Social Media vs Web based Blogs and Pages
Hell, lets jump right to the main one that most people now utilize. Facebook, the overwhelming choice of the masses. Hell, I'm guilty of
it. I've been on FB for about 8 years or so. I was on
MySpace prior and realized many of its shortcomings. I drug my feet
over to FB not wanting to look at yet 'another' one out there, and realized
immediately, that FB did everything, that MySpace lacked. It had
the ability for real-time communication, or at least near time, and for groups
of people, vs single, one way / direction comments on a person’s page. I immediately
became hooked on it. It's only negative was that you were limited to the quantity
of friends (by that I mean, REAL friends that you hung out and/or communicated
daily with) were also on FB. But as folks gave in and joined up, it
became a great communication tool. Eventually, many of us moved away from
email as the primary and towards FB. Eventually, and this has been
somewhat recent for me, I've been using FB's Messaging tool, more than my
phones text option. I've found that for work, email and my phones
text option are the primary still of course, but for personal use, I lean more
and more towards FB. The reason is simple because you have a plethora of
options. You can easily attach photos, videos, URLs, FB posts, etc. Additionally, you can make audio calls and
video calls via FB’s Messenger as well.
Facebook itself, has an incredible set of tools to shape your communications processes as well. Most aren’t aware of the power of it. Most of it doesn’t get utilized. So, here’s a FB 101.
Your personal page. That average person has a FB account and uses their page for personal uses. You’re limited to 5,000 users on this page. Most people I know have less than a couple hundred people on their Friend’s list. If you have more than that, you are most likely just adding people for the sake of adding them. We all have our own personal reasons for doing this, if guilty of it. I personally, never add random people. Unless I’ve met them in person, or we have a lot in common, I don’t add them. However, I get added by many and then I’ve got a decision to make (accept or not). A quick scan of their current friends, pics, etc. will give you a snapshot of them and their motivations. For me, 95% of the people on my list that I’ve never met, have ties back to the Indian Motorcycle Community. There is a common bond there, and I’ve met a lot of these folks eventually, face to face. Some folks just add folks to bump up their Friend’s list for the sake of getting Facebook ‘famous’. We all know the type. Or, they have ulterior motivations with business interests that you soon figure out. No big deal, no problem; just a fact. Are you wondering , how many you have on your list?
Business Page. Not sure this is the right term, but it’s not a personal page, but one used for a business, a location, etc. There are many reasons for having one of these. One example might be a ‘famous’ person, say an actor. Allows them to post for their fans, and their fans can communicate with them, but it’s a totally different layout and has some limitations. Actual business's have these pages for marketing purposes. Riders Groups have them. Hell, I’ve got one that I use: Texas Indian Bikers.
Groups. This is one of the gems of FB. I personally belong to a dozen or so groups. I’ve created and maintain several. It allows me to gather folks with a common interest and ensure they group continues down its intended path. Here’s an example. I created and manage several Indian Motorcycle related groups. One of them is dedicated to the Kings Mountain era. I ONLY allow OWNERS of the bikes, in the group. So, we have less than a 100 people in that group (There were about 1000 built over five years). So, it’s a good representation, and we ONLY discuss KM related issues. No BS advertisements. No BS rants about other brands. No BS about other generations (for the most part). If someone gets off track, an admin can verbally correct them, delete the comment, or even turn off comments for a specific subject. The problem with some groups, and I’ve previously been in them, is the admin can go into a “Hitler” mode and over manage the content and / or people. I personally try not to get on a power trip. However, some folks don’t follow the rules and you can simply delete their content, and or … them. Done. I’ve done that. I don’t beat my chest afterwards and threaten the rest of the group ( yes , I’ve seen others do this) .. I just execute the fix, and move on. Done. Hell, 99.9% of the time, the rest of the group never sees the originating post, or realize the moron just got banished. So, works for me. One other thing about Groups, and this is important and not understood by some, even some Admins of the groups. There are three group settings: Public, Closed and Secret. The “secret” groups are not searchable. You don’t even know they exist, unless someone adds you to them. I’ve created one for my local group of riders. Why? I don’t want anyone not associated with it, to want to join. Period. That’s not the purpose. I’m sure you can come up with a hundred other reasons to have a ‘secret’ group. One of the others is “public”. The group can be found via search. Also, ALL posts and comments in the group can be seen by the Public. Content from the group can be shared out to FB pages and groups. It’s 100% public. But, you can’t post in it, unless you are in the group. So, they can maintain a little order that way. The third type is ‘closed. This is my preferred choice. Why? Because it’s searchable so the FB populace can find it, and ask to join. If you want that person in the group, you accept them. However, all posts within the group can NOT be seen by anyone, outside the group. To me, this is a critical piece and and should be considered as a positive, when joining the group. One of the biggest benefits is, anything you post there, will NOT be on your news-feed for all your friends to see, whom are not in the group. I don’t know about you, but I get tired of seeing most people’s random BS posts. This allows you to keep your posts more private, more relevant.
Facebook overview. Posting: When you post a public page, via comments, etc., anyone following you on FB (that’s an option you select for each and every person on your FB friends list), may see it. Will probably see it. Can see it, if they go to that page. Anything you like on a public page, its reverberated back through your friend’s list / news-feed. Not all folks realize this. On your own page, anything you post can potentially be seen by all. So, to help with this, FB has given you a set of tools. Here it is in a nutshell.
If you post, with “Friends” selected, only
folks that on your friends list can see this.
It is not public. Now, to take it
one step further, if someone has been ‘restricted’ on your friends list, they
will not see what is posted to ‘Friends.”
Wrap your head around that one for a second. Most people don’t know about this and don’t
always grasp that one. Also, you can
create additional friends lists, that allow you to post specific to a group (not
a FB group), on your friends list.
Example. I’m a motorcycle
nut. Period. I have a Friends List called “motorcycles”. When I usually post info specific to motorcycles,
I select this option. Not ‘Public.’ Not ‘Friends.’ But, ‘motorcycles.’ ONLY folks on my ‘motorcycles’ list, see
it. Keeps me from getting the
non-riders, nauseated with BS they don’t care about. Make sense?
One final piece of FB info. “Blocking.” I’ve got a long list of folks blocked. Why? Anyone you block will NEVER see your info, from their own account. However, there are only a few of my ‘friends’ that have made the list because of this. I normally add people because, I will NEVER see what THEY post. I’m in a dozen groups or so. There are people in those that post SPAM. They get blocked. Done. There are people in there that are assholes. They get blocked. Done. Some people post a nauseating stream of BS I have zero interest in seeing within groups. So, they get blocked. Done. It’s a great management tool. But, be wary. Within your group of friends, it’s bad enough when someone unfriends you or vice versus and the drama that sometimes follows. When ‘Block’ is utilized, shit either hits the fan or... things get permanent. But, sometimes that’s the way we like it. Most save it for their ex’s after a rocky marriage or relationship. Use it as you see fit.
Groups; I’ve got a few pet peeves. A group normally has a purpose. Let’s take for example one that I mange, “Texas Indian Bikers.” The purpose of that group is to discuss Indian motorcycle events, rides, bikes, etc. within the state of Texas. There are folks in that group from surrounding states. So, we give a little leeway. Makes sense to me, that we also discuss rides in say OK, AR or maybe LA. I ride there. They ride there. We ride in TX. Hey, it all works out. But, I don’t see the value of someone posting about rides in FL. Or, discussing HD events and or bikes. And it sure as hell isn’t a dating site. Now, keeping it all in check, it’s not a very active site. I don’t randomly add people to it. But, I have deleted content and people from it that deviated. No BS, no threats, just did it. Why do I mention this? Because I’ve been on other groups that deviated. Let’s say it’s for the purpose of this discussion, a local IMRG group (this is just an example) to allow its IMRG members to communicate. If it’s about the IMRG, why would people be posting in it about IIRA events? Or IOA, IARG or HOG? Its stated purpose is for the IMRG. Why would people not part of the IMRG, be posting pics of their bikes in it from around the country? Why would the local IMRG’s dealer be posting all their sales events, and specific bikes for sale, in the group? Now, I’m sure a few folks are thinking right now “Damned Rick, you take this shit serious. Does it really matter?” Well, obviously it does matter to me. And I verbally state it when it happens and I end up stirring the pot within groups and with the admins, because apparently to the average person, it doesn’t matter. But, then, what the hell is the purpose of that specific group? Make it a generic BS group, or whatever. But if the group has a stated purpose, follow it. There, I’ve said it. Heck, maybe you just connected a few dots on why I pissed off some people in the past?
Activity. Just how active are groups and FB pages? This is the interesting one. With Groups, they tend to be more active, because topics are real-time oriented and easily accessible. You can get notifications and jump right into hot topics. On pages, they tend to get notifications pushed out by the page admins, if FB receives $ from the Page owner, or people set up their notifications to get info first. Most people don’t do that. So, the info on FB Pages tends to … go to the few, not the masses. I see this personally on one of my pages. Example: Texas Indian Bikers has just under, 35,000 likes. But, on an average day, only several thousand people see a post. About 2-8k seems to be the average. And that just means it hit their news-feed. Doesn’t mean they read it. Like it. Gave a shit. But, it’s there for them to see. Now, if I threw money at the situation, I could probably double or triple that instantaneously. But, I’m not selling a product. I’m not selling anything. I’m simply using that page to promote Indian Motorcycles within the Texas riding community. It gives me way to channel my energy... interests... among others. And from the comments I get, most seem to appreciate it.
Which brings me to, let’s call it “Human Nature.” This one wasn’t’ apparent to me until I started a few groups and pages awhile back. What I’ve seen and realized is, the average person really doesn’t give a damned what I post on my pages. If I post a pic of the latest upgrade for our bikes, it just goes past most. If I post an event for us to attend, it just goes past most. If you post relevant info on the current bikes, most skim right over it all. But, post a pic of a hot chick on an Indian, and the likes go through the roof. Within that group, one or two folks will complain that it’s borderline porn, or makes the bikes look cheap. But, where were their comments before? Also, if you push out a pic of a truly awesome customized bike, likes will go through the roof. A couple of folks will chime in that the Indian was ruined with the big wheels, or the gaudy paint that reminds them of HDs, but for the most part, it’s positive. Other than that…. Most people, just... don’t care. Now, take that subject over the groups. The average person is looking for a method to channel pics of themselves or their bikes, among others. Apparently doing it on their own personal FB page isn’t good enough. They are part of a dozen groups and they’ll post of a pic of their bike from the ride yesterday, in all twelve groups. Or their new slip on pipes, in all twelve groups. Go to their page, and it’s not there. Sorry, that shit nauseates me. Now, I get when we go do large event ride, say with the IIRA and we post it on an IIRA specific group or page. But, I don’t go post them on the dozen groups I’m in. Is it just me, or are you thinking the same thing? Hell, did you even pick up on that concept before I mentioned it? If not, bet you do now? Hell, I know folks that have created FB groups, have hundreds of people in them, and it’s their main avenue to post their personal pics of their bikes, bike related stuff... even their own personal vacations. It's not on their personal page. Huh? Or, maybe it’s just me. Maybe, I just don’t get it. Or, maybe, just maybe, I do? Now the awesome part of groups is sharing relevant info for all to benefit, or to ask questions to find and answer among your fellow riders. However, I tend to get a lil cranky when the same exact question is asked over... and over... and. Well again. Apparently, most don’t realize they can actually “SEARCH” a group for an answer, before asking a question that was asked and answered, a thousand times before.
Facebook. It’s the overwhelming choice for most of us. But for a few, they’ll never join. They view it as evil! Hell, I myself consider moving away from it. Problem is, so much of what we do now is intertwined with it. But, it’s all about the money. They are selling our info off to the highest bidders. Ads are more prevalent. It’s now big business. Do you remember a decade ago, how ‘clean’ FB was? Streamlined. No ads. No BS. Just basic. Man, I liked that. But now, it’s just ‘normal’ to see updates every few months, additional functionality. No bitching. No screaming like we did back in ’09 when they did a major change. We just say ‘oooh... look ... pretty colors on my status now”. Or, was that just me that said that?
Forums: I’m registered with about a ½ dozen forums out there. Indian Motorcycles related, HD motorcycle related, Rocket III, Ninja, and even Jeep sites. The kicker is, most of them are archaic in the way they present data and the way people interact. It’s sometimes difficult to post pics, info, etc. For the newbie, they can become overwhelming. Most users are anonymous in a way, behind usernames that to some are cryptic. But, the value of them, of most of them, is they have a huge treasure chest of info available. Unlike FB, most of their info is organized and easily searchable. And, a lot of old timers, many whom are anti-FB, are within their ranks. And some, are on both. Hell, I use the same username name on both. On all of them. But, compared to FB, let’s be honest, they are a pain in the ass. Maybe one day, somebody will take the Forum GUI to the next level. Maybe someone has, but I’ve never seen it. In the meantime, I work through it……
In my opinion, the mainstay of the ‘net is still Web Pages. Yet, most people don’t have one. Why would they? Well, I do. I have for over twenty years. Why? I wanted to control my name. My domain name. I’ve used it for my personal email for over two decades. I’ll probably have it until I die. I have to pay for that right, but it’s not much. However, I don’t keep the page current. Hell, don’t remember the last time I updated it. I’m not even going to post the link to it, because it’s not worth even taking a look at. But, I have to admit, I’ve done a fairly good job with the Texas Indian Biker’s page though. It’s got a lot of functionality that I’m just scratching the surface with. Has its own blog, etc. I put this together for the same reason I created the FB Group. For a one stop shop, on events that folks riding within Texas, may care about. And, most importantly, it stands on its own. It’s not part of FB. Or MySpace. Or anything else that can delete my posts, suspend me. And it’s shareable to FB, Forums, emails, etc. That is its value. Hell, I remember someone creating an event years ago in my area and they kept telling people to go to their FB page for info. Well, what if the person isn’t on FB? What if they aren’t FB friends with the promoter? What if they aren’t in the FB Group it’s advertised in? The promoter didn’t get it. They argued with me. Again, this shit makes my head hurt! But, put the info on a Web Page, and it’s shareable. And put a nice PDF or JPG of the event on it, and people can always print it off to share with the Internet Illiterate, or … Bathroom Stalls at your favorite biker bar.
Posting on a Blog. You know, like this is! I’ve come to appreciate this functionally. I really like the fact that the info is out there, and not tied to anything. I could create a specific domain for this, even tie it back to my family name domain if I wanted, but this works for me as it is. Hell, only in the last year have I started putting more info on it. And it’s all in the Public Domain. That’s good and bad. Good is, it is. The bad is, one may want to think about what they are posting so it doesn’t bite them in the ass later? I have to admit one thing, I’ve found myself with a different mindset the last few years. My give a shit factor has changed a little. There was a time in my life, a long time ago, where I went out of my way to smooth things over. To be politically correct. As I’ve gotten older, wiser, whatever one wants to call it, I don’t care as much as I used to. I’ve gotten to where I’m less tolerant of what I perceive as stupidity in others. This isn’t meant as a Political statement, but a statement about Life. There are some things I just no longer have time for. Sometimes those feelings find their way onto this blog. Hey, it’s my personal blog. I’m not trying to add to my “FB Friends List”. I’m not trying to garner followers for this blog. I’m just voicing my opinion, using this medium. Stating facts that I see, that others may not. Dreaming ‘out loud’ about my future, or others that I care about. It’s just a blog. My personal blog. Hell, maybe no one is reading it? So, then, am I really just talking to myself? Is that healthier or worse, than talking to yourself in a room? Just kidding. I don’t talk to myself (much), and … I know you just read this.
Facebook itself, has an incredible set of tools to shape your communications processes as well. Most aren’t aware of the power of it. Most of it doesn’t get utilized. So, here’s a FB 101.
Your personal page. That average person has a FB account and uses their page for personal uses. You’re limited to 5,000 users on this page. Most people I know have less than a couple hundred people on their Friend’s list. If you have more than that, you are most likely just adding people for the sake of adding them. We all have our own personal reasons for doing this, if guilty of it. I personally, never add random people. Unless I’ve met them in person, or we have a lot in common, I don’t add them. However, I get added by many and then I’ve got a decision to make (accept or not). A quick scan of their current friends, pics, etc. will give you a snapshot of them and their motivations. For me, 95% of the people on my list that I’ve never met, have ties back to the Indian Motorcycle Community. There is a common bond there, and I’ve met a lot of these folks eventually, face to face. Some folks just add folks to bump up their Friend’s list for the sake of getting Facebook ‘famous’. We all know the type. Or, they have ulterior motivations with business interests that you soon figure out. No big deal, no problem; just a fact. Are you wondering , how many you have on your list?
Business Page. Not sure this is the right term, but it’s not a personal page, but one used for a business, a location, etc. There are many reasons for having one of these. One example might be a ‘famous’ person, say an actor. Allows them to post for their fans, and their fans can communicate with them, but it’s a totally different layout and has some limitations. Actual business's have these pages for marketing purposes. Riders Groups have them. Hell, I’ve got one that I use: Texas Indian Bikers.
Groups. This is one of the gems of FB. I personally belong to a dozen or so groups. I’ve created and maintain several. It allows me to gather folks with a common interest and ensure they group continues down its intended path. Here’s an example. I created and manage several Indian Motorcycle related groups. One of them is dedicated to the Kings Mountain era. I ONLY allow OWNERS of the bikes, in the group. So, we have less than a 100 people in that group (There were about 1000 built over five years). So, it’s a good representation, and we ONLY discuss KM related issues. No BS advertisements. No BS rants about other brands. No BS about other generations (for the most part). If someone gets off track, an admin can verbally correct them, delete the comment, or even turn off comments for a specific subject. The problem with some groups, and I’ve previously been in them, is the admin can go into a “Hitler” mode and over manage the content and / or people. I personally try not to get on a power trip. However, some folks don’t follow the rules and you can simply delete their content, and or … them. Done. I’ve done that. I don’t beat my chest afterwards and threaten the rest of the group ( yes , I’ve seen others do this) .. I just execute the fix, and move on. Done. Hell, 99.9% of the time, the rest of the group never sees the originating post, or realize the moron just got banished. So, works for me. One other thing about Groups, and this is important and not understood by some, even some Admins of the groups. There are three group settings: Public, Closed and Secret. The “secret” groups are not searchable. You don’t even know they exist, unless someone adds you to them. I’ve created one for my local group of riders. Why? I don’t want anyone not associated with it, to want to join. Period. That’s not the purpose. I’m sure you can come up with a hundred other reasons to have a ‘secret’ group. One of the others is “public”. The group can be found via search. Also, ALL posts and comments in the group can be seen by the Public. Content from the group can be shared out to FB pages and groups. It’s 100% public. But, you can’t post in it, unless you are in the group. So, they can maintain a little order that way. The third type is ‘closed. This is my preferred choice. Why? Because it’s searchable so the FB populace can find it, and ask to join. If you want that person in the group, you accept them. However, all posts within the group can NOT be seen by anyone, outside the group. To me, this is a critical piece and and should be considered as a positive, when joining the group. One of the biggest benefits is, anything you post there, will NOT be on your news-feed for all your friends to see, whom are not in the group. I don’t know about you, but I get tired of seeing most people’s random BS posts. This allows you to keep your posts more private, more relevant.
Facebook overview. Posting: When you post a public page, via comments, etc., anyone following you on FB (that’s an option you select for each and every person on your FB friends list), may see it. Will probably see it. Can see it, if they go to that page. Anything you like on a public page, its reverberated back through your friend’s list / news-feed. Not all folks realize this. On your own page, anything you post can potentially be seen by all. So, to help with this, FB has given you a set of tools. Here it is in a nutshell.
One final piece of FB info. “Blocking.” I’ve got a long list of folks blocked. Why? Anyone you block will NEVER see your info, from their own account. However, there are only a few of my ‘friends’ that have made the list because of this. I normally add people because, I will NEVER see what THEY post. I’m in a dozen groups or so. There are people in those that post SPAM. They get blocked. Done. There are people in there that are assholes. They get blocked. Done. Some people post a nauseating stream of BS I have zero interest in seeing within groups. So, they get blocked. Done. It’s a great management tool. But, be wary. Within your group of friends, it’s bad enough when someone unfriends you or vice versus and the drama that sometimes follows. When ‘Block’ is utilized, shit either hits the fan or... things get permanent. But, sometimes that’s the way we like it. Most save it for their ex’s after a rocky marriage or relationship. Use it as you see fit.
Groups; I’ve got a few pet peeves. A group normally has a purpose. Let’s take for example one that I mange, “Texas Indian Bikers.” The purpose of that group is to discuss Indian motorcycle events, rides, bikes, etc. within the state of Texas. There are folks in that group from surrounding states. So, we give a little leeway. Makes sense to me, that we also discuss rides in say OK, AR or maybe LA. I ride there. They ride there. We ride in TX. Hey, it all works out. But, I don’t see the value of someone posting about rides in FL. Or, discussing HD events and or bikes. And it sure as hell isn’t a dating site. Now, keeping it all in check, it’s not a very active site. I don’t randomly add people to it. But, I have deleted content and people from it that deviated. No BS, no threats, just did it. Why do I mention this? Because I’ve been on other groups that deviated. Let’s say it’s for the purpose of this discussion, a local IMRG group (this is just an example) to allow its IMRG members to communicate. If it’s about the IMRG, why would people be posting in it about IIRA events? Or IOA, IARG or HOG? Its stated purpose is for the IMRG. Why would people not part of the IMRG, be posting pics of their bikes in it from around the country? Why would the local IMRG’s dealer be posting all their sales events, and specific bikes for sale, in the group? Now, I’m sure a few folks are thinking right now “Damned Rick, you take this shit serious. Does it really matter?” Well, obviously it does matter to me. And I verbally state it when it happens and I end up stirring the pot within groups and with the admins, because apparently to the average person, it doesn’t matter. But, then, what the hell is the purpose of that specific group? Make it a generic BS group, or whatever. But if the group has a stated purpose, follow it. There, I’ve said it. Heck, maybe you just connected a few dots on why I pissed off some people in the past?
Activity. Just how active are groups and FB pages? This is the interesting one. With Groups, they tend to be more active, because topics are real-time oriented and easily accessible. You can get notifications and jump right into hot topics. On pages, they tend to get notifications pushed out by the page admins, if FB receives $ from the Page owner, or people set up their notifications to get info first. Most people don’t do that. So, the info on FB Pages tends to … go to the few, not the masses. I see this personally on one of my pages. Example: Texas Indian Bikers has just under, 35,000 likes. But, on an average day, only several thousand people see a post. About 2-8k seems to be the average. And that just means it hit their news-feed. Doesn’t mean they read it. Like it. Gave a shit. But, it’s there for them to see. Now, if I threw money at the situation, I could probably double or triple that instantaneously. But, I’m not selling a product. I’m not selling anything. I’m simply using that page to promote Indian Motorcycles within the Texas riding community. It gives me way to channel my energy... interests... among others. And from the comments I get, most seem to appreciate it.
Which brings me to, let’s call it “Human Nature.” This one wasn’t’ apparent to me until I started a few groups and pages awhile back. What I’ve seen and realized is, the average person really doesn’t give a damned what I post on my pages. If I post a pic of the latest upgrade for our bikes, it just goes past most. If I post an event for us to attend, it just goes past most. If you post relevant info on the current bikes, most skim right over it all. But, post a pic of a hot chick on an Indian, and the likes go through the roof. Within that group, one or two folks will complain that it’s borderline porn, or makes the bikes look cheap. But, where were their comments before? Also, if you push out a pic of a truly awesome customized bike, likes will go through the roof. A couple of folks will chime in that the Indian was ruined with the big wheels, or the gaudy paint that reminds them of HDs, but for the most part, it’s positive. Other than that…. Most people, just... don’t care. Now, take that subject over the groups. The average person is looking for a method to channel pics of themselves or their bikes, among others. Apparently doing it on their own personal FB page isn’t good enough. They are part of a dozen groups and they’ll post of a pic of their bike from the ride yesterday, in all twelve groups. Or their new slip on pipes, in all twelve groups. Go to their page, and it’s not there. Sorry, that shit nauseates me. Now, I get when we go do large event ride, say with the IIRA and we post it on an IIRA specific group or page. But, I don’t go post them on the dozen groups I’m in. Is it just me, or are you thinking the same thing? Hell, did you even pick up on that concept before I mentioned it? If not, bet you do now? Hell, I know folks that have created FB groups, have hundreds of people in them, and it’s their main avenue to post their personal pics of their bikes, bike related stuff... even their own personal vacations. It's not on their personal page. Huh? Or, maybe it’s just me. Maybe, I just don’t get it. Or, maybe, just maybe, I do? Now the awesome part of groups is sharing relevant info for all to benefit, or to ask questions to find and answer among your fellow riders. However, I tend to get a lil cranky when the same exact question is asked over... and over... and. Well again. Apparently, most don’t realize they can actually “SEARCH” a group for an answer, before asking a question that was asked and answered, a thousand times before.
Facebook. It’s the overwhelming choice for most of us. But for a few, they’ll never join. They view it as evil! Hell, I myself consider moving away from it. Problem is, so much of what we do now is intertwined with it. But, it’s all about the money. They are selling our info off to the highest bidders. Ads are more prevalent. It’s now big business. Do you remember a decade ago, how ‘clean’ FB was? Streamlined. No ads. No BS. Just basic. Man, I liked that. But now, it’s just ‘normal’ to see updates every few months, additional functionality. No bitching. No screaming like we did back in ’09 when they did a major change. We just say ‘oooh... look ... pretty colors on my status now”. Or, was that just me that said that?
Forums: I’m registered with about a ½ dozen forums out there. Indian Motorcycles related, HD motorcycle related, Rocket III, Ninja, and even Jeep sites. The kicker is, most of them are archaic in the way they present data and the way people interact. It’s sometimes difficult to post pics, info, etc. For the newbie, they can become overwhelming. Most users are anonymous in a way, behind usernames that to some are cryptic. But, the value of them, of most of them, is they have a huge treasure chest of info available. Unlike FB, most of their info is organized and easily searchable. And, a lot of old timers, many whom are anti-FB, are within their ranks. And some, are on both. Hell, I use the same username name on both. On all of them. But, compared to FB, let’s be honest, they are a pain in the ass. Maybe one day, somebody will take the Forum GUI to the next level. Maybe someone has, but I’ve never seen it. In the meantime, I work through it……
In my opinion, the mainstay of the ‘net is still Web Pages. Yet, most people don’t have one. Why would they? Well, I do. I have for over twenty years. Why? I wanted to control my name. My domain name. I’ve used it for my personal email for over two decades. I’ll probably have it until I die. I have to pay for that right, but it’s not much. However, I don’t keep the page current. Hell, don’t remember the last time I updated it. I’m not even going to post the link to it, because it’s not worth even taking a look at. But, I have to admit, I’ve done a fairly good job with the Texas Indian Biker’s page though. It’s got a lot of functionality that I’m just scratching the surface with. Has its own blog, etc. I put this together for the same reason I created the FB Group. For a one stop shop, on events that folks riding within Texas, may care about. And, most importantly, it stands on its own. It’s not part of FB. Or MySpace. Or anything else that can delete my posts, suspend me. And it’s shareable to FB, Forums, emails, etc. That is its value. Hell, I remember someone creating an event years ago in my area and they kept telling people to go to their FB page for info. Well, what if the person isn’t on FB? What if they aren’t FB friends with the promoter? What if they aren’t in the FB Group it’s advertised in? The promoter didn’t get it. They argued with me. Again, this shit makes my head hurt! But, put the info on a Web Page, and it’s shareable. And put a nice PDF or JPG of the event on it, and people can always print it off to share with the Internet Illiterate, or … Bathroom Stalls at your favorite biker bar.
Posting on a Blog. You know, like this is! I’ve come to appreciate this functionally. I really like the fact that the info is out there, and not tied to anything. I could create a specific domain for this, even tie it back to my family name domain if I wanted, but this works for me as it is. Hell, only in the last year have I started putting more info on it. And it’s all in the Public Domain. That’s good and bad. Good is, it is. The bad is, one may want to think about what they are posting so it doesn’t bite them in the ass later? I have to admit one thing, I’ve found myself with a different mindset the last few years. My give a shit factor has changed a little. There was a time in my life, a long time ago, where I went out of my way to smooth things over. To be politically correct. As I’ve gotten older, wiser, whatever one wants to call it, I don’t care as much as I used to. I’ve gotten to where I’m less tolerant of what I perceive as stupidity in others. This isn’t meant as a Political statement, but a statement about Life. There are some things I just no longer have time for. Sometimes those feelings find their way onto this blog. Hey, it’s my personal blog. I’m not trying to add to my “FB Friends List”. I’m not trying to garner followers for this blog. I’m just voicing my opinion, using this medium. Stating facts that I see, that others may not. Dreaming ‘out loud’ about my future, or others that I care about. It’s just a blog. My personal blog. Hell, maybe no one is reading it? So, then, am I really just talking to myself? Is that healthier or worse, than talking to yourself in a room? Just kidding. I don’t talk to myself (much), and … I know you just read this.
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