We hear so much about how writers, or any business really, needs to make good use of social media. From Twitter to Facebook to Instagram and beyond, companies use social media to help get their brand in front of people, and, hopefully, draw more business.
I admit to being a novice at this game. I have a Facebook account that is open to about 150 people(and where I usually give out my updated blog posts), but the site doesn't get a lot of circulation. I also have a Twitter feed where I'm followed by six folks(at my last count). Admittedly, this is partially my fault b/c I rarely post on it(mostly because I'm a forgetful bastard) and don't really understand its uses very well.
Even though this is the way the world interacts these days(I guess), it still seems to me that it requires some sort of viral event to generate traffic. Going back to my post about being provocative on purpose, I'm sure I could get something viral by calling someone a name or taking a radically unpopular position on something, but that's not really my style. As event after event proves, it's far harder to gain positive attention than it is negative attention, and negative attention can do far more than just hurt business - it can destroy lives.
That may be where my skittishness regarding social media comes in. It seems way too easy to piss someone off and get engulfed by a media mob that will forget you five minutes after it has finished destroying your life than to gain good attention that gets people to fork over money. In order to prevent the mob from forming, it seems we have to be as vanilla as possible, and that rarely draws the traffic necessary to make a living.
What does all of this mean? Basically that I still know almost nothing about social media. It's basically another form of advertising, but as with all advertising, its effect is measured by its exposure(that's why Super Bowl ads cost a lot more than an ad during an old rerun of I Love Lucy). It doesn't help that I'm a Gen X'er who is caught in between the generations of nothing on social media to everything on social media. I'm sure I'll figure it out about the time I'm being fitted for a diaper in the nursing home.
I admit to being a novice at this game. I have a Facebook account that is open to about 150 people(and where I usually give out my updated blog posts), but the site doesn't get a lot of circulation. I also have a Twitter feed where I'm followed by six folks(at my last count). Admittedly, this is partially my fault b/c I rarely post on it(mostly because I'm a forgetful bastard) and don't really understand its uses very well.
Even though this is the way the world interacts these days(I guess), it still seems to me that it requires some sort of viral event to generate traffic. Going back to my post about being provocative on purpose, I'm sure I could get something viral by calling someone a name or taking a radically unpopular position on something, but that's not really my style. As event after event proves, it's far harder to gain positive attention than it is negative attention, and negative attention can do far more than just hurt business - it can destroy lives.
That may be where my skittishness regarding social media comes in. It seems way too easy to piss someone off and get engulfed by a media mob that will forget you five minutes after it has finished destroying your life than to gain good attention that gets people to fork over money. In order to prevent the mob from forming, it seems we have to be as vanilla as possible, and that rarely draws the traffic necessary to make a living.
What does all of this mean? Basically that I still know almost nothing about social media. It's basically another form of advertising, but as with all advertising, its effect is measured by its exposure(that's why Super Bowl ads cost a lot more than an ad during an old rerun of I Love Lucy). It doesn't help that I'm a Gen X'er who is caught in between the generations of nothing on social media to everything on social media. I'm sure I'll figure it out about the time I'm being fitted for a diaper in the nursing home.
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