For the past several years, using the digital sobriquet "Captain Jason Church," he's been delivering insight, imagery and videos of the lakes on social media. His Twitter and Instagram timelines offer a vantage point of shipping life once mostly foreign to the public.

"I hope to promote my industry by showing others a view rarely seen," Church said in a interview with the Duluth News Tribune via Twitter. "Most of my followers are industry professionals, however some are Midwest farmers who want to see where their product goes."

Church was an early adopter among mariners of social media, beginning roughly 10 years ago.

On Nov. 13, Church posted "#GoodFood makes a happy ship" — accompanied by an array of photos featuring a steaming Polish soup, garnished pears and an egg cooked delectably sunny side up. He posted a timelapse video last season from the deck of a ship as it exited the Soo Locks and appeared to race under the Sault Ste. Marie International Bridge and out into the wide blue open of Lake Superior.

"I chose to post shipping info (because) it's what I do," Church said.

He's not alone. For an industry that has fostered online vessel trackers, and long been adored by shoreline enthusiasts known as Boat Nerds, social media has created another, more connected way in which to observe the goings-on aboard the steel hulks knifing through inland seas.

"Used the right way, it brings our industry to life," said Mark Barker, president of Interlake Steamship Co., based outside Cleveland. "It's not just a big metal ship floating through water. You're part of it."

Interlake Steamship and the Canadian giant Algoma Central Corp. are two of the industry leaders when it comes to use of social media. Their feeds are flush with onboard activity and midlake musings.

"It's growing more every day," said Algoma Central spokesperson Hannah Bowlby. "We're kind of a hidden gem of an industry that's extremely important to our economy. People like hearing from us."

The move to social media has been a contrast for an industry which is romanticized by Hollywood and shoreline photographers, but can be difficult to navigate otherwise — what with corporate hierarchies and their mostly on-brand messaging.

Because Interlake Steamship remains a private company, Barker said it's been easier for it to wade into the social media waters — a conscientious move the company made roughly four years ago. Now, it has 28,000 followers on Facebook, more than 2,200 on Instagram and about 1,000 on Twitter. Not to mention a YouTube channel and presence on LinkedIn.

The Interlake Steamship strategy is to post daily — everything from images of its boats, behind-the-scenes content about crew and work aboard the vessels, food pictures from the galley and even sharing information about critical industry issues, such as the need for a second Poe-sized lock at the Soo Locks.

"We move a lot of goods efficiently, in an environmentally friendly, low-impact way and we do it fairly quietly (as an industry)," Barker said. "We have a huge impact to the economy of the region and to the nation and it's important when people see a ship go by they put faces and jobs and people's lives with those ships."

Spokesperson Jayson Hron is new to his job and has been tasked with giving the Duluth Seaway Port Authority a social media presence to go with its traditional North Star Port magazine. He's not there yet, but he understands the importance of building a digital presence for the Port Authority — the go-to voice locally for shipping matters.

To read more of this story and see related reporting, follow this link to the Lake County News Chronicle.  https://www.lcnewschronicle.com/business/transportation/4578621-shippings-newest-frontier-social-med...