Blogging or Bluesky

 

A hunk from my Lavender EPP quilt, currently in progress.

Around the first of March, I took an early Lenten sabbatical from Bluesky Social. My account with that form of social media is only from last November, after the election. I didn't abandon a Twitter handle for it, as that type of social media had never been my preferred method of outreach. As you can imagine, I like a LONG manner in which to share my thoughts, smiley face inserted HERE.

Yet I was happy to create the account, and enjoyed the camaraderie I met. Giving up Bluesky was in part a Lenten sacrifice, as well as a need to distance myself from the weight of what was happening in America. I fully expected to rejoin the banter once Easter was over.

That plan has been discarded, as I will continue my absence from Skeets and a three hundred character limit for posts. That was certainly a hindrance, as often I have far more on my mind, LOL. But what I found most interesting was how I didn't miss that level of social media within my life. Probably not having had a similar account figures into it; Bluesky was a brief dip into a form of social media I have firmly avoided since, well, since I became an indie author/when Twitter was unveiled. It's not only preferring a longer form to express my views; I had an Instagram account that I deleted after the election, and that platform permitted lengthy entries. My decision is mostly based on the desire to keep social media at arm's length, even to the detriment of marketing my novels.

I didn't sign up for Bluesky to blow that horn; I merely wanted to add a voice to an alternative. At the time I entered the fray, the site had thirteen million users. It now boasts over thirty-five million. My absence won't be noticed, nor do I plan to deactivate my account. Yet I felt it necessary to note why I am stepping away. I will link to this on my Bluesky profile because I like to close chapters. Bluesky was a fascinating experience and I wish everyone there well!