Who Do You Follow? A Primer on Real Time Fly Fishing Information
#texasflyfishing fly fishing in texas #flyfishing website
Yeah, sometimes I do take for granted my fellow fly fishers have the same penchant for technology as I have – a big fat mistake.
Some of you have retired from technology, and some of you don’t think you can handle it. Well, you won’t be getting any viruses, or popup adds, spies or your kids giving you a hard time because you are suddenly cool. You can even avoid saying anything – known as LURKING – and just take in information that is meaningful to you.
I know a lot of you like to know what’s happening where, when and how – when the fish are biting, and I do SHOW AND TELL that valuable information all the time, in almost real time at the Texas Fly Caster twitter feed. That last sentence has a hot link to the TFC twitter feed. Click on it to get there.
Twitter is an increasingly powerful place to SHOW AND TELL all kinds of things in 140 characters or less. The size of the tweet means you have to fit “all the news that fits” into a small space. The benefit is brevity and clarity. At last count the site has 609 followers who automatically get the tweets sent out from TFC. You can create your own twitter account with your e mail address, and follow people without ever a single tweet on your part! That’s a great way to gather realtime information, so give it a try! Twitter is an independent company.
Facebook has gained in popularity with the senior sector of fly fishers who already used the site to see what their kids, grandkids or friends are up to. Now, due to those demographics, businesses, organizations and just about everyone has some kind of presence on Facebook. Texas Fly Caster has had a Facebook page for quite some time (my photography business went on Facebook while they were just moving out of their dorm rooms). I use that page to echo what I publish here on the Texas Fly Caster website. It’s a mistake for anyone to organize (promote) themselves, their interests, from Facebook first; websites will still be standing long after people forget what Facebook is / was. However, one fun aspect of Facebook is the ability to “share” things found on the internet, Facebook and just about anywhere. Why? Honestly? It’s free content. I know plenty of folks who are too “high profile” to have their own Facebook pages, and they sneak their peaks through their spouse’s accounts – you know who you are!
You will notice the Instagram picture on the left of the website. As a photographer, I am really enjoying this photographic sharing application. I love sharing your photos on Instagram as well, so send them in. Instagram feeds a lot like Twitter, so if you follow someone their images appear in your “timeline.” I was on the bleeding edge with this one for years, but I am constantly surprised at how popular it is now. Facebook owns Instagram.
YOUTUBE
Now, with a good data connection, we are able to actually stream video through YouTube live to the internet, and by phone you can post phone videos straight to a YouTube channel as well. If you have been with Texas Fly Caster awhile, you know we have to go there! And recently, I did just that; posting a one minute video of activities at the Fly Fishing Film Tour direct to the Texas Fly Caster YouTube Channel. It won’t be too long before videos of adventures are edited and online while the fly fishing trip is still in progress. Keep watching. The Texas Fly Caster Channel has had 102,300 views and 248 subscribers at last count. Is that crazy, or what! Google owns Youtube.
PARTICIPATION
So what all these newer (and still to be created) social networking avenues offer you is a chance to participate, in more ways than ever – in the take and give. Some of you will, most of you won’t. I guess that’s just how it goes when the reporting is so thorough and accurate (facetiously written) that it needs no fine tuning or corrections!
I do remember some old saying that goes, “Nothing good was ever free.” Even participating costs something valuable – your time. And I always appreciate you taking the time to participate with folks here at Texas Fly Caster in all the ways it is possible to voice your knowledge and opinions with all the readers. Of course everyone’s time has value …
THE FUTURE
The future, whether you and I like it or not, is going to be a complete revolution in the way premium content (that’s original content) is delivered to readers of Texas Fly Caster. Many factors went in to this new direction the site will be going, including the survey that has been here for three months. Anyone who participated in the survey had a say in the coming revolution, and those who didn’t … don’t.
Category: Culture on the Skids, Free Fly Fishing Stuff, Life Observed, Reader Contribution, TECHNICAL, Writing
We’re going to let this one sink in for a couple of days.