:
There's a few newsletter submission forms too. I rarely submit to them, though9.
At the highest level, long form posts and notes from my Grimoire10 go to the blog. Microblogging11 style content goes to Mastodon and Bluesky.
Digging into the details gets more complicated.
The Math
This post started out when a mutual on Matrix asked how I decided where to post. We follow each other on Mastodon too. They'd see some things getting cross-posted while others weren't. It got them wondering how I made the decisions about what goes where.
It all comes down to the audience. The general heuristic12 goes like this:
- Photos go on the blog13. Posts usually have multiple photos. I put links to the blog on Mastodon and Bluesky with a single image from the photo set.
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Notes from my Grimoire go to the blog. These are usually on specific topics that support whatever I'm working on. They start life as little more than code snippets that I add descriptions and details to over time.
For example:
Move The Cursor To The End Of A Neovim Buffer/File With Lua, or
Get The Number Of Lines In A Neovim Buffer/File With Lua
Because they're so specific, it's rare I link them anywhere else.
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Long form posts go to the blog. I generally post links to them on Mastodon and Bluesky. The math starts to come into play with the Discords. Considerations are:
- Does the topic apply to a given discord? For example, I don't put links to my Rust14 posts on the rhetoric and communications discord I'm in.
- When was the last time I posted a link in the discord? I've mostly gotten over my fear of linking to my posts15, but I don't want to spam a channel.
- How active am I in the discord? If I don't spend a lot of time in one I don't post as many links. I don't want to constantly drive-by without otherwise participating in the community.
- How many other posts have there been since the last time I posted a link? Some discords I'm in have fallen off to very low traffic. That means it may have been a month since I last posted but no one else has posted since. I generally skip those so my stuff isn't stacking up.
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Microblogging style posts go to both Mastodon and Bluesky. I start with Mastodon. The server I'm on has a 2K character limit. Bluesky's is 300. Sometimes, the Mastodon post is under that size. Sometimes, it requires editing.
If I can't easily edit the Mastodon post down to fit the Bluesky limit I skip posting it there16.
Microblog posts might also get cross-posted to discord. The same rules from above apply, but they're maybe a little stricter.
- Direct to discord posts are a thing too. For example, some of the discords I'm in have show-and-tell type channels. If I find something interesting floating around the web that applies to one of them, I'll throw in the link. This also comes down to the audience. Sometimes, a cool link goes to multiple discords. Sometimes, it only fits one.
- A few of the Discords I'm in have music channels. They don't generally get a lot of folks posting in them. I try to keep them alive by posting in them relative frequently. The rules about frequency go out the doors for these channels. I've got no problem posting on or two a day even if the last four posts were from me.
- Matrix is the latest network I've joined. Matrix comes in different flavors. The one I'm on feels like Discord. I just use the same calculations for long posts and microblogging as I do there for Matrix.
Now With More RSS And Microblogging
I just got RSS working on my site again17. It's a single feed that contains any post or note in my Grimoire that is marked as "published".
I'm working to expand to multiple feeds. Folks will be able to choose which type of content they get (which will be directly related to the frequency).
The key reason for that split is because I'm about to start microblogging directly on my site18. This will include the stuff I normally post on Mastodon/Bluesky. It'll also include bookmarks, quotes, and music I capture each day19.
I don't want to send all that stuff down the main feed. It would be overwhelming.
The Spreadsheet
I've long since given up trying to keep track of where everything goes in my head. Now, I use a spreadsheet. It feels a bit ridiculous. But, I don't have a better way to do it.
It would be awesome if we all just had our own personal sites with a single place to post. I don't see that happening any time soon20.
Endnotes
This is all about posting my content. Probably goes without saying that when I'm responding to something someone wrote in a channel in discord I don't cross-post that. Though, I do the occasional webmention where I respond to someone else's blog post directly from my blog.
I've also got a bunch of subdomains. Posts go to them from time to time. Mainly, they're for stand alone projects though.
It bums me out that the stuff I post on Mastodon and Bluesky isn't also on my site. Especially cause I know those sites can go away like a couple previous social networks I've been on. I'm working on an addition to my site builder that will let me post microblogging content on my site first then syndicate it to the other platforms.
Footnotes
As evidenced by the 2,899 posts currently on this site. Granted, those over twenty years. The average is still higher than most sites I seed.
I have bipolar disorder. I'm on medications that keep me stable most of the time, but I can still cycle into significant periods of ups and downs. When I'm down, I barely post at all. When I'm up, I can post a lot.
I spend most of my time euthymic these days. But, I've made some updates to my website builder that reduce the friction for making posts. I'm writing more overall as a result.
You are here, unless you're reading via RSS in which case you're close.
I'm at: @TheIdOfAlan on Mastodon
For Bluesky, I'm at @alanwsmith.com
And, I just counted, 63 other discords that I basically never look at.
A relative new, decentralized network for communication.
There are multiple channels. I'm sticking to just one for the moment.
Usually, by the time I finish posting in all the other places I'm worn out and skip the newsletters.
My home for notes and posts. Some would call it a notes app. I prefer a book of magic.
Short posts that don't have titles. Generally single thoughts or status updates instead of full blown posts.
Basically, a quick way to figure stuff out that's mostly right most of the time.
I used to be on Instagram, but I really don't like posting there because it means the photos are on my site. I could cross-post but that seems like a pain. I could automate it, but even then, I just kinda don't like my stuff being there anymore.
Rust is my preferred way to get computers to do what I want them to these days.
I wouldn't necessarily call it Imposter Syndrome, but there's definitely a little voice in the back of my head that tries to prevent me from posting by asking questions like, "is this good enough", "is it even right", "will anyone even care?"
I could make threads. That's more of a pain that I want to get into.
A standardized way for sites to packages up content so it can be viewed though RSS Readers which don't require visiting the site itself.
Anecdotal evidence suggests most folks don't know about RSS. Those that do and who are into generally really into it.
Just gotta get the coding done to update my website builder.
Yep. More coding required here as well.
Of course, I'm building a social network It's fun to fantasize about everyone moving to it. But, realistically, if the network does anything at all, it'll just lead to adding one more platform to the mix. (see also: XKCD 927: Standards)