Blog Reboot – What To Expect?

Screenshot via WDFW Website (https://wdfw.wa.gov/news/state-lands-closure-extended-may-4)

These are weird times we are living in…

I am currently sitting at home in Ellensburg watching the wind blow. My family and I have been stuck inside for almost two weeks now. We are all starting to going insane…

This is a scary time we are living in. Cases of COVID-19 increase each and every day and things are uncertain. I’m scared to go to the store. I’m scared to fill my truck with gas. How much longer will we be living like this?

Public lands closed, fishing outlawed

My guiding has been shut down since my job is not considered essential. Fishing has also been shut down and we cannot access public lands. We will probably see more updates in the next few days, but it will most likely be much the same, with outdoor activities essentially postponed until May.

Screenshot via the WDFW Website (https://wdfw.wa.gov/about/covid-19-updates)

So what does that have to do with this blog?

To be quite frank, I am B-O-R-E-D. I’ve been doing some projects around the house and in the garage. A lot of these projects are geared towards fishing and hunting, so I figured I’d start bringing you guys along with me. And with Governor Jay Inslee’s “Stay Home, Stay Healthy” order, I think I will be working on these projects for a while. So stay tuned for the next couple of days as I work on my kayak for fishing later this spring and summer, and hunting ducks this winter.

How Social Media Management Tools Have Saved My Butt

The wind bites at my face as I maneuver the drift boat around and keep it from hitting the bank. I push the oars forward to keep us moving downstream, against the breeze. I look back to watch my client’s strike indicator  bounce below the surface. He sets the hook and the fish fights hard for several minutes before coming to the net. It’s a strong and iridescent whitefish. I release it back into the current and watch as he sinks to the bottom. A high five and we’re floating back down the river.

You know what I’m not thinking about?

Posting something on social media.

Thanks to social media schedulers like Tweetdeck and Hootsuite, and platforms with built in schedulers like Facebook, I can schedule my posts ahead of time to publish when I’m not at my computer. This saves me time and keeps me from getting distracted multiple times throughout the day. Whether I’m guiding, working, going to school or spending time with my fiancé, I need to be able to put the phone down and rely on these tools to keep my content updated regularly.

I wold much rather spend my day catching up with good friends on the river than sitting on my phone the whole time

Three Lessons I’ve Learned From My Short Experience as a Social Media Manager

I had just waved goodbye to my clients and watched them disappear down the washboard gravel road. As their maroon Jeep bounced along the slush in the thawing snow, I turned to the west and searched for the sun behind the clouds to determine how much daylight I had left.

Looks like I’ve got an hour. Perfect.

I grabbed my camera and trudged back down to the water to capture some photos in the low light. I wanted to generate some more content for the Ellensburg Angler blog and social media. Every time I am on the water, I want to take pictures, video and mental notes on what I experience so that I can share it with others online. Being a social media manager has completely changed my perspective on how I share my passion for fly fishing.

Taking photographs on every outing helps to document some of the great memories made with great friends

Is Social Media Really That Bad For You? How I Manage Stress, Anxiety, and Sleep Deprivation in Relation to My Electronic Devices

I often catch myself jumping from one form of social media to another, and then back again.

It’s a constant circle for me. I’ll start by checking Facebook, two accounts on Instagram, then Twitter, then LinkedIn, and then maybe see how many views my videos are getting on YouTube. I’m always curious to see how many “likes” I’ve received or how much I’m engaging with viewers and followers.

So, is this kind of social media use good or bad?

Personally, I don’t think it’s good or bad.

Social media can be used to promote your business and attract customers to your brand. It also allows people to network with others all over the world and across various communities that would otherwise be difficult to stay connected with.

Social media can also be unhealthy when it’s all you can think about. You can become stressed thinking about what others are posting and face higher levels of anxiety by becoming too focused on promoting yourself online.

Three affects social media has had on me personally are: stress, anxiety, and sleep deprivation. 

Here’s how social media has affected me, and how I’ve come to manage it in my life.

What’s more important? Being on your phone or being active outside?

The Evolution of My Social Media Use: What’s In the Past and What’s to Come

I remember my first taste of Facebook almost eight years ago.

It was such a foreign concept to me, to be able to connect with others worldwide and share ideas, pictures and videos. I might admit that it was a bit intimidating.

My use of Facebook eventually lead to Instagram, then Twitter, YouTube, WordPress, and most recently, LinkedIn. Social media has become a great tool for me. I’ve been able to connect with others in the fly fishing industry across the country, and even around the world.

Facebook directed me to the path I follow today.