I might be turning into a curmudgeon.
I'm fighting it hard and have been for a while. I thought I was winning the battle, but now I'm not so sure.
A curmudgeon is someone who has done certain things certain ways for so long that they are convinced that their way is THE way. Of course that's not true. And I really never thought that way ... or did I?
The world is changing so fast these days. Weekly and even daily the technology comes out newer and better and faster. And I never minded that and I do love the technology. It makes what I do everyday lots more fun and convenient. I can sit barefoot and comfy in my studio all day and create stuff and talk to the whole world! And snack while I do it! Amazing!
When new gadgets and gizmos come out, I have no burning desire to rush out and buy them. Don't need them. I've got a great scanner and 2-3 good graphics programs, and except for the occasional update, that's all I need.
I don't need a tablet or email on my phone ... all my business can get taken care of from my desktop. And when I'm not in the studio, I'm not working, so there's no need for any extra gadgets or stuff. (There is one exception to this ... I'm a bit intrigued by Mr. Musk and Starlink ... I'll be keeping an eye on that!)
So when I became the proud new owner of a website ... no problem! I can work with that from my desktop!
Then I became the proud new owner of a Facebook account. I can't articulate or even spell what I really think about Facebook, but that's not important ... the point is I can work with that from my desktop.
Being a tad disillusioned with the Facebook experience (did you pick up on that?) I began exploring other social media options and ended up on Instagram, too.
I really like the look of the Instagram pages. It just feels calmer, cleaner and more professional there. And the publishers I work with are there. I'm not exactly a whiz bang on social media, but I'm learning. And, after all, I can work with Instagram from my desktop, too, can't I ... NOPE! Can't do it!
Turns out that Instagram is set up for the phone users. Which is fine. I even poke around on stinky old Facebook from my phone. But they're not talking about just looking at Instagram from a phone ... the only way you can post to Instagram is from a phone. Well, pooh!
I can get photos and files into the phone from my desktop to post to Instagram, but it would be so much simpler to post directly from my desktop ... surely there was a way ... so I consulted Mr. Google, (he has all the answers, you know!) and sure enough, I found out how to do it. Just in case you might like to know, too, I'll post the instructions at the end of this blog ... it's very easy! And now I was posting on Instagram!
I'm not curmudgeon-y from the standpoint of I don't want a new gadget. I just want to keep the choices I have. I want to be able to do my business from my desktop, because it's more convenient for me. But times are a changing, and apparently there's going to come a point when my desktop is useless ... a little worry I've tucked away in the back of my brain and try not to think about.
But for now, it's all okay. For the last seven months I've been happily posting on my Instagram page every week.
And I watch what other folks post to see what and how they're doing it. One fellow I follow has the neatest posts. They are little slide shows with 5-6 pictures with messages that you can scroll through. He's a web designer and his slide shows are mini design lessons. How neat is that! I wanted to make some little slide shows of my own.
So I put together my own little slide show ... so exciting! I found out that it's called a "carousel" and already in my brain I was planning what the next one would be. When it was all ready, I opened up my Instagram account and went through all the steps I've gone through every week for the last seven months ... and I couldn't figure out how to post a carousel. So I went back to Google and found instructions on how to do that. But I still couldn't, because my screen and clickable options looked different. I was doing something wrong ... back to Google ... and eventually I found out that I can only post a carousel from a stinkin' PHONE!
And to add insult to injury, I couldn't do it anyhow, because one site said it won't work with Windows 10!!! Grrr!!!
This is how curmudgeons are made! We're born from the frustration of being left behind in the lonely dust simply because we don't work and live our lives bent over a mobile phone! But I'm screaming at the wind, because I'm not the target audience of social media platforms, and there are millions of those people, and probably only about 20 old dinosaurs like me left out there ... deep breath ... calm down ... it's going to be okay.
I got back on Google, because surely I'm not the only person out there who's trying to do this ... surely ... and I finally found them ... lots of little sites that were set up just for folks like me who wanted to post to Instagram from a desktop. I picked one – a site called GreatlySocial.com – signed up, and now I have a carousel post on Instagram and planning on having more soon. And I'm posting them from a desktop sporting a Windows 10 platform ... so take THAT, Instagram!
And now that I've vented in front of everybody on the world wide web, I would like to sincerely apologize for doing that. Perhaps I really am a curmudgeon.
On the other hand, a true curmudgeon wouldn't have pressed through and found a way of getting the job done. Maybe it'll help someone else who was looking for a solution to that same problem. So perhaps I should be really proud of myself!
I'm so confused ... I'm gonna' go draw ...
