Blogging, History

@HistorianRuby: Social Media Links UPDATED and with a NEW FaceBook Page

We all know that social media is increasingly important in many peoples lives. We check our stats, notifications, likes, follows and friend requests etc. and it’s no different for amateur and professional bloggers: we use social media to publicise our work.

For public historians, it is crucial that they promote their latest TV programs, books and magazine articles using modern social media platforms to engage with the interested public. It is a vital aspect in gaining readers, viewers and consumers of public history.

For an amateur blogger, it is similar, if on a much smaller scale, and it is an often thankless task. However, putting yourself ‘out there’ is important if you want your blog to be read, readers = views and depending on your reasons for blogging, the growth of readers on a monthly basis offers a sense of achievement.

I have been trying to up my social media presence to varying degrees of success. I have a private Facebook account and I do share some blog posts with family, particularly family history posts and they are popular for obvious reasons.

white samsung laptop computer near black ceramic plant vase
Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com

In the last 10 months of committed blogging, I’ve been exploring my social media options – I’ve listed below all of the platforms on which I can be found.

Facebook

I recently started an HistorianRuby Facebook page. I add my blog posts on there and other snapshots of historic interest (to me and hopefully others!). Largely due to my personal account my views referred by Facebook are close to 1,000 but if I put the effort into the new page hopefully the views from that will pick up.

DECEMBER UPDATE: my FaceBook views have surpassed 2,300 that is largely due to sharing on a couple of local history or family tree boards. This does have a positive short-term effect but sadly makes your daily stats look miserly in comparison to your popular viewing day after sharing your article.

Here’s the link: https://www.facebook.com/HistorianRuby/

BREAKING NEWS!

I’ve started a new page dedicated to the British royals! This will publish historical blog posts AND up-to-date articles covering all your favourite modern royals! I really would welcome your input with this page and if you have a royal post that you would like to share, please contact me.

I have a few guidelines when writing guest posts and it generally boils down to ‘let’s be nice’ – but I don’t like to see lots of swearing unless there is a relevance. Your older posts or something more recent could find a new home on British Royal Family Then and Now! 

To give this page a kick-start I will need lots of ‘Likes’ so please be generous and follow the link to like this brand new forum for bloggers to share their historical knowledge or something more recent about Queenie and Co. 

Here’s the link: https://www.facebook.com/British-Royal-Family-Then-and-Now/

Instagram

I started an HistorianRuby Instagram account in the weeks after I started my blog but again I was pretty inactive at first. I’ve tried to up my game in recent weeks but was thwarted as three posts to my Instagram account froze this weekend and I’ve had to uninstall and install again to fix the problem.

DECEMBER UPDATE: oops I’ve been really poor at posting on my Insta account. Maybe that’s something to work on in 2019.

You can search for me using: @historianruby

Twitter

I follow tons of historians on Twitter, it is an account that was set up for public history when I was at university. I share my blog automatically with Twitter along with various newspaper articles that pique my interest.

DECEMBER UPDATE: my Twitter engagement has increased a little bit and my stats show a modest increase for the second half of the year. Again, I need to work on this in 2019.

I can be followed by searching @ruthrblair

Google +

I share my blog on Google + automatically and can confess that is all I do on Google +. Does anyone use this forum on a regular basis? I have no idea how to use it or of its benefits to my blog!

DECEMBER UPDATE: no change!

Pinterest

I’ve recently started working on my Pinterest account. It is still a work in progress. I’ve several boards related to my recent posts (as well as all my blog articles) and I plan to tweak some more going forward. I’m HistorianRuby on my page but somehow my URL has my full name on it rather than my husband’s nickname for me, Ruby.

DECEMBER UPDATE: this is where I’ve made good progress on a new platform for the second part of the year. My views are definitely not stratospheric but have overtaken Twitter and my account has only been active for approximately six months. I will need to work on this in 2019 but it has become a habit to look at it daily and Pin photos of historical interest. I’ve also started looking at it for inspiration away from my history theme.

I can be followed by searching for https://pinterest.co.uk/ruthrblair/

Reddit

HistorianRuby has a Reddit account! I’ve had a total of 77 views referred from Reddit – not bad I suppose, as I just share my posts and don’t engage with others on that forum.

DECEMBER UPDATE: not brilliant but shows a small increase in referrals – I can only expect a small response if they only ever get a small amount of engagement from me. 

Flickr

I have used this for photos of postal history for a few years. I added pictures of Hampton Court Palace and was really disappointed that my page that was filled with red disappeared so I deleted all other photos except post boxes! It’s a little quirky but I like it!

DECEMBER UPDATE: no change! Still there, still underused!

Don’t forget that the majority of my social media links can be found on my home page for ease of access and I would love you to follow me! Please let me know in the comments if you’d like me to follow you back.

31 thoughts on “@HistorianRuby: Social Media Links UPDATED and with a NEW FaceBook Page”

  1. For public historians, it is crucial that they promote their latest TV programs, books and magazine articles using modern social media platforms to engage with the interested public……
    So true. It’s also a good way to engage with those who may not usually choose to read about history. A social media post could just spark that attention.
    Just followed you on Pinterest. I’m not on many of the other platforms either.

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  2. I’ve followed you everywhere I wasn’t already following you! (Liked your FB page as both me and as my blog 🙂 ) I also share directly to Google+ but really don’t see much of anything from it, and any time I go to look for things there, it feels like no one has been active for years!!

    It is quite difficult to grow your social media following- I’ve been working on my Facebook page for probably 20+ months now, and have struggled to get the 140 followers I have now. I do find it easier to grow on other networks, though!

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    1. I’ve had my Facebook page since mid-march and I’m just short of 120 followers, that is mostly due to a blogging group I belong to. However, everyone is out for themselves and although they follow or like I’m not sure if they read the posts! I did have one post that I accidentally promoted that reached 5.5k – I switched that function off so I wouldn’t run up a huge bill unintentionally!
      I’ll look for your FB page now! 🙂

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      2. It can be very time consuming, great for when I’m working away and spending hours alone in hotel rooms, not so much for when I’m at home!
        I accidentally ‘promoted’ a page and it took 3 days before I realised and noticed I was charged $17. It’s great I suppose for advertising a business, not if you’re an amatuer blogger looking for a little extra exposure.

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  3. Hi Ruth! Good to know all your social platforms.
    Have you ever thought about adding a few # on the things you post instagram and twitter? I just had a quick look at your instagram account and that was something I recognized… I think that would definitely help with increasing your stats…

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    1. Facebook sharing has been very kind to me on a number of occasions when I’ve shared popular family history posts. Although rather than spam everyone with all my posts I’m a little selective, but of course all friends have the freedom to read more if desired.

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      2. I’ve been quite fortunate and have cousins who have shared information with me (and I with them) yet I know that there is probably more out there as my father’s family, in particular, was very large and I’m sure there are photos of grandparents and maybe great-grandparents that have been stored away and forgotten about.

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      4. Same here! My one grandparent lived till she was 96, so we had plenty of time with her, but she was a very private person. My mum wrote her memoirs a few years ago and so we have a record of her early life and her memories of my Dad’s parents and her father who died in 1941.

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  5. I just followed your Pinterest (side note–your board topics are awesome, I love learning about European royalty!). I started a group board called “Geneablog Spotlights” where I highlight my favorite posts from other family history bloggers. If you’re interested in joining the group, let me know–always looking for new members!

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  6. Kudos to you for trying. I had a linked Facebook account, but WP seems not to like FB anymore, so it got disconnected from my blog. It’s not much of a loss, because after the first week or so, I have not put much work into it.

    As for Twitter, I visit it every now and again, but don’t do nearly enough.

    Someone told me back in the day to link your posts to Flipboard. And I have that option for people to share my blogs on there, but since I don’t really keep up with that account (not too sure how one uses it to post (vs. read)), it brings me 0 traffic.

    Have you tried Pinterest? It seems to be pretty popular. Whatever it is.

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  7. The notion that increased stats do not necessarily mean actual readership rather haunts. Am personally at a point of decision; to put a more concerted effort forward, or cease entirely. The kind of metrics you have on your experience with the various platforms is helpful. Hopefully there will be others, so as not to be anecdotal. Thanks for putting this forward.

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    1. I do prefer a steady increase rather than skewing stats – but I started the blog to share stories from history so I do need a readership. I haven’t monetised my blog so I’m not pushing for sales etc. just for people to enjoy. The Facebook extra reads is exciting when it happens, but prefer a steadier growth with follows from the WordPress community when people enjoy what I post.

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      2. I’m used to checking in on Facebook – all the other forms of social media takes a lot of time and effort. I suppose my Facebook is personal and so I check in on family, I’ve really not caught the Instagram bug!

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      4. I started Twitter at uni as part of my Public History course and so my blog auto-shares to it these days. I’ve got rid of Snapchat (I’m too old for it!). Facebook is a useful tool for sharing posts – occasionally. I guess I’m a little lazy with social media if I’m honest.

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  10. Great post. I love reading your social media insights. It’s such a challenge!! And a time sucker. I do enjoy Instagram but often wonder how many people actually read the caption or click the “link in bio.” Twitter and I have a love-hate relationship. It’s SO fast and I miss so much there. Definitely difficult to up-keep, but a necessity in trying to promote my blog.

    Good luck on your continued social media efforts! I followed you on IG and will check out Twitter when I check in later.

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    1. Thank you – I’ll look for you. If I don’t follow – give me a nudge! I’m a little slow on Insta (and I do intend to pick that up) and Twitter does move very fast. I’ve read that you should tweet multiple times as within 20 minutes the feed has moved on.

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