I think everyone would agree that if you're in business these days, you need to be on the social media. It's really the way that people communicate most often and the most quickly. It's sometimes difficult to figure out how the various algorithms work in terms of posting and re-posting articles, but I believe it's necessary to post valuable and interesting content in whatever field you happen to be. Not only does it let people know who and where you are, but it adds information to the ever-growing fund of knowledge on the internet.
With all the political content being shared these days, the social media have come under fire recently for spreading all kinds of false information. When it comes to content like this, the social media provides a great place for people to vent their feelings. But this kind of thing is generally not helpful to information seekers. So, even though it's been said before, posting interesting and relevant content has become even more important now. If you look to the social media as your only source of news about the world, you are making a grave mistake. It is good for people connections, but not a whole lot more. That's why if you're going to post an article, make sure it's something you know a lot about and it's a topic that you've studied. As a photographer with more than forty years’ experience in the business, I like to think that I've had some longevity in the field. I feel that I have earned the right to post information and my opinions about "all things photographic." When it comes to my life's work, I'm certainly not "venting."
Also, photography is one of those services that people will only buy when they need it. It's not like a product that's bought on "impulse" or something someone decides they have to have! Commercial photographs are purchased to serve a particular purpose, mostly in selling something or someone. But when someone needs a commercial photograph, they will be searching for a photographer who can best fill the need, whatever it may be. That's what the internet and the social media help photographers to do. They keep your name "out there" so that people can find you when they need you. And these days, they probably use one of the major search engines, Google being the most well-known of them.
Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, Tumblr, Flickr and Instagram all work somewhat differently but they provide the ability to link the same post to each other's feeds, so it's really easy to make sure that your post gets seen by the largest possible audience. This has been a plus for me as it has for other photographers as well.
Photographers' Use Of The Social Media-An Update
by William Lulow