Tag Archives: social media

Walk away from my computer

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I wondered how other bloggers did it.

I wondered how bloggers always manage to respond to comments so quickly. I wondered how they are able to be so active in conversations on Twitter and Facebook so regularly. I wondered how they are able to be so immediately accessible on so many different platforms. I wondered these things… because I am not nearly as quick to respond (if ever), or active in dialogue, or immediately accessible. I’m just not. And I was starting to feel like a blogging bad guy. A wannabe. A loser.

 

I had an epiphany just now.

Walk away from my computer

Lost Computer in Snow Canvas Print
 

The epiphany I had was this: I walk away from my computer. I only sit at my computer during the day while my daughter is at school, and sometimes on weekends, or in evenings after she is in bed. But I only have my daughter with me four days out of seven, since she spends the other three days with her father. So when she is around, I try really hard not to get lost in computer-la-la-land.

 

When I walk away from my computer, that’s *IT*.

There are no annoying alerts to announce a comment is waiting for my approval. I have auto approve so the conversation is open at all times without my presence being required. My spam filter pretty much catches any comments that are… well… spam. And I’m not going to stop what I’m doing with my daughter (cooking, coloring, watching a show about mermaids, playing with stuffed animals, wrestling, or chasing the cat) to respond to a comment. I’m just not. My computer / desk job thing works around me, and not vice versa.

 

I don’t do alerts.

Alerts feel bossy and intrusive. When they “bing” at me, it’s like they are trying to make me do something I don’t want to do. If I walk away from my computer, there’s a reason for it. I don’t want someone — someTHING — ordering me about, forcing me to talk on Twitter or comment on Facebook. If I walk away from my computer, I don’t want to talk to people online. I’m not at my computer. I’m doing SOMETHING ELSE. Something non-computer-ish. Something that involves family or private time.

 

I hate things that make noise at me.

Honestly, even the ringing of the phone gets on my nerves, because it is quite insistent that I answer it RIGHT NOW, GODDAMNIT. And I don’t want to. Sometimes I yell at my phone, “You’re not the boss of me!” but then I check the caller ID just in case it’s important. I rue the day caller ID was invented. I miss the simpler times of screening inbound calls by listening to the caller’s message. Phone calls could then be returned at *MY* leisure. Because I’m the boss of me. Not technology. Not other people. Not anyone. Just me.

 

Here’s the rest of my epiphany.

Other people? They don’t walk away from computer-la-la-land. They have iPads and iPods and doo-dads and whatnots that bing and ring and alert them to all forms of instant communication. And they answer to it. Here’s what people are doing, which I am NOT doing because when I walk away from my computer I refuse to answer the siren call of being constantly plugged in:

 

Out on a drive when you receive an alert that someone has “atted” you on Twitter:

respond at next red light.

 

Eating dinner when you receive an alert that someone commented on your Facebook post:

put down your fork and comment back.

 

Putting clothes in the washer when you receive an alert that someone left a blog comment:

let the water fill while you respond.

 

Granted, these people got up and left their computer, but they have not left computer-la-la-land. They carry computer-la-la-land in their pockets. They have permanent residence in computer-la-la-land. They take this shit VERY SERIOUSLY. It’s important. It’s a blogging MUST. It’s just… what you have to do if you want to succeed. You must never take vacation from computer-la-la-land.

 

I guess I don’t want to succeed.

Not if it means I can’t leave computer-la-la-land. Not if it means I’m a prisoner to alerts. Not if it means I must be at the beck-n-call of people I’ve never even met and who probably wouldn’t even like me if we met in real life. Not if it means I never get a fucking break.

 

Blogging is supposed to be fun.

I mean, I treat it as a job, but as a nine-to-five kind of thing. I didn’t sign up for a computer-la-la–land visa. I only want to stop in and say howdy, drop my two cents, and walk away from my computer when I’m done. All those blogging “how to” advice columns tell me that visits are not allowed. I cry bullshit. I say unto thee, “Foul ball!” I am calling out those naysayers on their shenanigans. It’s a trick, and it’s designed to keep you glued to your chair. I’m not smart enough to figure out what the ulterior motives are behind this nefarious plot, but I *AM* smart enough to see that something smells fishy in Denmark.

 

Not, like, FOR REALZ Denmark.

I’m speaking of metaphorical, Shakespearean Denmark. Denmark in this particular instance represents computer la-la-land. It doesn’t take a genius to see that allowing my blog to own my ass is, in fact, stupid. Nor does it take a genius to see that having the savvy to walk away from my computer is liberating and allows me to engage in real life activities.

 

It’s not that I don’t appreciate comments on my blog.

On the contrary — I do sincerely love them! But I love them most when they are given freely, with zero expectation of reciprocation. In a contest, I love my children’s live comments much more than the words of any stranger. And fuck you if that’s a problem.

Social Media and the BIG LIE

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Social Media + Blogging Schedules

I love blogging ornament

Cute I Love Blogging Ornament

My hubz and I got into this huge discussion today about the necessity for keeping to a schedule with regard to publishing blog posts. You can probably guess from my typical blasé approach that I was taking the “Fuck it” route. As the Numbers Guy behind my bloggy-blog, my hubz was all for the “Stay on Target” approach. The conversation may, or may NOT, have gotten slightly heated.

 

Okay, I’ll just tell you now so you don’t have to guess. It didn’t get too heated. But my hubz is extremely frustrated with me. Since he is the Numbers Guy, I grant that he has reason to be less than thrilled. As the writer, and moreover the person who doesn’t give a shit about numbers, I can totally empathize with his plight. He’s definitely got the rotten end of the stick in this blogging gig we’re working on together.

 

Here’s how the talk went down:

 

“You know, Babes,” I, the breaker of all rules, say. “I have an idea for Monday’s post.”

 

“Hey, that’s great, considering you were already supposed to have it written LAST WEEK.”

 

social media action button magnets

Social Talk – 18 Social Network Icon Magnets

“Shut up and listen,” I, lazy-ass couch potato, say. “You know how on Mondays I kind of talk about, like, social media kinds of things?”

 

“No. I didn’t realize you had any sort of schedule in any way whatsoever. This is all news to me. I pretty much thought you wrote whatever you wanted on whatever day you wanted, planning be damned.”

 

He is kind of, mostly, right.

 

pudding head wilson

12 X 18 Stretched Canvas Poster A Cat and a Lie

“That is so not true,” I, biggest scatter brain on the planet, say. “I do stick to a schedule. Anyway, I want to write about the BIG LIE that social media experts tell.”

 

“What lie would that be, my darling liar?”

 

“I am totally not a liar,” I, totally a liar, say. “Stop interrupting before I forget what I was saying.”

 

“One could only hope.”

 

“I heard that, and fuck you, too, buddy,” I, master of words, say. “The BIG LIE that social media experts tell is this: You have to stay on a schedule, and you have to deliver certain items on certain days, and readers should know what to expect from your blog, and blah-blah-blah. It’s so untrue.”

 

“Actually, that’s not a lie at all. It IS true. You just flaunt the rules because you don’t care about numbers. But honestly, I do wish you would keep to more of a schedule. It would make my life so much easier.”

 

“You’re wrong,” I, all expert and smug now, say. “Here’s why you’re wrong. If I have a series that’s supposed to go out every Saturday… for example, My Life Plan series—”

 

“Here we go.”

 

“What? What is that? What are you trying to say?” I, defensive because I know exactly what he’s trying to say, say.

 

“Nothing. Just that, you know, you didn’t get your Saturday post out on Saturday. And now suddenly you’re coming up with some supposedly snazzy new social media theory to excuse the fact that you dropped the ball. And moreover, that you drop the ball regularly. Which is fine, Babes. Because it’s your blog, and you can do whatever you want with it. But—”

 

“Okay, first, you’re right. I did drop the ball. But it doesn’t matter,” I, the person who drops multiple balls regularly, say. “Because second, it’s my blog. Just like you said. But that’s not the point. The point is, anyone who was following that series was going to read my posts REGARDLESS of when they come out.”

 

“You interrupted me, and you are also full of shit, darling.”

 

what is a dvr

TiVo TCD746320 Premiere DVR, Black

“No-No-No,” I, ball-dropping enthusiast, say. “I’m not full of shit. Just listen. Nobody plans their schedule around one stupid blog. Just like nobody plans their evenings anymore around one stupid TV show. That’s what DVR is for, or Netflix, or Hulu, or Amazon Prime, or any number of other ways to watch shit after it’s already aired. Anybody seriously emotionally invested in my blog is either subscribed or is checking in as time allows — but not on a regular schedule.”

 

“Okay, but what if you are writing a series that a Republican actually finds interesting? And that’s the only reason he is following your blog — only because of that ONE series. And you go a week without following up, and then you go two weeks. He is totally going to hit unsubscribe to your blog.”

 

“No respectable Republican would EVER subscribe to my blog, regardless of the series, so that argument is stupid,” I, argumentative bitch, say. “Besides, that Republican was going to unsubscribe at the end of the series anyway, as soon as he found out what a Liberal cunt I am. So I wouldn’t really have lost a follower due to my lack of scheduling so much as because he’s an asshole who doesn’t like my shit.”

 

“But he hit unsubscribe sooner than he might have, and you just lost the potential of one or two weeks of free advertising, because let’s say he liked that series so much that he was sharing it with others.”

 

“Bullshit. I call bullshit,” I, starting to get heated, say. “There is no way a Republican was sharing my shit. He wouldn’t do that no matter HOW much he liked that series.”

 

“Oh my god. You are missing the bigger picture here.”

 

“No, I’m not,” I, a small picture kind of girl, say. “I just know that there aren’t any Republicans sharing my posts, who would suddenly STOP sharing just because I sent out one of my posts later than scheduled. And also? I don’t know a single person, Republican or otherwise, who says, ‘Gee, it’s Saturday. Time to check in and see what Andi-Roo wrote in that series today!’ You know why? Because DVR, that’s why.”

 

“What about readers who are less savvy? Not everyone knows how to subscribe to blogs, and not everyone knows how to use a reader to do so. THEY might check in on certain days.”

 

“No way,” I, emphatic to the end, say. “If they are savvy enough to find my blog, they are savvy enough to find it again another day. Plus, if they aren’t savvy enough to do those other things, they also aren’t savvy enough to realize that I’m ‘supposed’ to be on a schedule.”

 

“You are impossible. And wrong. Schedules do matter, and you should stick to one. But it’s okay that you don’t. I realize your lack of scheduling is just part of who you are.”

 

“That sounds patronizing,” I, a girl who hates being patted on the head, say. “Are you just placating me to end the argument? If you are, then I totally win.”

 

“I’m not placating you. There’s just no winning with you, because you will always come up with a reason to NOT stick to a schedule. So, just keep doing your thing. Whatever.”

 

“I will,” I, a wife totally in love with my hubz, say. “So can I write about this for Monday? Since that’s my social media day?”

 

“You do whatever you want. You always do.”

 

And that’s how the discussion ended. See? No violence or anything. A resolution was never reached, however, and this bothers me. I want someone to say that I am right on this subject. Anyone out there agree with me? Or is my hubz totally right?

Unspam Triberr Part 2

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triberrHere are my main problems with Triberr, and my ideas for fixing the issues. How well my plan works really depends on YOU. You’ll probably want to check out Unspam Triberr Part 1  if you haven’t read it yet!

 

1. Twitter mentions suck.

Well no. Actually, quite the opposite is true. Twitter mentions are fucking sweet! But… only if the mentions are legit. I’m going to pull down my pants and let my hubz take a screen shot of my “@” section.

 

You liked that, didn’t you?

Andi-Roo's Twitter @'s

 

Seriously, though. If you take a look at my connections or mentions or whatever, you can see that every single one is a tweet by one of my tribemates. There’s nothing wrong with my material being tweeted, per se, as I think we would all agree. However, if that’s the ONLY kind of Twitter mention I have going on, for miles and miles worth of scrolling, before I can find something more personal… well, that’s a problem.

 

overwhelmed woman answering phones poster

If your Twitter mentions resemble mine in any way, you are likely feeling my pain. Tribemates sharing my material is an awesome thing, so I don’t mean to complain along the lines of, “OMG, woe is me, too many people are sharing my stuffs! #FirstWorldProblems!”

 

But okay, yeah, maybe I *DO* mean to complain along those lines. Kind of. A little bit. What I mean is somewhat more along the lines of this:

 

Too many OF THE WRONG PEOPLE are sharing my stuffs!

 

And yes, I realize this can still be categorized under #FirstWorldProblems. Not much I can do about this with this blog post, though, ya know?

 

Answer: Unspam Triberr by cleaning up your Twitter stream.

cherokee parking only all others need a reservation sign

Too many of the wrong people are sharing my stuffs because, simply put, I belong to too many of the wrong tribes. I said in Part 1 that I only belong to five tribes, and that this is a small number compared to many Triberr users. That’s still true. So I suggest seriously reassessing the tribes to which you already belong, particularly before joining any new ones.

 

I may consider dropping a tribe or two, and for the sake of your Twitter mentions, you should consider it too. But even more than that, if you are a chief, consider the tribemates who are sharing your material. You actually have the most power over that group. That’s where I plan to start making changes. As in… some people are getting the boot. Not because I don’t like them. Not because I think their blogs necessarily suck. Not because I have anything against their message. But because I want the people in my tribe — the people most inclined and most obligated to share my material — to best represent me and my material.

 

This is a bold statement coming from someone who writes a goofball, off-the-cuff, rant-ish, non-niche, unprofessional blog. I can hear you asking me now, “Who the hellz do you think you are, Andi-Roo?”

 

Who I am, is someone who wants to have control over my Twitter feed. Who I am, is someone who wants to be able to interact with my readers. Who I am, is someone who wants to put the social back into social media. Who I am is, is someone who isn’t enjoy the current way of things.

 

My question now is this: “Who the hellz do you think YOU are?”

 

There is plenty of advice out there for cleaning up your Twitter stream that has nothing to do with Triberr, but I would be remiss if I did not send you to my friend Carol Lynn’s post yesterday for a great example of how “You’re Doing Twitter Wrong!” She makes great points that we should all — whether for personal or professional accounts — consider, the most pertinent of which is this:

 

“Before your next post,

spend some time figuring out

why you’re on Twitter,

what you hope to achieve

and how you’ll get there.”

 

2. Automated Tweets suck.

Just kidding. I wrote a post recently stating the exact opposite, as I believe auto-sharing is awesome-sauce. But as I pointed out in that article, it only works well if you actually go back later and read what you tweeted. If you don’t, you have just been guilty of spamming, my friend.

 

mopping floor poster

My hubz has been cleaning up his Triberr feed the same way I have been cleaning up mine. This morning he turned to me as excited as a kid on his birthday and exclaimed, “I just read two posts! And commented on them! And edited the tweets to personalize them!”

 

Why was this such a big deal to him? Because he has been suffering the same backlog of Triberr posts as the rest of us. Under pressure to hurry up and share, he was just sharing posts without bothering to see what was actually worth sharing. He hadn’t read any of the material he was sending out in weeks — maybe even months. There was no time.

 

Answer: Unspam Triberr by using automation appropriately.

assembly line

I do not advocate dropping automation altogether, unless you have zero intention of following up, in which case — YES, by all means, stop automating your shares! No more blind tweets! Cut it out!

 

This means honestly and objectively assessing your abilities and your schedule. I have every intention of going back and reading 100% of the material I auto-share. But if I’m being truthful, I just can’t. So I haven’t been. And furthermore, I know I won’t. It was a long time before I could admit this to myself. I want to be better than I am. I’m just… not.

 

If you find you, too, are unable to go back and read your automated tweets, it’s time to sit down and do some soul searching. Maybe it means dropping automation altogether. That’s cool. Change is good; it means growth.

 

I’m not going to skip automation altogether, but I am going to compromise. There are some blogs I absolutely will NOT stop sharing, because I love the writers and the majority of their material. I have hand-picked 5-10 of these which are close to my heart, and will keep automating their material. But only because I trust myself to read and comment — and sometimes even RT again! — their posts. These are individuals with whom I have developed a personal relationship, so I know without a doubt I will be drawn again-n-again to their blogs.

 

Ultimately, that’s what blogging is supposed to be about — developing relationships, whether on a personal or professional level. I am ashamed to admit I had stopped doing that for a while. I think maybe a lot of us have. It’s not too late to realize our mistake, apologize, and move on.

 

3. Triberr DOES NOT suck.

heart poster

Some might read into this two-shot series a message I’m not sending. Some might fall under the misguided impression that I gots beef with Triberr or its creators. I cannot stress enough how untrue either statement is! I adore Triberr, and I adore its creators even more so! It’s not the fault of Triberr, Dino, or Dan that I — that we collectively — have been messing up.

 

And that’s the crux of the issue. We HAVE been messing up.

 

But they need our help. I’ve been coming at this Triberr thing all wrong. We all have. It’s time to get real with it, to treat it as the social media tool it really is. A hammer is only as useful as the hand that swings it. Right now we are all swinging in a billion directions, heedless of the nails, maybe striking one now and again, but never driving it fully home. That has to change.

 

Answer: Unspam Triberr by being an active participant.

Here’s the deal. Your Triberr shares — your tribes, if you’re a chief — are your online identity. Your Twitter shares are your online identity. Hellz — your blog itself is your online identity. You shouldn’t compromise your identity out of a sense of perceived obligation. It took me a long time to reach this conclusion. Slow learner, anyone?

 

You can follow any of my suggestions, or you can kick them to the curb and come up with a whole new set of ideas. Either way is great. But if you want to help Unspam Triber, you absolutely have to be an active participant.

 

Ask questions. Talk to power users. Interact with Dino and Dan. Be active in your role as a member — particularly if you are a chief.

Automated Tweets are NOT evil

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HootSuite Pro - Social Media DashboardIt’s been suggested that Automated Tweets are evil, pernicious, and no darn good. I haven’t quite figured out the logical reasoning behind this thought. It sounds as though I’m being told I must only Tweet something if I’m sitting at my desk or holding a smartphone, prepped for conversation.

 

Um, excuse me — but I believe that’s dictating unto others exactly how they will utilize a particular social media platform. And we’re all different. So why should it be expected that we all use Twitter the same way?

 

I’m in introvert. That means I don’t like going out in public, engaging with people face-to-face, or getting overly involved in society. I like to have an opportunity to think about what I’m saying. I don’t like being rushed into a response.

 

TweetCaster Twitter Bird

This is what I love most about Twitter and other online forms of social exchange. I can still talk to people, but without all the pressure of having the right shoes, the perfect hair, and the snappy on-the-spot comeback. Sitting in my pajamas and snacking on Cheez-Its, I have the luxury of confidence in comfort. I don’t have to worry about the fact that I didn’t wear any makeup and look like ass. Our dialogue can remain on track.

 

But now you’re trying to tell me that I have a limited amount of time on my responses. What, pray you tell me, would be the length of time in that statute of limitations? Thirty seconds? Five minutes? A half-hour? At what point is our conversation no longer considered such? And who gets to be the judge of that?

 

And if we’re going that route, why doesn’t Twitter “close comments” on any Tweets more than say, two hours stale? Are we really going that route? Have we truly lost the ability to stay focused on an exchange that doesn’t garner responses within a prescribed amount of minutes?

 

Automated Tweets are NOT evil…

One of my very favorite blogging authors is Kristen Lamb, creator of the WANA Tribe for writers. I read every one of her posts, as they are jam-packed with good information and resources. I can’t get enough.

 

Even as much as I respect Kristen, I disagree with her on the matter of automation. Kristen is completely against it, and has taken that stance quite firmly more than once on her blog:

 

“People leave comments because they’re looking for a conversation.

When you automate your posts and never hang out there,

people are offended.

It’s like inviting the neighbors to a backyard barbeque

and then hitting the beach

while they’re standing in your yard with empty glasses.

Another great way to teach friends to ignore you.”

 

I addressed this issue once via the comments section:

“I’ve seen the argument against automation before,

but I think it depends from where you’re coming.

I use Twitter & FB much as I would email or an answering machine

— for slow dialogue that might take place

a sentence at a time over hours or even days.

I figure when I start a conversation online,

it’s already NOT a personal, one-on-one thing

that must take place only during a specific window of time.

I like being able to respond at my own pace,

& allowing others to do the same.

“I can see how inviting others over for a party

& then not having drinks out would be bad.

But what if I invite others over for a party

& leave a keg in the yard to sip on till I get back?

And if I supply the solo cups, even better, right?

It’s like the longest potluck block party EVER.

Everyone stops by as they are able,

leaves a dish, has a plate of whatever looks good, & leaves.

I might come outside & check in for a bit,

make sure no one has knocked over the port-a-potty,

& refill the bucket-o-ice, but since it’s casual & laid back…

I’m going back inside where there’s air conditioning!”

 

I’m sure this didn’t change anyone’s mind. It certainly didn’t garner a response, at any rate. Should I cry foul because the personal interaction was missing? Seriously — if you are going to harp on about what it means to be involved with your readers, should you not then in turn respond to each and every comment? I know, I know. I’m being facetious now. But it does give one pause for thought.

 

Another example from Kristen’s blog, with my thoughts added here in (((parentheses))):

 

Kristen: Okay, but if you tweet and I respond, then no one is there, correct?

WOMAN: Uh, no. No one is there.

(((So, you are dictating that I may ONLY Tweet if I am prepared to respond immediately to any replies? I may ONLY Tweet per your rules?)))

Kristen: And I assume you tweet links to your blog and buy your books?

WOMAN: Yes. Yes, I do.

(((I don’t have books to sell, but I would Tweet them if I did. Along with all the other silly things I Tweet. And along with all the links of my fellow Triberr Tribemates.)))

Kristen: So you are automating links to read your blogs and buy your books, and the only way that works effectively is if I am actually present on Twitter so I can follow these links. Correct?

WOMAN: Um…yes?

(((Right. You are free to check your Twitter feed at your own pace, and follow links if you wish. Otherwise, per your own rules, you’d better not be checking anything that was posted prior to your opening the Twitter app. that very moment.)))

Kristen: So basically you want something from me that you are unwilling to give. You are too busy and important to be on Twitter, whereas I have nothing better to do than to follow your links.

WOMAN: Oh, I see what you mean.

(((False. I’m giving you the same thing I’m asking for you. Time to do what we want at our own separate paces. Check in as you wish. Respond or not. Allow me the same courtesy.

(((I’m not “too busy and important to be on Twitter.” What I am is NOT on Twitter 24/7. Neither are you. And we don’t have to be.

(((The beauty of being online is that I can Tweet something at 2am, because I’m up, and you can see it when you get out of bed in the morning, if you are so inclined. Without being your family or friend, I can’t know what time that is. I can’t follow you around and wait for you to be available so that my Tweets ONLY hit your feed as YOU are ready for them to.)))

 

I think the belief that automated tweets are evil relies solely on the assumption that the evil-doer isn’t checking in on her own feed, isn’t responding to any personal mentions, isn’t engaging in dialogue at all, and ONLY sends out spammy links. But in that extreme case, the problem isn’t automation. The problem is that the user is a douchebag.

 

But even douchebags are free to use Twitter in as douchebag a fashion as they wish. There ARE no Twitter rules. Nobody gets to be in charge and decide that we must time our tweets around someone else’s schedule.

StumbleUpon SuperUser Tactics

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stumbleuponStumbleUpon is one of the greatest (and most under-utilized) tools in the social media arsenal. Today I’m going to cover the “dos and don’ts” of StumbleUpon.

5 Things you SHOULD do if you want to get more stumbles on your own posts on StumbleUpon:

  1. DO Stumble at least 15 pages a day randomly from their “Stumble” button. Preferably more, because if they see that you are an active user who contributes to the community, your stumbles will be given a lot more credit.

  2. DO Stumble pages that you want to “thumbs up” in between other “thumbs down” and change up how often you “thumbs up” and “thumbs down”. So for example a normal stumbling session of multiple pages would work like this… go to the page I want to “thumbs up” and give it a “thumbs up”, hit stumble button twice, both times “thumbs down” (unless you just really love the page), then go to another page that you want to “thumbs up”, now hit the stumble button 3 times and “thumbs down” those pages (make it random – if they see a pattern in your “ups” and “downs” you won’t be as highly rated a user). Ideally if you have the time and really want to be a “super-user” you would “thumb up” and “thumb down” a lot more and you would rate the pages by what you really think of them, not just to garner hits on a specific website.

  3. DO comment on posts through StumbleUpon’s comment section. This shows StumbleUpon that you are doing more than quickly scanning through the pages and will ultimately help your user rating in their eyes.

  4. DO use the Google Reader “Next button” to inter-mix blogs you follow between your normal StumbleUpon session. (I will explain this process better in the video below.)

  5. DO add friends that share interests on StumbleUpon and start adding blogs you enjoy (that you discover at StumbleUpon) to your Google Reader so that you can stumble their posts with your other friends, especially if you find a “friend” that will reciprocate your “thumbs up”.


Social media management for exceptional companies

5 Things you SHOULD NOT do if you want to get more stumbles on your own posts on StumbleUpon:

  1. You SHOULD NOT “thumbs up” all of your own posts. StumbleUpon will figure out what you are doing, especially if those are the only pages you are liking! Also, you get a lot more traffic if someone else stumbles your post first.

  2. You SHOULD NOT spam your friends on StumbleUpon by sending them posts constantly. It is okay to send a post out to them on occasion if it is really special, but when you flood your friend’s inbox on StumbleUpon with a new post or two every day, you’re more likely to get dropped as a friend than have them “thumbs up” your post.

  3. You SHOULD NOT only “thumb up” posts. StumbleUpon wants to know that you are using their service to rate websites that you like AND dislike. If you only ever like posts, they will see this and it will diminish your StumbleUpon awesome-ness!

  4. You SHOULD NOT “thumb up” posts simply because the other user reciprocates a “thumb up”. Make sure you are exchanging likes with bloggers or website owners that you respect and actually follow. Liking someone’s post who automatically reciprocates has immediate benefits, but if you start gaining fans to your StumbleUpon account, they will not like to see that you just stumbled a picture of some guy farting on a pink poodle while playing a ukulele.

  5. You SHOULD NOT cater your blog to gain StumbleUpon likes only. There are many blogs that only cater to StumbleUpon users by putting some funny or cute picture right on top just to gain “thumbs up”. While this is effective at getting your post stumbled, it does not add to the quality of your blog and it will not gain new readers. Most people are liking your post based on five or less seconds of viewing it and then moving on. You want your post to be relevant and you want it to get stumbled because of good content.

    These are just a few tips I wanted to share with everyone about StumbleUpon and how to make using it a little easier. I hope you enjoyed the post and please let me know if you have any questions or if you found this helpful! Also, be sure to add us as a friend on StumbleUpon by visiting our profile and following us at —> http://www.stumbleupon.com/stumbler/theworld4realz  

What Old People and/or Conservatives Don’t Know About Facebook

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What Old People and/or Conservatives Don’t Know About FacebookSocial Media Juggler

… and why they won’t jump to Twitter…

I’ve suffered a strange, slow-evolving revelation of late. I can not understand why something posted on FaceBook is generally received with negative or argumentative comments, while the same information, link, or comment posted on Twitter is usually enthusiastically embraced, liked, favorited, and shared. That seems so weird. I mean, Twitter and FaceBook are both forms of social media, right? So reactions from followers should be somewhat the same across the board, right?

Wrong.

Not all forms of social media are equal.

But first, a disclaimer:

If you are under the age of 25, this will not apply and will likely go over your adorable little head, so feel free to skip out.

And if you are over the age of 45, this might come off as insulting, so you should skip out, too.

If you are in my age group, 25-45, I believe you will agree with my assessment.

(But if you don’t, it’s probably because you’re a Conservative, which automatically places you in the 45+ age group, so go ahead and move yourself accordingly. I don’t expect to find many of you reading my blog, however. Unless you’re a hater.)

So back to what I was saying:

Not all forms of social media are equal.

I thought the move from MySpace to FaceBook was extremely painful. I’m a creature of habit, and afraid of “new” programs with which I must start anew in gaining some semblance of comfort. But I did it nonetheless, because everyone else was jumping ship, and I could no longer “chat” with anyone via that dying platform. I guess I’m naive, because I assumed everyone else made the jump with me.

Wrong. Again.

One of my pals, aged around 60-ish, is in a garage-style band. The guys play at local outdoor gatherings. And their main source of promotions are via MySpace.

*ouch*

I don’t know much, but I’m pretty sure that’s NOT the best way to expand. Or at least, sticking solely with MySpace and not embracing any other stage is a sure-fire way to stay stuck. But they have fun, and they aren’t looking to make fist-loads of pesos, so I guess it works for them.

Goodbye, MySpace. Nice knowin’ ya…

That seems to define the majority of those who are left holding up the dregs of MySpace. People who never moved on when the “next best thing” came around. I haven’t visited my own MySpace page in eons. I don’t even remember what it’s called. Once I decided I needed to move, I quickly picked up FaceBook and haven’t turned back since. I recognize it’s out there, floating amongst the muck, but beyond that, I’m OUT.

The Conservatives and/or the people 45+ who, like me, made the switch to FaceBook are parked and unwilling to move again. Like I said, the change was painful. Their number of years pretty much dooms them to inability and lack of interest in taking on one more platform. They’re done. The same way I dropped MySpace like a fucking hot potato, these tired individuals have dropped anything NOT FaceBook like an equally hot potato, sans the F-bomb since they tend to be more gentle than I.

Gentle, and judgmental. And ungenerous in their praise.

Warning: Rant Immanent!

I just have to digress somewhat a moment here and comment about how rude a motherfucker can be while refraining from uttering one curse word. They can make the most harsh, cruel, hurtful statements, and still come out smelling like roses in spite of how ugly they just were. Tear me apart with a fucking stapler, and all that gets remembered later is that they didn’t use a gun. Defend myself with a gun, and all that gets remembered later is that I shot a poor defenseless Conservative who was only wielding a stapler.

I’m not MUCH bitter. This is, however, is exactly why I’m jumping to a new platform. The Nasty Nellies are stuck where they’re at on FaceBook, and happy to be so. They aren’t moving with me.

Yeah, I still check in on my family and friends on my personal FaceBook Page. And of course I’m still updating and growing my FaceBook Fan Page (needs must). But the real hype is on Twitter. I’m leaving behind the old people, the Conservatives, the hateful (yet curse-free) diatribes, the shit that goes along with being nice to your long distant Great Aunt Doris whom you’ve only met a handful of times, yet she seems to have a plethora of advice and admonishments regarding your lifestyle choices — from over a billion miles away.

Yeah, that’s what FaceBook has become:

My long lost relatives, my extended family, my overbearing kin who can’t let me be *ME* because they are still overly caught up in who *ME* should “be”.

Well folks, I’m the fucking black sheep. Always have been, and always will. And I like *ME* just fine, potty mouth notwithstanding. My move to Twitter is yet another in a long line of rebellious acts on my part. Against what am I rebelling?

All the a-holes who try to hold me down.

And now if you’ll excuse me, I need to go learn how to use Google+, Stumble Upon, Pinterest, and a zillion other social media platforms. It’s an exciting time to *NOT* be a fucking stick in the mud.