Screenwriting : How much social networking do you do and is it cutting into your writing time? by Phillip E. Hardy, "The Pro From Dover"

Well, occasionally I do. Gotta go back to my script now.

I'm not using them as a means to procrastinate even if I am unwittingly. And I am aware when I am being unwitting. I just have a VERY SHORT attention span and need to constantly refresh my brain when I'm thinking too hard about something. My brain is hard work to keep it going. And yes I am working on a treatment right now. I have made small progress. I will go back to it in a minute.

Cherie: just do it tomorrow.

I probably don't post enough to move my writing business forward. Social media is the now and future. We all need to recognize that.

LOL Phillip. It's done. Somewhat.

Hi Phillip, thanks for the straightforward post. I've experienced the good, the bad and the ugly regarding social networking. Without a doubt it can eat into your writing time. I remember a screenwriting friend, Sean Hood, telling me he's got this 'kill switch' type thing for his computer to switch off the internet and keep him focussed. I don't think I can be that disciplined - what if I wanted the net to quickly look up something? Oh! There it is, I've looked up what I was after and I've just noticed I have a couple of notifications on Twitter and bam! I've replied to them and then bam! I'm now in an online conversation or I've clicked in a link that has led me elsewhere or someone I admire has posted an article or a video and bam! Bam! Bam! I've written something similar, but with writing, I feel you have to be like a samurai. Someone extremely dedicated and utterly focussed. We can all be distracted by the many social networking digital platforms out there and that is exactly what they are created for. It's exactly what I am doing right at this moment and what you are doing right now (or later on), reading this, actively taking part in social media. Whatever it is - the hopefully good from platforms like Stage 32 (woo hoo!) to the 'where did that hour go? Oh, that video montage of failing dogs on Facebook' - we're taking in information. I strongly believe using an online social network of any kind can become addictive. I teach, too, here in London and students are digitally glued to their handsets and if they're out of data and can't get onto Facebook or Instagram or Snapchat, they go crazy! Some parents use it as a punishment - "I'm grounded for two weeks and I can't go on Facebook!" I couldn't think think of anything more luxurious! The internet has become a monster with regard to all these social platforms and the youth have been socially conditioned to believe this is the norm. They know of no time before smartphones or the internet or social media, especially. The majority of us, on here, I believe, do recall a time before all the gizmos and gadgets and we either become a sucker for them and worship the false idols of those who post selfies in a bathroom mirror or Tweet a trolling hateful put-down or we use it for positive, decent creativity and to gain information to feed our brains and not numb them. I use social media, Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, however I use them predominantly as marketing tool, promoting my projects, be it a film or a novel or festival or to boost friends' projects or whatnot. OR - I will treat it as my break-time. I'll write for 'x' amount of time. Move myself from where I was writing and position myself somewhere else to look at something else for 'x' amount of time, but it will be brief. Then I'll go back to wherever I was and continue. I will use that time, like 'playtime' at school or a 'tea-break' at the day job. You have to be disciplined. Be that samurai. My two-cents / pence.. Ben twitter.com/BenTrebilcook This is Day 7 of the 'RB Content Challenge'. I've posted mostly in Screenwriting, but also in Transmedia.

I try to make time to post a few things, I even use the scheduler on my FB page, but I know I should do more. I don't want to fall into the trap of going through too many posts by others, because the next thing I know 2 hours have gone by.

I use buffer to automate posts a week at a time, saving up things interesting to me (and hopefully others) in a folder and filling the queue in one go for fb, LinkedIn, Google, Twitter etc. In terms of reading social media I try concentrate of work content during the day and save entertainment and personal for later. Pocket and fb save for later REALLY help with that

I don't post enough on twitter or Facebook. Used to post all the time. Major procrastinator. Now i'm just a low key procrastinator

When I take a break from my script, I browse S32 to see what's going on in the community. See ya!

This whole concept of networking is alien to me ;-)

Just because you're using social media doesn't mean you're networking.