Prior to July 2024, my limited social media experience was comprised of Facebook (which I had almost abandoned completely!), Instagram (which I loved because of the aesthetically appealing look of it!), a brief stint on Twitter (now X, during my obsessive conspiracy researching days!), and watching YouTube!

But when I purchased a digital marketing program that included the Master Resale Rights, and then when I repeatedly heard that it was going to be the 'easiest thing in the world to sell on TikTok' because the program is 'proven, foolproof' and the only way that I wouldn't succeed was if I didn't let go of my 'stinkin' thinkin'' or heaven forbid, I quit, I entered this brand-new-to-me world of TikTok.

My youngest daughter was the only one that expressed any hesitancy, and I think that was mostly because she thought I was too naive to understand there really ARE very dark places on the internet. I would argue that I always KNEW they were there, I just have no desire to go looking for them.

Fast forward exactly six months to today, and I have at times been disillusioned, frustrated, downright pissed, and ready to quit on too many occasions to count.

But I have also found the most gracious, kind, funny, supportive, and loving people to walk the face of God's green Earth and I am blessed for having crossed paths with each of them. Without TikTok, we would have never met.

What will follow over the coming weeks is an expose' of sorts. I'm not trying to bring down any platforms and I'm most likely not sharing anything with you that you haven't or couldn't learn from another source...no, this has been MY experience on a social media platform, that I would argue is NOT a social media platform. More on that in the weeks to come.

I will be, as always, truthful, transparent, and unflinching. And if TikTok is your end-all-to-be-all, then this isn't the series for you. Try some of my cooking videos instead.

But if you want to understand the hype, the hullabaloo, and the way that people are making hundreds of thousands of dollars on this platform (yes, you read that right!), then subscribe to my occasional newsletter for this blog and also over on YouTube.

You can even join me over on TikTok, but I'd encourage you to scroll back a few months to see some of my best work.

This will be a blend of blog posts and YouTube videos, with maybe a few TikTok links thrown in for further explanation, but mostly, my heart's desire is not to get you to subscribe, follow, like, or comment [Although I confess, I would absolutely love for you to do ALL of those!].

What I ACTUALLY deeply want is for people to go into the world according to TikTok with their eyes wide open and their wallets locked shut! It's an entirely different world that doesn't play fairly or consistently. If you still choose to pursue a career or to futher increase your exposure on TikTok, then I say, "Blessings on you and your household!"

And at least you will have all the facts necessary to not feel like you're going insane because the "rules" are constantly changing and not fairly practiced.

To start, I encourage you to watch the video below, which is the first of a multi-part series on TikTok that I will be doing for at least the next several weeks over on YouTube.

Let me know what you think after you've watched it. You can comment here, on YouTube, or go to the Contact Us page and send me an e-mail if you have an experience you'd like to share privately.

Hope to hear your thoughts soon!