The Social Freelancer: Media + Music

“All journeys have secret destinations of which the traveler is unaware.”
- Martin Buber, Philosopher (1878 – 1965)

My wife Lauren and I love a road trip. It suits us. I have flown thousands of miles in my career, and much prefer driving the back roads than sitting in an airport, any day. She is in total agreement. We enjoy the time together, stopping where we want, when we want; the adventure of being on the road, with only a brief outline of the trip planned.

We like photography, local history, small towns, back roads, nature, good food, live music and quirky roadside attractions; the more unexpected, the better.

This summer we’ll be headed through Texarkana, Texas, then east through Arkansas and Tennessee to the Blue Ridge Parkway and Asheville, North Carolina. Coming home, we’ll take a southern swing back to Texas through Mississippi and Louisiana.

The truth is, we have no idea what we’ll find along the way, only that we plan to enjoy every moment.

Come along? We’ll be posting photos to Twitter and Instagram throughout the road trip. We welcome suggestions for places we might like to visit.
Thanks for tuning in… Trace

Updates and Images from our road trip through the South:

Follow Trace on Twitter: @TraceTV

On the #backroads – Streetman, Texas #VanishingTexas #photography with my trusty old @Ford pic.twitter.com/3JBvXeVvYe

— Tracy Ready (@TraceTV) June 27, 2014

Related Post: 3 Reasons to “like” Twitter over Facebook

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Follow Trace on Instagram: @tracetvfilm

Follow Lauren on Instagram: @gardenlauren

Related Post:
Confessions of an Instagram Junkie. Why I love “in the moment” Photography

Hashtags:
#VanishingTexas
#VanishingUSA

First video from the series: Vanishing Texas Photography

Support: Vanishing Texas Photography – Gofundme
There’s more -> Read more…

You signed up for Facebook but rarely look at it or make any status updates.
You’ve heard about Twitter but just don’t “get it”
You want to increase business via Linkedin but don’t know how.
You think because so many have built up huge followings on Social Media that it’s “too late.”
Here’s what I think:

If you have done nothing in social media, it’s NO BIG DEAL. Many people are in the same boat. Jump in.~ @freelancesocial

— Tracy Ready (@TraceTV) March 4, 2013

You are not alone. One of the best things about social media is that there is a short memory span. People jump in and out all the time. Many have profiles that are inactive (that’s not good, but easily corrected).

This is meant to encourage you. Read more…

This post is contrary to what a lot of “experts” say. I don’t buy the idea that we are all just one thing. A photographer, a musician, a social media enthusiast… Yes, I am ALL of those things. I believe most people have multiple passions, even if they don’t see themselves that way.

Common wisdom: Find your niche, stick to it.
My take on it: Define a few niches, and focus on them.

I AGREE with the common wisdom of finding a niche and focusing on IT. That concept helped me make a career in television as a young man. However, I have always been a person with several “irons in the fire”: video production, photography, music, writing, travel. That is who I am, and I ENJOY pursuing multiple avenues at once. I realized a long time ago that each of them had to be defined in themselves.
Read more…

For people who are primarily Facebook users, Twitter can be something of a mystery.
I have been using Twitter (and Facebook, Youtube, Linkedin, Google+) for a few years now, learning as I go, and sharing information about social media for freelancers on this blog.

Gathered here are ten posts about Twitter, it’s uses and advantages, using Storify. I hope you find these helpful.

I’ve included posts from three individuals whose blogs I have found to be insightful about Twitter, and social media in general. You should know them too:

Mark Schaefer:
Site: BusinessesGrow.com
Twitter: @markwschaefer

Ann Tran:
Site: Ann-Tran.com
Twitter: @AnnTran_

Jeff Bullas:
Site: JeffBullas.com
Twitter: @jeffbullas

READ: Why Twitter: 10 posts that help: Read more…

Social Media Strategy: Be Real

This is a guest post by my social media – music world friend Stan Stewart. Yes, we are friends, although we’ve never met in person – it’s the power of social networking, at work… More about Stan following this article. Thanks for tuning in – Trace

If you want to, you can read dozens of how-to posts about how you should run your social media campaigns. They are everywhere these days. And it’s a great idea to find out as much as you can about whatever social networks you’ve selected for your brand or personal use. But this post is about something much more simple for each of us: being the real you. Read more…