i think i finally get facebook, and other things learned
Today I finally realized how big Facebook really is. Here's how it happened:
I made a video and posted a blog here stating I created brand new AIM, MSN and Yahoo accounts so people could contact me more easily. In the video specifically I asked if anyone would want a Facebook fan page. The comments I received all said yes, but I didn't create one.
A few days pass and no activity on AIM/MSN/Yahoo. Total bust. I said "Well, I've got nothing to lose here.. might as well make a Facebook fan page", so I did. After that I made a quick video pointing my YouTube subs to it.
I got 5 contacts in less than 10 minutes, and the number is trickling up slowly. In addition, there's actual talk on the page.
This blew me away, and spoke volumes. I know that 5 contacts is nothing to brag about, but the point is that it happened in less than 10 minutes. I make a page, post a vid and blammo, contacts appear. The only other site where you can do that is one I already use, YouTube.
The volumes spoken to go as follows:
What matters currently are only four things (in no particular order): Blogs, Facebook, YouTube and email. That's it.
Concerning the blog, Facebook makes for a crappy one and you have to take what you're given, meaning it's difficult to customize. If a Facebook app doesn't exist for the whatever-it-is you want to do, you can't do it. Google doesn't exactly 'favor' Facebook content either if you catch my meaning. It's also stupid to house your blog on a social network because you're under way too many limitations. There is no way I'd ever use Facebook to house my blog. Not a chance. In fact, Facebook is so bad at blogging that many still keep active MySpace blogs because it simply works better. Heck, I'd tell you to use LiveJournal before using Facebook as a blog platform.
Concerning Facebook, it's the #1 social network. You want contacts? You must Facebook. The exception to the rule is when it deals with business'ey stuff. Business folk tend to stick to Twitter and their own blogs like glue - which is proper because they're better off for it.
Concerning YouTube, it's the #1 video sharing site for general audiences. I've tried pretty much every other video site out there and they all suck compared to YouTube.
As for email, it's very old-school (and in fact predates the web itself) but it's absolutely necessary for signups and pretty much everything you don't do social-wise. It's also the preferred communications medium for business contacts.
What about my new accounts?
Even though I just signed up for new AIM/MSN/Yahoo accounts, I'm dropping the MSN and Yahoo IM stuff. AIM I'll keep going because I like the client, the easy Twitter posting and the fact linked accounts are easy to use and manage.
Dead weight?
The instant satisfaction I got from Facebook concerning the fan page made me realize how unused AIM, MSN and Yahoo truly are these days. They are for all intents and purposes dead weight.
Recently I read that Facebook is the new AIM. I had to think about that one when I read it, but it is correct. Back in the 90s and early 2000s, everybody was on AIM. It even went so far as to people playing RPGs on it. I'm not kidding; it was called Rhy'Din.
Facebook's popularity now is more or less the same AIM's was back in the day in that mass-awareness sort of way.
Popular everywhere but here
I'm very well aware that right now rock is dead in the USA. Don't believe me? Read this. Rock, as in real rock, is simply not charting. Dead form? Hardly. Kids play Guitar Hero and not Wussy-Good-Morning-America-Crap Hero. The music industry has currently fooled everybody into believing that rock is uncool, and that's fine. Rock is typically the type of music that kicks in the door of the established status quo by barging in, having sex with your daughter, taking a leak on your rug, waltzing out, then riding away on a Harley. That is rock's purpose. It is not pretty. It is not cool. Rock is rock. Whenever things get too happy-hippie and fake, rock is there to rip the plastic crap you've been listening to right out of your ears.
A good chunk of my fan following concerning my musical endeavors mainly comes from outside US borders. European countries, specifically. Rock is alive and well in other parts of the world because those folks are not subject to the fantastic plastic machine that is the American music industry. What they pay attention to are American musicians such as myself and others like me (regardless of music style) that can make guitars do things that are, shall we say, uncivilized. It is the incivility of the sound that's the most attractive, provided it's on key. 🙂
I'm glad there are those that like my my rude blues sound. And oh yeah, it's rude as hell. 😉
