@simon
There are people out there who think it's inappropriate to use Mastodon to talk about a lot of things they don't like. We can definitely ignore those people.
We're all adults who know how to use social media responsibly. No hateful or harmful stuff. Beyond that, express yourselves, your way. This is your platform.

@simon I mean, mine's fairly minor, but all my social media outside of FB and BirdSite are basically extensions of my YouTube (though I do engage outside of self-promotion, especially here cuz this place is awesome).

@simon
Thank you for asking! I wrote a novel about time and personal rituals. It's short and moves fast. Disordinary Time.
You are kind, as the impulse to write a book at 60 correlates 0% with any inclination to self-promotion, so I am walking in circles. #artbooster

@simon I think it has more to do with keeping the integrity of the platform by not letting it become overrun with social influencers.

I wouldn’t be upset if an author or small business owner discussed what projects they are working on.
> However, I would be concerned if there was an influx of accounts promoting products due to sponsorships etc. etc.

@simon Seconded. And in fact if corporate entities want to promote there stuff here *if they are going to have meaningful discussions about it* that's no bad thing either. With no algorithm forcing you to see any posts, any advertising here needs to be engagement, people choosing to follow for the interactions

@simon isn’t the entire premise of social media built around self promotion?

@simon all social media is self promotion. The people who yell at you here about how to use this system are just annoying.

@simon

Here's a sonnet I wrote!

I'll tell you more about the play I'm directing in 2023 too!

@simon so do I. If someone has talent I want to hear about it.

@simon
I wrote an article for a now-defunct game magazine.

#LameClaimToFame

@simon @rodlux I remember when I was self-employed. I had to promote or I could not eat.

@simon Same. That's what I am doing here for heavens sake. I want read news, opinions, comedy, veiw art, photography, animals... the list goes on and on!

@simon agreed!! I think it comes down to a difference of being excited & proud of your work (yay!!) and spamming links (boo!) - just share and engage!

@simon
I haven't written any books but I did create this, among many other 3D works...
It is titled "Creation of wealth".

@simon Hi Simon. This is my work.

https://youtu.be/e0cVv1Bkad4

@simon I love to hear what people are up to! And I think you can tell the difference between people who are engaging and also sharing their work, vs. people who are just screaming into the void for free advertising.

@simon there are actually people like that out there? Are they insane? Luckily not on my timeline.

@simon I have a new co-edited book about the politics of the Marvel Cinematic Universe https://kansaspress.ku.edu/9780700633883/ . It has 25 chapters written by over 30 political scientists and popular culture scholars.

@simon if "Don't talk about the cool shit you've done" is part of Mastodon culture, then Mastodon culture is dumb.

@simon

What people create is part of what they are. If they are interesting enough to follow, then their work is interesting enough to see announcements about it.

There's no algorithm here to jam those notices down your throat, if you don't like seeing someone's work, stop following them.

@simon server I use rules, may start with ppl promoting book, but then its all sorts promo and spam for all sorts, promo is promo you can't decide its ok for a writer but not for a rapper etc

@simon Absolutely. I find I'm most drawn to those who also generously promote and discuss the work of others, especially if those others inspired or influenced their work.

@simon
Agreed!!! Teach me! Tell me!

@simon me too!

@simon i relied on twitter for introducing me to many of the books i read. There isn’t a neighborhood book club for books about how religion or tech or race direct our neoliberal economy and development. 🤷🏻‍♀️

@simon Books are art, same as paintings, photography, etc. are art. I'm going to show mine off (in a non-creepy way) (and not 24 times a day) because I'm proud of dem babies. So I have a pinned thread + sometimes post an extract or a bit of news. So far didn't get berated for that, but I have notifications to check ;) #bookstodon

@simon Me too

@simon It's one of the reasons I'm here, I want to see what people are creating.

@simon Today, I painted this canvas. It is a very personal universe. I understand completely what you write. Can we or cannot we spread our art on social networks? We are in an art group after all.
I'm waiting for your kind feedback 😄

@simon I have a book launching on January 23. I'll post about it for a little while, and then I'll return to my usual social media online life of politics and cats.

@simon guilty. Wasn’t aware of such rule. ;)

@simon hah reblogging my game review blog (and in the new year when I've set up my new projects as well) is like, 90% of what I do here

But it feels nice! I've had far more interaction here regarding my reviews and game thoughts than I've ever had on any social media other than discord ❤

@simon I’m in the beginning of standing up an online presence for my daughter, @HeatherSyvilla. She is a fantastic artist and tattooist, and she makes custom clothing including corsets. Her website is still a work in progress with the wrong prices and bare descriptions- https://heathersyvilla.com. I really hope we can get it going, because she is really great at everything she does and I want her to succeed! Thank you for providing this space for me to brag about her. ♥️

@simon Fantastic post.
#SocialMedia is often the only efficient way for us #selfpublish #authors to discuss our #books
Thank you Simon 😊🖋
‘Secret Whispers’ Tess P. #Poetry
Amazon ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

@simon Seriously, those people can F-off.

Promote away!

@simon me too!!

@simon

Don't let anyone tell you what is and is not appropriate to post. That's why we all got off corporate media. If someone doesn't like what you're posting, let them unfollow you. That's it.

The whole point of declaring independence from corporate media is so that individual content creators can directly connect with other individuals without intermediaries.

@simon @thomasfuchs
OK then, this Beatles podcast: over a million downloads…
www.nothingisrealpod.com
@NothingIsReal

@simon yep! use Mastadon in any way you wish! this isn’t twitter!

@simon
What part of (micro-)blogging do people not understand?

Outside of breaking server rules (and common decency to each other), I would like to write whatever I want in my own blog. If people find what I write inappropriate, they are welcome to NOT follow me.

@simon hey man, what you been up to.

Nothing. I don't want to offend the masses.

@simon @lmorchard Yeah, those people can suck it. Or at least not follow me. Or block me.

@simon Thank you.

@simon I have podcasts if you want to listen :-)

@simon

Among the 39 books I wrote (many about the Net in the 90s), I had a Y2K book.

We all have shame in our skeletons.

@simon I’m not against people sharing their interests and accomplishments. I like hearing that. I’m against algorithms that create artificial platforms and monopolies for products, personalities and/or ideas.

@simon Agree!!! How else am I going to know about the latest books?

@simon
I direct all people to my fiction website franxfiction.com where I talk about my published novel AAN ZEE and several unpublished novels, and where I have links to most of my published short stories. Please spread the news. I welcome feedback of any kind.

@simon Marketing and promotion get a bad wrap because of profit hungry cunt sticks I think. But they have their place.

@simon why would it be self promotion to share projects we have worked on?
It exciting to share a part of yourself and find like minded people in that way
Or even find people who are willing to join you on the journey to exploring things

@simon Seconded! I follow people explicitly because I want to know what they are making.

@simon As difficult as it is for me to stand in front of you and admit it...

I write books.

There, I said it. And what's more, I pin them on my profile page. I should be ashamed, I know, but I can't help myself. 😭

https://writing.exchange/@gregorysherrow

@simon two years ago I wrote like mad and assembled Flash Fiction and a couple short sci-fi stories. Friends politely reviewed the effort as unapproachable (paraphrasing) and a tiny sci-fi online publisher rejected the better of the stories. I quietly withdrew the pdf but it was masterful! Had a cover, a hyperlink TOC made in OpenOffice (I dare anyone to fault it) auto pagination and explored a dozen notions that tickled me. Never started/finished anything quite so big before or since.

@simon the reasoning behind that is if everyone is just an account to promote their book, the social media platform will not be engaging because who wants to just look at catalogs a book advertisements, they could go onto Kindle or any place like that to find new books that they might wanna read.

@simon I think those people can get bent.

@simon there are rules for social media? I thought people made them up as they go.

@simon I can't think of a more appropriate place to toot your own horn

@simon I think that there needs to be some serious changing in attitudes regarding the forebiddenness of branding on the Fediverse; after all, if companies create their own instances for their own employees to discuss their products, there are some of us who want to hear about new products from our favorite brands; why shouldn't they be allowed to treat the Fediverse like the old ways, particularly if the old centralized social medias die?

@simon I have no objection. to anyone promoting a book they wrote or other personal for-profit endeavor. Likewise I have no problem with someone who writes for a publication and posts links here which will "earn" them clicks. I post links to my tiny blog (below) which earns me nothing except the satisfaction of knowing some people appreciate what I write. What I do feel uncomfortable with is a corp. trying to monetize Mastodon. https://www.halbrown.org

@simon absolutely - how else do we get to know what new work is out there? This is possibly the most important function of social media in research. It is a really good research tool, keeps you up to date and plugged in.

@simon @wiverson I want to know what creative projects my friends are working on! I also want to support them.

@simon Yup. I am not one of those people either.

Art, creative works, books, music - I love that stuff in my feed.

@simon Hi, Simon! Among a lot of other things, I play drums and produce music. Here’s a song my bandmates and I recently released about validation-seeking via social media: https://youtu.be/TKOUmBTaPxI

Thanks for this invitation!

Here's my #frog #watercolor.

I seldom paint, but my #painting means more to me than my day job (as a professor & scholar).

@simon Our latest book, just out – Solving Climate Change: A Guide for Learners and Leaders

http://www.solveclimate.org

https://iopscience.iop.org/book/mono/978-0-7503-4032-8

Instructors can request an examination copy: https://comms.iop.org/k/Iop/inspection_copies_form?isbn=9780750340304&title=Solving%20Climate%20Change

Sorry for price, textbook market pricing is high, alas.

@simon I haven't met anyone saying that, I see people sharing things they are proud of creating every day here, and the place would be more boring without it.

@simon Take no notice. Most of those individuals are immature adolescents who think it's "clever" to accuse people of spam etc. I'm surprised most of them know how to sit on a lavatory properly.

@simon 🤨 ...sometimes Mastodon feels like an Amish community

@simon

Just don't repost about your latest thing a couple times a day for weeks at a time.

@simon Mastodon is filled to the gills with folks who want to police toots.

Unless you’re running a scam, self-promote away, I say! Ignore the haters.