In Episode 16, I welcome Elara Dunn to the podcast and talk about writing blog posts.

Writing Blog Posts:
How do you write blog posts that people want to read? Well, the first thing you need to do is have a hook to draw them in. A call to action. Tell them up front why they want to read the words following the headline. 

Questions can be a great way to draw people in, but numbers work too. 
​“Three Things You Need to Know Before You Go Camping!” 
“Nine Reasons to Own a Cat!”

What’s great about numbers in blogs is they give you a built-in structure. A revisit to the 5-paragraph formula we learned in high school:
Introduction - Three points (or however many you want) - Conclusion. 

Each one of your points can have a visual included in the blog. These visuals can then be shared on Social Media as organic or paid posts to direct people to your blog. Pinterest is a great place to share your blogs. People go to Pinterest to find answers or be inspired, and it can be a great platform to drive traffic to your blog. 

Elara Dunn
In this episode, I chat with Elara Dunn for the first time. The internet brings people together, and this is absolutely true within the writing community. 
Elara is the author of the YA Fantasy series, The Magic Locker. She lives in Marietta, Georgia with her husband and twin daughters. She is an accomplished fiber artist, specializing in weaving. Elara is one-half of the Banshee Energy Show Podcast.
While participating in GISHWHES, Dunn realized the magnitude of the long-term effects bullying had on herself and others, shaping her into a fierce ally for those who deal with emotional and physical abuse. The idea of writing a book series centered around bullied kids came to her in a fever dream.
Dunn has always been interested in how other people live and has studied different cultures and religions. Understanding and embracing both our differences and commonalities has been a driving force in her life. She is a passionate civil rights advocate and volunteers to assist others with disabilities.
Dunn enjoys board games, trivia, and cosplay in her spare time. She is an avid watcher of Jeopardy! and Wheel of Fortune. She hopes one day to own a red Plymouth Fury and order one of everything at the diner.

Episode 15 is all about paying it forward. First, I talk about paying it forward in social media, then Mike Faber and I talk about living a life of paying it forward.

Engage! Social Media Paying it Forward
 
To build a community or following, you need to engage. By engaging with influencers in your industry, top fan contributors, suppliers, and cities where you do business, you can support their growth while getting your name out there as well. Follow and subscribe, watch their videos (time spent watching matters), like their posts, share them on stories or your own feed, and save them as well.
 
If you want to support your favorite author, musician, podcaster (*cough*), or artist, make sure to watch their videos/reels all the way through, like/love their posts, comment, share, and don’t forget to subscribe. Especially to podcasts  The more you do these things, the more likely it is for someone else to see your favorite’s post because you have helped support their organic growth. It also means YOU are more likely to see your favorite’s posts organically because you have engaged with their content.

Mike of all Trades – Finding the Silver Lining
 
What hasn’t Mike Faber done? Journey with me as we trip through time learning about his life. From Woodstock at 2 years old to finding the silver lining with his wife, Judy, Mike’s love of life and history shines through.
 
Mike started podcasting in 2007 and is the creator of The ESO Network. He is the host of Earth Station One, Earth Station Who, the producer of Tales from Hollywoodland Podcast and creator of The Dragon Con Report Podcast. His love of podcasting and paying it forwarded is why he does podcasting seminars and mentors new podcasters on how to get started in the field.
 
His long running Earth Station One Podcast started in 2010 and ran to January 2024, releasing an episode every week. A variety show with discussions on pop culture, science fiction, fantasy, comics, movies, TV, and much more. One of my regrets is I never got to be in the “Geek Seat” on the show.
 
Mike is still podcast hosting on Earth Station Who, but is starting to move into the producer roll with the Tales from Hollywoodland Podcast. He also has a YouTube channel with his wife, Wandering with Mike & Judy, where they share videos of their trips, concerts, and having a fun life together.  ​

Before I discuss the episode, I want to thank Scott, Grooveis4Life, for composing my intro and outro music for the podcast. Scott streams on Twitch. Check out his Linktree, and if you need podcast music, contact him! He’ll be a guest on the podcast later this summer. <3

On this episode of Geek Meets Social, we talk about one of my favorite Instagram accounts, Lucas O’Keefe @thelucasokeefe. He consistently has great advice for growing your Instagram following, and I agree with one of his latest posts – “’Going Viral’ isn’t a social media strategy.” Check out his profile for more amazing tips. There are a few things that will help you grow your Instagram or any other social media -  Being intentional, consistent, and authentic. Gradual growth is what you are striving for, and if you happen to go viral – more power to you!

Cisca Small from Dragon Con’s Fantasy Literature Track dropped in to talk about conventions, favorite authors, and more. The Fantasy Literature track hosts several awesome events. On Thursday night, the Page to Stage costume contest started in 2021.  The Fantasy Gather, where authors and fans converge in a setting with round tables like the Scholastic Book Fair meets cocktail hour. There is something about Boiking Beasties – but I’ll let you find out about that for yourself.
 
Cisca and I rambled our way around over half a dozen cons, and I’ve listed them below, but I wanted to highlight ConToberFest with DeepSouthCon 62 in Helen, Georgia, October 11-13. A certain someone is doing the program, so you know it will be great. And Helen is a fun, kitschy town.
 
Here’s the List of Cons:
 
Liberty Con
Dragon Con
Multiverse
Conjuration
ConToberFest/DeepSouthCon
221B
 
We also talked about our love of books and reading. I tried a LitRPG book a while ago and just couldn’t get into it. Cisca suggested I give Jay Boyce a try and I’m going to pick up the first book in the Mystic Mage series on her recommendation.

More about Cisca:
Be it Geek, Nerd, or Dork Cisca Small will gladly claim it, after all she has 2 sciences degrees, is a 2nd generation geek, and has spent a lifetime in Fandom. After returning from adventures as an Army medic, she somehow ended up as the Director of Fantasy Literature at Dragon Con, podcaster, book reviewer, consultant, and Programing Director for ConTober/Deep South Con 62. With five years of podcasting behind her, no one knows exactly what she will be up to next, but it is sure to be entertaining and in Fandom.
 
You can find her on TikTok @ciscasmall, where, hopefully, she will start reviewing books soon! Check out her linktree for all her links!

I met Anthony on the Earth Station One Podcast –The Best Summer &#@% We Ever Ate episode. Later, he would meet my husband in a completely different setting – Freemasonry. Anthony joined my husband’s lodge, Atlanta-Peachtree Lodge #59, and they are now the best of brothers. Outside of being one of the most active Freemasons I know, Anthony is one of the hosts of the Watchers in the Fourth Dimension Podcast and a guest on the Modern Musicology Podcast. He has an MBA from Emory with a concentration in operations and strategy. Professionally, he is a Procurement Governance Risk Manager at a global professional services firm and has a banking background. And did we mention Anthony has a couple of degrees in history as well? 

Anthony and I meandered around geeky topics, from the British University System to his almost life-long obsession with Doctor Who to Dragon Con. And for those of you wondering about the popcorn container for the upcoming Deadpool movie, here is a link to the Variety article about it. I warned you—it is Deadpool, after all. 

I’ll leave you with Anthony’s words of advice for Dragon Con first-timers: “Dragon Con is a marathon, not a sprint.” I hope you enjoy our conversation.

Social Episode Tip:
In episode 13 we start out talking about the importance of reading and reviewing the terms of service for applications that you use to create and design. There’s been considerable discussion about the Adobe TOS lately, including whether they can use your created work to feed into developing Generative AI. Adobe maintains that you retain ownership of your work, but additional clarification on how they can use it to ‘improve services’ is still needed. An updated TOS for Adobe is slated for release by Tuesday, Jun 18th – so stay on the lookout. You can find out more in this Tech Report article.  
 
I’ve included a graphic developed by @XdanielArt that highlights potential replacements for Adobe products.

Gaming has been a part of my life since I was a wee lass. My parents taught me to play cards - Oklahoma Rummy - on vacation. As they grew older, we played knock-rummy in many Starbucks. My conversation with Andrew Greenberg made me nostalgic to play even more games. 

Andrew and I have been friends for a long time (let’s just be honest - I can’t remember when I met him). He’s the executive director of the Georgia Game Developers Association and has made his living as a game developer since 1990. He is the producer of the “Emperor of the Fading Suns Enhanced” strategy game that will be released on Steam, so make sure to put it on your wish list! Holistic Design Inc. is the multimedia company he helped form in the 1990s that created the Fading Suns property. 

Andrew is also the organizer of the Southern Interactive Entertainment and Games Expo (SIEGE) held at the Georgia World Congress Center this October. He started his gaming career at White Wolf and was the original developer of “Vampire: The Masquerade,” which I played in my 20s with an Atlanta-based LARP group. Andrew chairs the DeKalb Entertainment Commission and serves on the Georgia Film, Music, and Digital Entertainment Office board. Both organizations help bring entertainment industries to Georgia. 

It’s finally time. In a world and a time where I have been overwhelmed, and grief has filled many of our days, it is time to move forward - full-throttle. New episodes will drop on most Fridays and some Wednesdays, with our first guest episode dropping on Friday, June 7.

Dobby is our latest family addition. He’s been with us for over a year now, and he is still a bit of a hot mess, but he is our hot mess with a side of separation anxiety. We adopted him from The Atlanta Lab Rescue in January 2023. His second home is the Canine Ranch in Canton, GA. If you need a place to board or train your pup, I can’t recommend them enough. 

Here are links to all the things mentioned in the episode:

• Building Bold Connections - the podcast I host for Coles College
• The Digital Media Tracks’ link tree - you can find our live streams on Facebook, Twitch and YouTube. Join the fun on our Discord to get involved!
• New Heights Podcast - the Kelce Brothers say the f-word a lot, but they are funny, endearing, and just good guys. Travis is also Taylor’s boyfriend ;)
• And speaking of Taylor - check out the lyrics to the Prophecy and So High School. They are two of my favorite songs on the new album - The Tortured Poets Department. 
• Greg is my life/career coach and is wonderfully insightful. He has helped me get back behind the mic. Check out his website, Aspire to Thrive, and let him know I sent you. 

My talented friend, Scott wrote the intro/outro music. Catch him live streaming as GrooveIs4Life on Twitch and on the Twitter (I still refuse to call it X).

This episode was a long time in the making for good and sad reasons. Before Dragon Con on Labor Day weekend, I pushed to get out four new episodes of the relaunched The Geeky Side. The Geeky Side is now a talk show where I interview a guest or two on what they geek out about. I've included links below to the episodes - so you can get your geek on too. 

Dragon Con was amazing as always, and I learned new things about myself and what I am capable of doing. My last con for the year will be Multiverse in Atlanta GA, October 14-16. Check them out - and make sure to drop by a panel if you are at the con. 

On September 12th as we were almost recovered from Dragon, our sweet Shadow was suddenly ill. I looked into his eyes, and I saw how afraid and confused he was and I knew something was wrong. Our vet broke the news to us later that our poor boy, just like our Clover girl in 2020, was riddled with cancer. With multiple tumors and internal bleeding, we sadly helped him to gain his wings and cross the rainbow bridge. He would've been 11 in October. 

I didn't realize how much of a presence he was, until his barking at the leaf three doors down wasn't present in my life. I miss him more than words can say. Our sweet 16.5 year-old Bandit is adjusting to being an only puppy again. He keeps looking for his bigger little brother, but thankfully his tail is a wagging and he is still enjoying life. Our two sweet kitties help bring smiles to our faces with their antics. Gidget and Leia are true blessings. 

I had a logo designed right before Dragon Con, and it included my sweet fur babies. The artist, Emily Swan, was sweet to add a little halo around my Shadow's ear. He's always with me. 

This time on Geek Meets Social I didn't include a tip and tool for you. I hope the conversation about Shadow will warm your heart. It warmed mine. Thanks for listening. 

Links to The Geeky Side relaunch episodes:
Brian - my co-host from Leveling Azeroth
Tawdra Kandle - Author
Casey Sears - Metro-Atlanta real estate agent
Berta Platas - Author

Welcome to Geek Meets Social - I’m back! - Season 2, Episode 1, where Tyra gets her recording grove back. It’s been a hot minute since I’ve recorded, and to be honest, I’ve been a bit of a hot mess. But I’m finally back behind the mic, ready to share with you my digital geeky life. 
During the pandemic, I lost my sweet Clover-girl. She was with me for exactly 11 ½ years. She was my best fur friend and a big part of my world. We have adopted two kittens since she crossed the rainbow bridge, and I’m sure they will have stories to tell. 

The social media tip focus is all on TikTok. I avoided this channel for most of the pandemic, but I finally gave in and two of the reasons were Elyse Myers and Gregisms. These two accounts lightened my days, made me laugh, and gave me things to think about. So, check them and my other favorite - Sabrina Dore (vidalia318). Eyes and Gregisms are also on Facebook and Instagram if you aren’t into TikTok. 

My favorite Elyse Myers video - this song is so many of my almost relationships in my teens and twenties. Love the collab with her and Architect the Dreamer (@atdmusic) for this and can’t wait for the full version. 

This is the video where I first discovered Gregisms. Use your words and pronounciate - and find your joy. 

Lastly, this is the video of Sabrina’s that had my professor's heart laughing. 

What I love about TikTok are the content creators. I don’t see much content from brands - which is surprising, and I plan to dive more into brand usage next. I got a little obsessed with Elyse and Greg and had to watch all the content. 

If you are creating content for TikTok, two strategies seem to work for discoverability. If you are posting multiple times during the day - you are solid, but if you are posting a few times a week, consider trying to post on the same day and at the same time. The TikTok algorithm is not forgiving, so the consistency will help if you post content less frequently. One thing that seems to be true regardless of which strategy you follow is to hide your very low-performing videos. This takes away from your content - and may even leave gaps - but people have had success with this strategy that are not at the high levels of Elyse Myers or Gregisms. Let me know if you try any of these strategies and how it worked for you. Your mileage may vary - social media changes every day. 
​
Look for a Geek Meets Social page and group coming soon

Did everyone survive the holidays? I think we spent more time in the car than we did with people. So, let’s lighten the load and talk about gifting this week including after Thanksgiving shopping, geeky gifts, Heifers - and where you might be able to find a Baby Yoda. 

This week has been a hard one - and if it is possible to be behind in every aspect of your life, I am. This week I talked about family and friends, deep friendship, impostor syndrome, IGTV addition, a podcast suggestion, and why libraries are cool. 
​
From a Productive Flourishing newsletter - a reminder from Maya Angelou:
It is always about the work. In the latter years of your life, your happiness and your self-esteem will be determined by the mountains you surmounted, the valleys you climbed out of, and the life and/ or career that you forged for yourself. 
MAYA ANGELOU, Rainbow in the Cloud