I’m currently navigating how to walk the tightrope of spending the least amount of time possible on social networking sites, having a life, and still get noticed…
So is everyone else! It’s been a bit over a year since I announced I would try and add to my blog once a week. I did pretty good with that for quite some time. No big deal right? Type out a blurb once a week, and if you’re on my Newsletter list, my website automatically sends it to you on Tuesdays.
I thank you for being here! For a guy that doesn’t type or write well (at least I don’t think so) this has been a monumental accomplishment! I’ve learned so much! Because I have tried to be “different” than everyone else out there, and not sell you something every time a newsletter goes out, so my open rates are very high compared to industry standards.
Currently I’m seeing a lot of social networking content creators back off a bit because they have no life. Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and all other social networking sites “require” you to really spend your life on their platforms!
Their algorithms reward those with tons of traffic. Tons of traffic requires multiple posts a day with tons of people following and interacting with those posts. If you don’t produce that, and have that, you get shadow banned.
If you are on FaceBook and you have noticed far less “likes” or interaction on your posts, and far more adds, this is the culprit. Zuckyboy has built an empire of people sharing lots of personal information, which gives advertiser’s something they have dreamed about for eons! Targeted marketing for cheap!
The Yellow Pages
Yes, back in the day, one way to advertise your business was the yellow pages. I used clever “double bold” ads in those days that stated “Full Page Ads Cost Money! Who Pays?” Those “ads” in the Yellow Pages, along with word of mouth marketing were very successful for me.
Enter the world of the Internet and now the Yellow Pages (if you can find a copy) are great door stops. All of a sudden we had Google! Somehow we had to market our operations locally on a global scale. Really? What does someone in Europe want with me? How do we target our ads locally?
How are we to get noticed? Google, Facebook, Instagram and all social networking sites are now simply huge online yellow pages. The key difference? These huge entities now have monster databases of client information, and these entities also control with algorithms who actually “see’s” what you might have to offer.
Shadow Banning
Enter the term Shadow Ban. This is the practice of using those mathematical algorithms for deceptive account suppression. This means you can still access your online data… but the powers that be decide who see’s that data.
Do not even get me into a discussion about how this can be used politically, or in the practice of propaganda. I do not wish to go there with this post.
However! There is a famous quote out there that is not really attributed to any one author.
“We sometimes think we wish to disappear, when all we really want is to be found”
I will not deny that this is a very deep quote. My interpretation of this quote for me is simple…we all wish to be recognized and loved just the way we are. That’s not really that simple is it?
In my personal case Photographically, I dearly love embedding my soul into my work. For my landscape Photography I love to get lost in the environment, and become one with my surroundings. All of my personal favorite Photographs contain this feeling. But did you see it? Did you feel that?
For my Portrait Photography? I wish to Photograph subjects that will allow me this as well. I wish to reveal their soul in my Photograph. Unfortunately? Very few people will open up to this so it’s one reason I moved away from people Photography in the past few years.
So shadow banning… someone else has control of whom sees my content. If I do not produce the numbers sufficient to feed the algorithm? No one even sees my stuff in an environment that is supposed to be free to the public!
Sensationalism
Defined this means the practice of using exciting or shocking stories or language, at the expense of accuracy, in order to provoke public interest or excitement.
This my friends feeds the algorithms. Time spent in the medium also feeds the algorithms!
Currently I’m seeing a LOT of YouTubers and well known entities on all Social Media Networks state that they can no longer keep up. After all… spending your life in front of a computer is not really a life is it?
So to get more interaction with their posts a lot of people have resorted to sensationalism. Known back in the day as a publicity stunt. Is this how I would like to represent myself? Is this how we should recognize people with our attentions?
Back when I was raising my son’s, I combated their temper tantrums to get my attention, by removing my attention. I sent them to their room stating that when they could remain civil I’d be happy to entertain their presence again. This worked rapidly every time! I mean who wants to throw a tantrum for attention that nobody sees?
Fast forward to present day… how do we tell the entire universe to go to their room?!?
Seriously – What’s The Solution?
This is the time of year that I pause and reflect on the year that I’ve had. If you are on my mailing list, you will read this just after I’ve completed my seventy second trip around the sun. As a Photographer, operations around this time of year slow down a bit. Unless of course you have a booth set up somewhere to Photograph kids with Santa.
This is the time of year I’m also doing website maintenance. Cleaning up old files and such and also preparing my plans for the coming years PhotoSafari’s. I also go through my year of Photographs. Did I do what I liked with my images? Did I capture something really awesome?
Goal setting comes into play here as well. I have less life in front of me now, than I do behind me. Did I spend my time wisely? What do I wish to do with my time moving forward? How did I do with my goals from this past year?
I have a decent sized mailing list. I have spent a lot of time writing this year. How did I do with that? Has my mailing list increased or declined?
I have never been that popular “guy”… remember him? That guy or gal in High School that was so popular everybody surrounded them with attention? I’m not trying to be that guy now… nor have I ever!
Yet have I been “found?” Am I recognized and loved for who I am and what I have to offer? Did I realize my goal from last year, of spending less time in front of a computer, and more time immersed in the outdoors? (yes and no on this one)
Moving Forward Into 2025…
First for the people that really give me joy and purpose… My Campfire Group. I’m hoping to expand that effort more and I’ll be concentrating a lot of my time in that realm. I’ll be reducing the cost to be part of this special group as well.
In a nutshell? I’d like my Campfire Group to morph into an online Photography Club with something seldom seen In local Photography groups…more education and zero politics or clicks. You can look for a full announcement of this towards dues time of February 1, 2025.
In the near future. I’ll be doing a series of free Classes at B&C Camera in Las Vegas in the first quarter of 2025. Look for those announcement’s on my Facebook, here, and B&C’s website. Also in the first quarter of 2025 I’m opening another Gallery.
My Blog… yes I’ll still be sending that out, but maybe on a different schedule. I am not a typist, and I do not wish to adopt the strategy others have taken with using Chat GBT or some other AI platform.
PhotoSafaris… a lot of time and effort will be placed here as well! I am scheduling all of this now. My Campfire Group and my PhotoSafaris will be my key focus! Starting In January I’ll be hosting what I hope to be at least one PhotoSafari per month for the entire year, sometimes two.
The January PhotoSafari will be to Photograph the King Tides in California. Think Big Waves and many tide pools. Mark your calendars For January 10-13.
And Finally? My Favorite Image Of 2024
This was the most spectacular sunset I’ve ever witnessed… it was totally awesome to be there!
Thanks For Being Here! Merry Christmas!
Oh By the way… I’ve been asked about the latest software from Topaz Labs. Click the link below if you would like to read about my experience.
