September 2013
My Turn
JR Snyder Jr. on Social Media and Me
My Turn
JR Snyder Jr. on Social Media and Me
JR Snyder Jr
JR Snyder Jr is a former resident of Tucson, now living in the Phoenix area and plotting to return to Tucson. Snyder is a freelance writer and photography artist. He recently posted this essay on his Google+ page. Snyder is in one of my circles on G+, and the essay caught my attention.
Many of us creative types put a lot of effort into posting news of our work - new art exhibits, new books, new performances, new music CDs, etc. - onto social media. I don't about you but I wonder if it's worth the time and effort. Snyder makes interesting comments here about which social media outlets he has dropped, and which he continues to follow. You are invited to comment on this essay, and comments will be posted at the end of Snyder's essay as they come in. Editor
Social Media and Me: A Re-Emerging Artist Rethinks the Web
by JR Snyder Jr.
Recently I've been noticing a trend among some people, and it really struck me recently in a discussion on a global corporation website that replaced their various intranet sites with a single site. It's an interesting concept, a mixture of company news, department resource pages (i.e., HR, Benefits, EEOC, Training, etc.), blogs, and discussion groups all with a social web component. An interesting discussion was held in a corner by the social web teams regarding how team members were personally pulling back from the social web while still using it for business purposes since it is after all their job at the company.
The Guardian recently published an article by Paul Mason Which Should I Leave First: Twitter or Facebook?
As it happens I personally also know a lot of people who are doing the same thing albeit not withdrawing completely. Personally I got completely off Facebook in late 2009 and reduced my presence to almost nil on Twitter. When I received an early invite to Google+ from having been on Buzz I never expected it to take off the way it did nor to get the number of followers I have. In 2010 except for posting to my website blog daily I was not much interested interacting on the web but then came along a new and exciting site.
Lots of changes and developments have occurred since its inception. I dabble with Tumblr and Pinterest accounts although I have grave reservations about the general public's inability and disregard for attributing work of any artist on "reblogs" or "repins." I think most people have no clue. When I first started posting my work on Google+, I had reservations, but at the time I was in a different mode and opinion of sharing. I'm beginning to rethink that and not even spending the once or twice a week on Pinterest or Tumblr I do. The only social website I spend any real time on is the professional business site LinkedIn, and I don't want to give up being engaged to some degree on G+.
To me the internet has become the new newspaper, magazine and cable tv outlet, a method of transmission that if not already will shortly be dominated and controlled by corporate America. The difference is the head of a Wall Street firm or entertainment company such as Disney may no longer be the "rock stars," but the names will be Andreessen, Page, Zuckerberg, Mayer, et al. What is developing I think in the social media world is it is not only becoming more of a marketing tool for corporate giants and smaller companies but also for individuals and small businesses. That is the good news, for relatively no or little cost an individual or small business has access via social media tools to market, sell, advertise, promote without expenses previously beyond their reach.
The interaction of users is simply the mechanism of gathering an audience for advertising. It is not a dirty word, and the internet cannot remain free since underlying is an infrastructure that must be maintained. It is the same with a content media company on the web gathering an audience to sell products. We are seeing the transformation of content, products, services and media platforms in front of our very eyes. Google+ is at the forefront of that with the integration of its own products and services as well as a mechanism for others to market and sell on the site. They are developing more than an audience but consumers who also interact with each other. Your view of that depends on your view of economics and markets.
Many of us creative types put a lot of effort into posting news of our work - new art exhibits, new books, new performances, new music CDs, etc. - onto social media. I don't about you but I wonder if it's worth the time and effort. Snyder makes interesting comments here about which social media outlets he has dropped, and which he continues to follow. You are invited to comment on this essay, and comments will be posted at the end of Snyder's essay as they come in. Editor
Social Media and Me: A Re-Emerging Artist Rethinks the Web
by JR Snyder Jr.
Recently I've been noticing a trend among some people, and it really struck me recently in a discussion on a global corporation website that replaced their various intranet sites with a single site. It's an interesting concept, a mixture of company news, department resource pages (i.e., HR, Benefits, EEOC, Training, etc.), blogs, and discussion groups all with a social web component. An interesting discussion was held in a corner by the social web teams regarding how team members were personally pulling back from the social web while still using it for business purposes since it is after all their job at the company.
The Guardian recently published an article by Paul Mason Which Should I Leave First: Twitter or Facebook?
As it happens I personally also know a lot of people who are doing the same thing albeit not withdrawing completely. Personally I got completely off Facebook in late 2009 and reduced my presence to almost nil on Twitter. When I received an early invite to Google+ from having been on Buzz I never expected it to take off the way it did nor to get the number of followers I have. In 2010 except for posting to my website blog daily I was not much interested interacting on the web but then came along a new and exciting site.
Lots of changes and developments have occurred since its inception. I dabble with Tumblr and Pinterest accounts although I have grave reservations about the general public's inability and disregard for attributing work of any artist on "reblogs" or "repins." I think most people have no clue. When I first started posting my work on Google+, I had reservations, but at the time I was in a different mode and opinion of sharing. I'm beginning to rethink that and not even spending the once or twice a week on Pinterest or Tumblr I do. The only social website I spend any real time on is the professional business site LinkedIn, and I don't want to give up being engaged to some degree on G+.
To me the internet has become the new newspaper, magazine and cable tv outlet, a method of transmission that if not already will shortly be dominated and controlled by corporate America. The difference is the head of a Wall Street firm or entertainment company such as Disney may no longer be the "rock stars," but the names will be Andreessen, Page, Zuckerberg, Mayer, et al. What is developing I think in the social media world is it is not only becoming more of a marketing tool for corporate giants and smaller companies but also for individuals and small businesses. That is the good news, for relatively no or little cost an individual or small business has access via social media tools to market, sell, advertise, promote without expenses previously beyond their reach.
The interaction of users is simply the mechanism of gathering an audience for advertising. It is not a dirty word, and the internet cannot remain free since underlying is an infrastructure that must be maintained. It is the same with a content media company on the web gathering an audience to sell products. We are seeing the transformation of content, products, services and media platforms in front of our very eyes. Google+ is at the forefront of that with the integration of its own products and services as well as a mechanism for others to market and sell on the site. They are developing more than an audience but consumers who also interact with each other. Your view of that depends on your view of economics and markets.
JR Snyder Jr_Dawn to Dusk_
The people I know are posting fewer personal items on social media but turning to interesting posts related to their field of endeavor, and also including information about what it is they do whether they are an artist, writer or have a small optical shop or vitamin store. In other words they're limiting their personal posting to what works with their personal work. I sometimes wonder if it isn't burnout from "over-sharing" but I don't spend time analyzing it, I just notice it.
There is one huge reason I am aware of though and the popular term is ‘time sink.’ It's difficult to be productive and spend a lot of time on the social web. it’s different than working at a PC productively whether on the internet or not. There are other reasons just as there are also plenty of people who have time to spend on the social web and also thrive on it. I am not stating an opinion about them, criticizing or judging them, more power to them, there is room for all kinds in this brave new technological world we live in.
For me time is difficult to balance. I have professional employment which can consume anywhere between 20 to 35 hours a week over 6 days from 7 AM to 9 PM depending on the week and day and the demand. Balancing that with my freelance writing and other freelance work I do along with my deciding to re-launch myself as an artist with work to sell my time is limited.
So…I’m rethinking about where I spend my time and what I give away for free. I’ll avoid the diatribes I hear of those who have discovered their work plastered unattributed across the internet since after all we all have willingly posted it. I’m back to sticking to my website blog, long overdue for a makeover, still spending most of my social web time on LinkedIn since it does...well, often makes you smarter business-wise. But I’m also not giving up on Google+. I withdrew from most of social media several years ago and in that sense I suppose I’m ahead of my time! I like G+ too much however to let it go but I do need to approach it differently I think and that is an ongoing effort to be worked out over time.
If you made it this far into this long essay I appreciate it. Here is a link to an article also from The Guardian that discusses why Google+ is coming on the radar of those marketing gurus who ignored it six months ago. For better or worse here come the marketers and I think it will have an impact on the site although gradually until the arrival is suddenly clearly embedded.
Why Google+ is becoming a necessary social media channel for marketers.
To learn more about JR Snyder Jr.'s art, see http://jrsnyderjr.com
Call for Feedback from your Editor:
If you want to comment on JR's essay, write me at editor@SonoranArtsNetwork.net with your message and make sure I know it is in response to JR. I'm not going to use a regular Forum on this website so we can avoid trolls (nasty, mean-spirited people who write nasty mean-spirited messages) or spammers trying to sell us whatever. So write your response and I'll post it right after JR's essay. What do YOU think about social media?
There is one huge reason I am aware of though and the popular term is ‘time sink.’ It's difficult to be productive and spend a lot of time on the social web. it’s different than working at a PC productively whether on the internet or not. There are other reasons just as there are also plenty of people who have time to spend on the social web and also thrive on it. I am not stating an opinion about them, criticizing or judging them, more power to them, there is room for all kinds in this brave new technological world we live in.
For me time is difficult to balance. I have professional employment which can consume anywhere between 20 to 35 hours a week over 6 days from 7 AM to 9 PM depending on the week and day and the demand. Balancing that with my freelance writing and other freelance work I do along with my deciding to re-launch myself as an artist with work to sell my time is limited.
So…I’m rethinking about where I spend my time and what I give away for free. I’ll avoid the diatribes I hear of those who have discovered their work plastered unattributed across the internet since after all we all have willingly posted it. I’m back to sticking to my website blog, long overdue for a makeover, still spending most of my social web time on LinkedIn since it does...well, often makes you smarter business-wise. But I’m also not giving up on Google+. I withdrew from most of social media several years ago and in that sense I suppose I’m ahead of my time! I like G+ too much however to let it go but I do need to approach it differently I think and that is an ongoing effort to be worked out over time.
If you made it this far into this long essay I appreciate it. Here is a link to an article also from The Guardian that discusses why Google+ is coming on the radar of those marketing gurus who ignored it six months ago. For better or worse here come the marketers and I think it will have an impact on the site although gradually until the arrival is suddenly clearly embedded.
Why Google+ is becoming a necessary social media channel for marketers.
To learn more about JR Snyder Jr.'s art, see http://jrsnyderjr.com
Call for Feedback from your Editor:
If you want to comment on JR's essay, write me at editor@SonoranArtsNetwork.net with your message and make sure I know it is in response to JR. I'm not going to use a regular Forum on this website so we can avoid trolls (nasty, mean-spirited people who write nasty mean-spirited messages) or spammers trying to sell us whatever. So write your response and I'll post it right after JR's essay. What do YOU think about social media?
COMMENTS
I appreciated the read. I just opened my facebook account last week. I'm quickly learning to be ruthless in my editing what I will see. I've got a lot to learn from Mr. Snyder.Thanks as always, George Strasburger
Note that JR says he's using LinkedIn for professional purposes, and he is continuing with Google + but he has left Facebook. FYI Facebook was first but it's not necessarily the best. Facebook is often described as a "personal" social media network. Mostly it's for people you know now or knew in the past. Google + is an "interest" network. That is, it's easier to connect with people who have the same interests be it writing, photography, techie stuff, education, gardening, or whatever. The two networks are not organized the same so if you check out Google +, be sure to read about "circles" which don't work like Facebook "friending." I was on Facebook and left because I tired of Facebook deciding for me which posts I got to see, the privacy issues, etc. G+ doesn't have those problems and it's much easier to use, too. It's also integrated with other Google products and services. I'm much happier on G+ where I've found a community of artists and writers that is international in scope. If you are on G+, circle me! .........C.J. Shane
I appreciated the read. I just opened my facebook account last week. I'm quickly learning to be ruthless in my editing what I will see. I've got a lot to learn from Mr. Snyder.Thanks as always, George Strasburger
Note that JR says he's using LinkedIn for professional purposes, and he is continuing with Google + but he has left Facebook. FYI Facebook was first but it's not necessarily the best. Facebook is often described as a "personal" social media network. Mostly it's for people you know now or knew in the past. Google + is an "interest" network. That is, it's easier to connect with people who have the same interests be it writing, photography, techie stuff, education, gardening, or whatever. The two networks are not organized the same so if you check out Google +, be sure to read about "circles" which don't work like Facebook "friending." I was on Facebook and left because I tired of Facebook deciding for me which posts I got to see, the privacy issues, etc. G+ doesn't have those problems and it's much easier to use, too. It's also integrated with other Google products and services. I'm much happier on G+ where I've found a community of artists and writers that is international in scope. If you are on G+, circle me! .........C.J. Shane
