If you don’t know Carl Black IRL (in real life), then you may follow him on many of the social networks available — Facebook, Twitter, Instagram.

Once the King of Yelp (yes, really), Black, who is gay, always has a cheerful tweet or photo to share with his virtual network as well as an eternal smile he likes to share with close friends and people he meets at various social and volunteering functions.

And if you want to see the places, food and sunsets he loves to share, check him out at http://about.me/cblack.

How many social media outlets are you a part of and why do you enjoy this form of networking, sharing and communicating so much? What was your first social media outlet and how has this medium changed for you over the years?

In terms of number of outlets: Dozens, possibly hundreds, as some of the communities are fairly specialized now. Social media has always seemed more efficient to me than many of the more traditional forms of communication. I like having access to the most current information and the ability to easily connect with others.

I believe my first modern “social networking” (as it was called then, as if networking had been antisocial prior to this era) experience was with the original Friendster (RIP) in perhaps 2004.

I held out there a long time, thinking it was the adult version of MySpace, where I didn’t really venture until a neighbor (who happened to be a grandmother) convinced me that I really wasn’t too old for it. That was in late 2006.

By the middle of the next year, I actually had business cards with my MySpace URL. That seems hilarious now. In retrospect, though, I was involved with electronic Bulletin Board Systems (BBSs) back in the ‘80s. I even had my own board (The Blackboard) when I was in middle school in Mississippi, which meant people from around the country could be dialing into my old Apple desktop computer.

Do you have a day job? What do you do as a full-time gig?

I’m a petsitter/dog walker and do freelance writing and social media/computer consulting. I also do background (extra) work in various film and TV productions.

You may have even seen me in the trailer for “The Blind Side” as a Child & Family Protective Services slacker (er, worker) or as an attorney in “Drop Dead Diva.”

What’s the best social network app?

I rarely quantify anything as “best.” It’s a hard call, and it really depends upon one’s individual interests and needs. I’m still pretty hooked on the Instagram community. Synchronicity really abounds there, and people are always likely to post cool, happy stuff.

Top photo: Carl Black (Courtesy photo)