Social Media and Vacations – How much is too much?

Summer vacation is coming up soon, and not only the millennials are posting to FaceBook, Instagram and Pinterest, but the Empty Nest travelers are finding their way to constant sharing on social media too.

It’s time to discuss questions around social media and sharing.

What is too much sharing?
There are people who study this and there can be too much posting. That’s when it’s called spamming. Not just for unwanted emails – spamming applies to social media when you’re posting continuously photo after photo, update after update – it can be too much!

Three photos per day on Instagram is considered to be the most engaging with your followers. More or less and engagement drops off.

Ask others who are in the photos with you if it is ok to post on Facebook and Instagram. Some people do not want their photos on FB. Same is true for you. If you find yourself in photos with someone who you’re not very familiar with, ask if they are planning to post the photo. State your preference.
This is especially true if you’re in a position or situation where you do not want the picture published to the world.

People like landscape, animal and food photos. Surprising? Yes – but there have been studies on this as well. Post photos of sunsets, waterfalls, and unusual food presentations create more engagement.

When to post?
A definite way to let others know you’re out of town is to post those beautiful photos on the beach. How can you share without opening yourself to those who are more interested in what’s going on in your home vs. what going on with your vacation?

Go into your smartphones setting and turn off the location services. This way photos will not have the location tracking.

Remember to turn this off on tablets and iPad too.  Keep people unsure – is she on vacation now or posting after she’s home?

To filter or not filter?
Beautiful photos come naturally, right? Well, there are apps and ways to make photos more interesting and appealing.
Within Instagram, there are many filters to edit your photos just as you’d like.
Create dramatic pictures with just a click or turn color photos into amazing black & white photos by selecting one of the various filters. – Moon, inkwell and Willow to name a few.

A favorite app is a Fast Camera – Takes lighting fast burst photos. It does cost $4.99 – but takes great photos.

My favorite app is Pro HDR-X – takes great HDR photos (High Dynamic Range).  HDR works by taking a series of images, each shot with a different exposure from light to dark. They are combined for a more dramatic shot.

Family Facebook pages, should I start one?
That’s not a bad idea! Share only with those you want to see all the action! You can make this page by invitation only, private and secret.  Each setting allows only those who are invited to see photos and updates.

A family page also saves time, you can store photos and organize them into albums.  Load photos to your page and everyone can see them and you can keep track of them too.
That’s a positive of social sharing. With Facebook, you can make it all about specific albums, topics, and themes!

How can I make social media more rewarding?

Rewards for social sharing – yes that does exist. Many hotels, airlines, restaurants and more love for you to share your experience – and some of them reward you for it! Oh yeah!

Hotels will host Facebook Fridays or Twitter Tuesdays – offering rewards for posting.

Ask when checking hotels if they are hosting a social media campaign while you are staying with them.

Here are two sites which reward you for your social engagement.
Social rewards.com – works with some brands to engage customers by posting photos. Earn points for future use.
Chirpify.com – connects you with brands who reward shoppers who post to social media