Why I'm NOT Spring-Cleaning My Social Networks...

January is the time when many of us have a spring clean but when you work in the realms of creativity, sales, media (and possibly in other realms as well), I feel that it makes sense to surround yourself with the greatest desired audience that you can. I believe that it was a similar ideology that founded the marketing virus known as social networking. As this is the era of the Electronic Revolution, it would be safe to make certain assumptions about how we now found ourselves in a more electronically apt world - connected not socially as the name suggests but anti-socially. I look around at other similar situations where the anti-social is perceived as social and I find it mainly in advertising, particularly radio advertising and shopping channels. 

Remember this?

The scripts for the radio shows and the way that the deejays come across make the audience (who are often captive) feel directly connected. Far from being schizophrenic (although if you take things too personally it's worth a check-up), this method of communication is just another order of things that is generally accepted into our modern lives. It's my opinion that some of the easier to manipulate people out there could almost become hypnotised on a subconscious level increasing fallacies that may make them spend money... advertising. Rather than showing the science that proves such an opinion as fact, I think it is more logical to realise that 'if advertising didn't work then no one would spend any money on it': furthermore if you are effected, it's nothing to be ashamed of - it's an art that has been developed for years. If the deejays or the stories offered no personality, they would lack in content and less people would believe such things as their one off opportunity to win that competition on the radio where they are intelligent enough to know that the capital of France is B) Paris, well done - calls cost £1.50 plus your usual network charge - not so well done.

Stupid Game-show answers

Social networking makes people believe that they are being social, I'm guilty of it all of the time. There are undoubtedly friends out there which are difficult to get in touch with in any other way than through social media but realistically this is only a handful of people. The social disease that is Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Picassa, the list goes on... causes many to become deluded that they are in fact benefiting themselves and society by being a part of the revolution. We are evolving to deal with this and we can put up with the adverts at the side of our pages and we also cope well with our full loss of privacy and personal dignity to the Zuckerberg's out there.

Top Ten Social Networks 2013

Truth is that if you want to do gaming online then you should. It is often more affordable and nearly as educational as real life. If you play poker and you suffer from agoraphobia (possibly a side effect of the Electronic Revolution) or if you are physically anchored to a computer (possibly a repetitive strain injury caused by too much Tetris or Bangbabes.com?) then Zynga, 888, PartyPoker etc may be your answer BUT if you can go out and meet people with a shared interest then you cannot deny that it would be far more 'social' to actually do so. Whilst I'm mentioning online poker, I don't personally advise PKR; this is because statistically on all of the poker networks that I have engaged with, there are anomalies in the results that I achieve on PKR; it could be a number of personal factors nothing to do with the platform but quantitative analysis suggests otherwise. I went off on tangent, back to why I won't spring clean my social networks... It is far more difficult to hide to anyone that wants to find you these days; that manager from the prospective job probably won't take long in finding that photo of you and a prince playing billiards or last Saturday night out with Charlie Sheen etc. For example. it is claimed that greater than a significant number of those in security services are found and vetted from online activity (*) and with Snowden's recent claims that we are even being watched whilst offline then it could be very possible. 

Snowden Debate claiming NSA interference offline.

As we now find ourselves placed in a world where it's becoming ever so more difficult to hide yourself, the question isn't about privacy, more so promotion. If you weren't Charlie Sheening it last weekend, then you are more likely to be trusted in a business network. If you were Charlie Sheening last weekend, then you need to make sure that your online security isn't going to get you a bad rep.

Charlie's Social Networking

I still try and use Facebook socially so I can keep in touch with Mr Sheen and the Prince - my true friends are unlikely to judge. However by having a business I need to use my website and other networks in order to promote and find a platform for my work. It isn't an issue of security for me but one of niche marketing; by the way I have never done, or do I intend on doing, a 'seven gram rock'. I want my closest friends to know what I'm up to so that my not electronic social-life doesn't deteriorate. It seems to me that socially it is most about having a trusted audience and that is the thing that you need to keep an eye on. Certain things can be broadcast to everyone but that dodgy but friendly character you met at the pub three years ago, you possibly wouldn't want to know when you're not at home: If he's anything like Charlie, you're place could get used as a ghetto. Instead of spring-cleaning my social networks, what I advise is that you start organising people into groups. They could be groups of trust (people that you see all the time could be in one group, those that you haven't seen for a couple of years, another etc). They could be groups of occupation; this is what I personally go with... For example, travellers, musicians, artists, pilots, are some of the groups that I have. The artists possibly aren't going to be interested in my pilot's training exercise and vice-versa. I should have a job in social-networking for this but it's so incredibly simple that I don't understand why everyone doesn't yet do it and besides, it's only a fraction of the skillset desired. I don't believe that people want a hard sell anymore and social-networking allows people to come to their own conclusions of your work whilst in their comfort zone. Customer service is something we hear of much more these days and far less we hear of sales. Bearing this in mind, you should always try to be yourself and show off your strengths. By not broadcasting certain things to some people, it should not be seen that you are hiding information from them, but rather that you are respecting the relationship that you have. There is so much information that goes up the newsfeed that it turns into the Weather Channel if it is snowing and it a funeral service when someone dies. This is lack of consideration to your audience and shows ineffective social networking. What is better is that people that are not in your local area are informed of the -60ºC, as to them it could be seen as interesting NEWS, but to others it's just because they assume you are either blind, have no sense of temperature or just couldn't be bothered to look out of the window. I will mention now that I try and avoid such situations and hope that if you have been drawn to this blog that you are still reading it because you want to and that I'm not stopping you from getting such an all important weather update.

• The weather outside of your window may be found here

Rather than spring-cleaning your friends list and destroying friendships based on assumptions that you have made about the reasons that people haven't got in touch with you, then all you need to do is reorganise your security by using groups. YOU COULD EVEN MESSAGE THEM - after all that's why you spend so much time on the social-network in the first place or was that a lie? Uncle Bob possibly hasn't been in touch with you for a year or two because something really important came up or he's not been near a computer, not because he's ignorant; also if you have the perception that everybody has an opinion directly relating to you then you really should seek professional help. Your Facebook page, your MySpace, your gamer tag, they are not at the centre of anyone else's universe. What you need to do is use your tools effectively to maintain contact and hold those friendships, and in the world of business; your 'business-networks'. People do change and if you don't know anything about your audience and pay no interest in the things that they are talking about, it's also bad for business. There can be revolutions in other parts of society that you don't generally consider, there might also be something that a friend you haven't considered for years may be able to introduce you to, it could even become your new hobby or thing. If you delete them, you'll never know: much wiser to reduce the stories you see from their newsfeed if they just aren't interesting you anymore. At least that way you won't hurt their feelings or have to come up with some junk excuse when they wonder where you vanished to.

Facebook Reality

I've neglected social networks considerably throughout 2013. It was a slight experiment on my part to try and find out how valuable they really are. The results are now in, and as much as I hate to admit it, a large portion of my working life is going to have to stay on top of it and I'm going to have to keep using them. Business reduced on a similar par to my status updates but whenever I used the networks to update things, work would often head my way. I've been spending much of the time in other areas of 'advertising' and yet to be able to evaluate the incomes generated from that alternative advertising. Truth is, social networking and online gaming, doesn't cost in travel expenses and it certainly does seem an efficient way to stay LinkedIn. Passive audiences can still help you to increase promotion even if they don't engage; I suppose this just confirms how stupid it is to 'burn your bridges'. I really would appreciate that you follow this blog to help me with my cause, whatever that is or whenever it may become apparent. Please share it on the walls of those that are going to ignorantly delete people in their spring cleans this year and try and keep connected with your friends. Don't always assume it's their lack of consideration for why you haven't met up. If people are however counterintuitive or offensive towards your goals and achievements, then you can possibly do without them but it's a good idea to get in touch first (if they are friends), just ask why. This Electronic Revolution can be used for so much good, and to help so many people. We all have a louder voice now then ever before because of it but if you scream the wrong things to your audience then they will probably still switch off.

Spalding, Lincolnshire, Photograph from old Town Bridge (near White Horse) 1999

I conclude that understanding your audience in social-media is similar to understanding marketing and effectively pointing people in the right direction. Sometimes subject matter may be completely obtuse or appear random (ie. above) but as long as the metadata (and clicks) achieve an audience, there will be someone out there that will see the bigger picture and hopefully become a client. If you are going to spring-clean your contacts, rather than deleting any competition, you could always direct them away from hindrance or use what they broadcast to find your very own gap in the market. People may only want to follow certain interests or share amongst certain networks so it is important to evaluate the effectiveness of as many networks as possible - for profitability you want people to engage to the end and if you can't do that then you'll turn people off and lose sales. For those of you already following my blog and other social networks (links), then please leave via a Google Ad (again - revenue). I hope I kept your interest with the video breaks - I know that this has been longer than usual blog but as I left it a long while since my last one (home computer problems) I thought I should catch up (the holiday from social-networking was pleasant). If you like my taste in videos, I have set up my YouTube accounts by groups as well; I have one for me as a viewer (rapideyeproductions) and the other as a producer (knightvisionsmedia). The first is more social and the second is more business. Thank you very much for reading and please leave comments or possible discussions for further blogs. Contact details and other social networks may be found by clicking on the links on my Personal Webpage as can links to other photography, old and new. 

Please feel free to connect and share any networks you are interested in. Also feedback is always appreciated such as comments or tweets @AKnightsTales.