Epiphany 5 - With Facebook, the internet now comes to you.
In theory.
Let's assume you have fifty friends. Yes, I understand that in real life you probably only have ten. But on Facebook it's easy to find yourself with some advanced popularity; as friendship maintenance only extends to some clicks here and there, and maybe a birthday wish.
It's not uncommon to see many of my friends and peers with more than a thousand friends - which seems crazy - but if you include real friends, high school friends, college friends, work friends, peer friends, client friends, family friends, spouse friends, girlfriend friends, boyfriend friends, parent's friends, kid's friends, church friends, synagogue friends, coven friends, book club friends, gym friends, volleyball friends, friend's friends, etc - it can add up.
(I personally have 500 or so friends on Facebook. Of course, only five might pick me up at the airport. Or call me on the phone.)
But I digress.
Ok, so how does the internet come to you? Well, firstly through your friends and family. Facebook is crowd-sourced; that is Facebook provides nothing but a software framework/architecture for you to post your thoughts and/or linked media.
So let's say you logged on the other day because you just wanted to see what's going on. In addition to seeing pictures of a friend's (or family member's) recent trip to NYC, a Washington Post article they just read, a video of Shit ____ Say they liked/shared, or an Instagrammed photo of what they ate for lunch; the other day was MLK Day. At least ONE of your friends posted a video of MLK's dream speech, a U2 video, or copied/pasted an MLK quote. Now you know it's MLK Day - the internet has walked up and slipped something under your door.
How else does the internet come to you?
In addition to your fifty friends, you've also subscribed to various personalities and brands. You've 'liked' NPR and the New York Times. You've also 'liked' various thought leaders, groups, and causes. So these, too, gently knock at your door, and show up in your news feed.
So, theoretically, that's how the internet comes to you.
Let's move on.
Epiphany 6 - There is no Emily Post of the internet age. So there are no rules/guidelines on what/when/how often to post.
But let's start with this: anything more than 5 posts a day is TOO much. Seriously. Do you really need to share and express EVERYTHING to EVERYONE? Must we know where you are at ALL times? And what you're eating? Do we NEED your thoughts on Paula Dean - although it is funny in a sad ironic way.
You're coming off as a little needy and/or seemingly desperate for attention. Just saying, but that's the takeaway. It looks like you're having a copy/paste rant fest at your computer.
Perhaps you're not getting enough attention/strokes in real life. Real life can be a drag. Totally understand.
Let's take a moment to get into some specifics:
Bible bangers: Here's the thing; I'm going to speak for the group here. We feel uncomfortable with the stuff about Jesus and how He has risen and so sayeth the LORD and blah blah blah. We don't go into your church and proselytize Facebook.
Politicos: You're preaching to the choir. Facebook is a closed set. None of my friends have anything nice to say about the GOP either. You ARE my friends. We're all on the same page/screen here. It's like shooting fish in a shot glass. That said, the petitions and Daily Show shares are pretty awesome.
Advertisers: You are creative, hip and cool. But think about your brand. Think about the message. Be careful not to water it down, or oversaturate the market. Sometimes it seems you're trying way... too... hard. Less is more. You know that.
Ranters: Get a blog.
Sycophanters: We see you. We know what you're doing. It's creepy.
Lurkers: Even creepier.
Supermoms: Your child is beautiful and smart. So is your dog. And so are your girlfriends from high school, college, and work. But not more than once a day. And probably not every single day. Let there be some mystery.
Superjocks: It's weird to see you cheering in a status update. It's like hearing a joke in real life and saying "LOL!" We get it - you're excited. It's just weird to see that you typed it out.
Superjock jocks: It's awesome you have a gym routine. But not EVERYONE needs to know it. Anything that has to do with electrolytes or body fluids should be your own business.
Ubernerds: The stuff about video game levels, needing magic coins, what Star Wars character you are, anything that has ville at the end, and waiting in a line overnight to buy the new Halo is all out loud. Girls can hear you.
Bottom line, I don't know.
I really don't.
It's a free country. You should be able to say/post whatever you want whenever you want however you want.
Of course, that's what Twitter is for.
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