In addition to my journalism, I’ve haunted the online world of social media for many years. I’ve watched that world reinvent itself many times over. Platforms have launched with glittery bursts of enthusiasm, only to fizzle out years later–or to be steered in worrisome directions.
Here is a current list of my social media accounts, either living or dormant, roughly ranked by my level of engagement.
Email newsletter: I now use Buttondown to publish “Friday’s Elk,” my free newsletter. I try to write a new issue twice a month.
Bluesky: Currently, this is my favorite platform, if only because it provides a simple chronological feed.
Comments on my New York Times stories: The New York Times has built a great team of managers who nurture a healthy conversation in the comment sections of articles. Whenever comments are opened for my stories, I jump in and try to provide as many useful replies as I can. (You can see my replies by selecting the “NYT Replies” tab at the top of the comments column next to my articles.)
Mastodon: I appreciate the decentralized architecture, but find it a quiet place.
LinkedIn: I post links to new writing, upcoming talks, etc.
Facebook author page: Mostly information on my books.
Threads: The inscrutable algorithm has cooled my curiosity about this platform. I post updates about my writing.
Twitter/X: I no longer post there. Having tweeted since 2008, I decided in 2024 to archive old posts over on Bluesky.