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. 
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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. 
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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

​I’m getting my ducks in a row for the podcasts and reflecting on life in general. Here is the new format for Geek Meets Social (GMS) - each week I have a different focus. For each month the weeks will have a different focus. 

• Week 1: Pop Culture
• Week 2: Let’s Get Serious
• Week 3: Interview Time
• Week 4: Organization, Household, & Everyday Life
• Week 5: Free-for-all when they happen

This week we talk about Mercury Retrograde, Influencer ad disclosure, Wakelet, and Alexandra Stoddard.

This week we’ll chat about a Prodigal Son, my return to World of Warcraft, a new podcast, and a social media release. Plus we'll talk about writing Fantasy and the course I'm taking

This week we talk about the St. Louis Cardinals, Metallica’s S&M2 theatrical release, a Disney update, and my planner woes along with a podcast and app suggestions this week on episode 4. Also, guest and unexpected co-host Clover, my cat. Enjoy her caterwauling and purring as a how bonus!

It’s time for episode three and I just finished co-chairing the Moonlight & Magnolias Writers’ Conference with Sherrie Lea Morgan.  Post conference I have a fun contemporary romance, a historical podcast, two apps, and the stories of how Shadow and Clover came into my life. 

On November 2nd, I'll be talking about my Top Ten Tips And Tricks of Social Media at Northwest Georgia Writers Conference. Things actually kick off in Calhoun on Friday night with a dinner and two comedy routines. On Saturday, it is all about the writing. You can take a look at the schedule here. I'll be speaking at 2:30 and 3:30. I'm looking forward to attending a conference and not co-chairing one! I hope to see you in Calhoun, I'll be in the NaNoWriMo writer's room during down times. 

A weekly roundup of favorites in the world of a gamer girl social media geek. Get ready to discover books, podcasts, apps, social media tips, good news and more as we journey through the digital life.
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It’s been a crazy week and I just got back from an academic conference in Asheville and I’m co-chairing a conference this coming weekend. In this episode I talk about some Asheville favorites, Star Wars, Downtown Abbey, and living with a deadly food allergy.