Not everyone is on FaceBook......

[two fingers]

..... and from what I read and hear they are not a "hip" as they used to be. Why bring that up here?

Because I'm a guy who shops bass gear. And I'm a guy who will actually look up your band if you mention it here and possibly check out some of you music. And I am unable to see your content, or buy your products, if you are only on Facebook!

I am not "old school" per say. Honestly, I just don't want the drama of social media. I did the MySpace thing and it sucked. People getting passed if you didn't respond to everything they said about you or posted on your page. Women flirting with me although I was married. Just not my thing. I was glad to see it fade away and had no interest in Facebook.

How much can a decent Web site really cost? I mean, I can build one and I'm not exactly a computer nerd. There are hosting and building site everywhere.

There are bound to me lots of us....and not just the older "get off my lawn" crowd. With so little money and effort needed to get a web site up, why cut off such a larger part of your potential market?

This is not a plug, rather an example of what I am talking about. This is a personal friend I fill in with from time to time when she comes this way. She built this Web site and has zero experience with such things. You can buy stuff through it, find her schedule (when she updates it), contact her and link to all of her social media.
Invalid Link Removed

According to her it didn't take all that long. And I think it looks "clean".

Point is, if she can do it, bass builders and bands can too.

Is there something I'm missing? Or am I fooling myself as to how many people on the planet don't use Facebook?

Edit: TO clarify, this is NOT an anti-Facebook rant. (Or at least it wasn't intended to be.) If you use/enjoy Facebook, that is great. I am not putting you down in any way. I was literally kicking off a discussion with regard to ADDING a website to your e-marketing package....and whether or not it is even worth it to do so any more. And I was/am also curious as to whether or not any of you have data regarding website traffic for your band/company/product. Sorry if that wasn't clear. I am not "against" anybody. I am NOT advocating getting rid of your Facebook page, either personally or for your band.

 

[navijaz]

I also don't use fb. Deleted my account in February after 9 years and have not looked back. But we're a rather tiny minority. Your "rant" reminds me a bit of my brother who is the only person I know who for whatever reason refuses to use whatsapp or other messengers. Whenever he complains that he didn't get pictures of the kids or whatever, I have to tell him: Sorry bro, can't move to a remote island and be annoyed that people don't visit.

 

[guy n. cognito]

Some of my bands had a website. The traffic and interaction on them was so low relative to FB that it was almost worthless to keep them up.

I guess if we really want to please all the luddites we should keep up blast emails and flyers on light posts as well...

 

[Joe Nerve]

Facebook IMO is a necessity for the freelance musician.

If it weren't, there isn't a chance in hell I'd have an account.

People nowadays use Facebook like they used to use the telephone. More and more people are becoming incapable of even communicating via a telephone. We see it here on Talkbass from time to time, "Why must these guys insist I call them?!?!?". I play lots of shows, with lots of different people, and it's never about exchanging numbers anymore, or handing out cards. It's about friending each other, and as much as I hate to admit it-- Facebook is pretty good for that. It can give a freelance musician lots of exposure they'd otherwise never get. If Joe Schmo has my number that's great if he should ever need a bassist. But if Joe Schmo and I are Facebook friends, anyone and everyone he ever played with gets to see who I am and what I can do if we post on each others page. It's also a lot more impersonal, which makes communication easier for less extroverted.

I also need Facebook for some classes I've been taking, and I'm going to absolutely need it in a month when I release my book who's name I'm finally ready to start putting out there, 50 Things To Do Before Seeing a Psychiatrist. Interestingly, Silencing social media is one of those 50 things, so I obviously have many more thoughts on this topic.

I think Facebook is incredibly damaging in a lot of insidious ways that most people aren't the least bit aware of. It has it's definite upside, but, yeah... too many negative aspects, and definitely not a place the anxious or depressed should be burying themselves in every day. I think that it is also dividing and destroying our society, but that's the subject of yet another book .

 

[3rdWatch]

I've been off 4 years now, since they used my account name to spam all my friends when I clicked what I thought was a message from a friend. Contacted them about it, they ignored me, so I closed my account. Now...if only I could find a non-Google, Microsoft, Apple smartphone (think Ubuntu) I'd be set.

 

[40Hz]

I don't have a Facebook account. And I never did.

Not too long ago someone I've known for many years asked me to friend her on FB. When I told her I didn't have an account she looked at me incredulously. And then said: "Yeah. Sure." She was angry. And it took me some effort to convince her somebody she knew wasn't an FB subscriber.

There are those who swear by Facebook. And a few who swear at it. I'm in the smaller second group. And though I have noticed some businesses are still insistent that you go through FB to deal with them, I'm noticing fewer doing that now than a couple of years ago when it seemed like a quarter of them were. Especially those catering to the younger and/or "hipper" demographic.

Maybe that's because many in the 'in crowd' are now starting to consider Facebook passé?

But either way there will always be something that will fill the lowest common denominator "social app" role. At one time it was AOL. Then it was Geocities. Then (for a short while) the pseudo VR site Second Life looked like it was going to be the wave of the future. All seemed unassailable - in their day.

Right now FB is enjoying its moment in the spotlight. Someday that place will be belong to something else.

 

[Tectonic]

Have the best of both worlds. A Facebook account with a link to your bands site.
I agree that Facebook is too popular to avoid if you want exposure and accessibility

 

[JRA]

Is there something I'm missing? Or am I fooling myself as to how many people on the planet don't use Facebook?

probably both. but the number of folks on the planet who do use FB = huge!

i'm not a huge fan of FB, but until something else comes along: it is the go-to forum for quickly establishing 'presence'. unless you have a 'viral quality' youtube draw, where else can you post onto the great/vast www and get some sort of recognition for your personality/band/business/etc.?

both of my bands have websites, accounts on FB. some youtube stuff, twitter, yada yada. it's not that anyone of those outlets are so great by themselves: but all of them (and more) are what potential audiences/paying customers like to use to stay 'in it' or get information or spend time using for recreation. your reference to the diminishing 'hipness' of FB may have to do with the 'elder creep' that has taken place since FB began as a forum for college age youth. i think 'boomers' have taken over the site: people like me (and you) who want to have a connection with family and friends, express pointlessness on a regular basis (you can't relate to that?), and get info and pictures (posts) of say (in my case) grandchildren.

for all of the time you/we spend on TB, blowing off about irrelevancies here: it's interesting that you'd be so critical of a forum that could/would help you get more work, or help you put a positive spin on one of your projects, or just be another source of communications. it's one contemporary form of 'getting the word out'. also: 'crowd sourcing' an upcoming gig is a social media phenomenon. it's the only convenient way to get to potential customers in a 'targeted' fashion. you cannot do that with only a website, per se. if you are on the www, you have to find a website (someone told you to go and look). on FB, you are 'found', just by signing up. again, i'm not a huge fan, but it's one of those venues that is too significant to ignore when promoting.

it's the modern equivalent of 'going where the people are' to get/reinforce a following. you don't have to like it to get those benefits. but you do have to use it to get those benefits.

 

[lfmn16]

Or am I fooling myself as to how many people on the planet don't use Facebook?

Making a band successful is hard enough without purposefully making it harder. Technology is neither good nor bad, it's all how you use it. Your competition is using Facebook, that in itself is reason enough to use it yourself.

 

[mellowinman]

Facebook is a tool of El Diablo. It robs you of your soul, and creates only emptiness in its place. It was created by the worldwide global conspiracy to spy on you, and it will loosen your fillings while finding its way into your wallet. It is pure evil, and must be purged. Or maybe it's the turnips I ate. I forget.

 

[StayLow]

Free and easy DIY web sites - Free Website Builder | Create a Free Website | WIX.com

Never been on FB myself, or any (anti-) social media. No grumpy old Luddite here, rest assured. Very far from it. It's a lifestyle choice. Joe Nerve's post above speaks much truth in that respect.

When I tell people I'm FB-free, their knee-jerk reactions are invariably a variation of "Awesome! Never give in!". Then they realize how awkward their enthusiasm is given they're on it, so they start to justify why they're on it, the number of times they've quit it, the endless online drama they really can't stand, etc. without me asking or saying a word.

It's the exact same reaction, tone and justification/excusing I got from an on-again-off-again junkie I once knew when I told him I didn't do hard drugs (other than the rare prescription).

I love reading gig posters. I get such a laugh when rather than listing the date, time and place they list their FB site for info. Like I'm going to waste time typing a web address into my phone's browser just to find out it's an old poster and the gig was last week.

Perhaps they think it'd be a win just to have someone visit their site regardless, but in my case I obviously don't and I doubt many do. I have far more than enough bands to check out audio and live in various cities to need to discover more via FB. Far more than enough calls for gigs already, and far more than too much time spent staring at a screen. E-mailing lists and word of mouth is plenty.


EDIT: Actually there is the rare time a woman thinks I must be hiding something, like a wife and kids, if I won't give my FB/etc. info. which I don't have. I accept that they've perhaps been burned that way in the past by liars, but it's not my problem so if that's their worldview I'm happy to leave them in the dust so I still call that a win.

 

[two fingers]

Making a band successful is hard enough without purposefully making it harder. Technology is neither good nor bad, it's all how you use it. Your competition is using Facebook, that in itself is reason enough to use it yourself.

Oh I get that part. And I am not pushing for any particular way of doing things.

I am literally asking if building and maintaining a web site (which doesn't seem that hard to me) is simply not worth it these days. And I'm also putting out there that there are millions of us who don't FaceBook. So I suppose I am at least advising that you may be losing a significant part of your potential market.

 

[two fingers]

By the way, this came to my attention this morning when I was reading through a thread about a guy looking for a particular kind of bass. Another TBer mentioned a brand he should look into. I went to research that brand. There is NO WAY to get up with that guy other than FaceBook. Zero. There is no phone number posted anywhere. You simply have to go through Facebook to contact the guy. Period.

That seems crazy to me. Even if your website is exactly one page with other ways to contact you and a few pics of your work, I would think a bare minimum like that wouldn't be too much effort.

 

[guy n. cognito]

Oh I get that part. And I am not pushing for any particular way of doing things.

I am literally asking if building and maintaining a web site (which doesn't seem that hard to me) is simply not worth it these days. And I'm also putting out there that there are millions of us who don't FaceBook. So I suppose I am at least advising that you may be losing a significant part of your potential market.

In my experience, traffic on FB is dramatically higher than a web page....dramatically.

My current band has both. Over the last month we've added over 75 new followers on FB....but not one hit on the web site. Not one.

 

[two fingers]

Some of my bands had a website. The traffic and interaction on them was so low relative to FB that it was almost worthless to keep them up.

I guess if we really want to please all the luddites we should keep up blast emails and flyers on light posts as well...

Ha! And I was prepared for that hard realization. Do you happen to remember any rough numbers about traffic? That's what really interests me about this whole discussion. If 250 people a week swing by your Facebook (or whatever ways they are able to view your content) and literally 4 or 5 hit the website I see your point. But even if a few dozen a week hit the website it seems worth the hassle.

 

[guy n. cognito]

Ha! And I was prepared for that hard realization. Do you happen to remember any rough numbers about traffic? That's what really interests me about this whole discussion. If 250 people a week swing by your Facebook (or whatever ways they are able to view your content) and literally 4 or 5 hit the website I see your point. But even if a few dozen a week hit the website it seems worth the hassle.

In my experience, traffic on FB is dramatically higher than a web page....dramatically.

My current band has both. Over the last month we've added over 75 new followers on FB....but not one hit on the web site. Not one.

 

[two fingers]

probably both. but the number of folks on the planet who do use FB = huge!

i'm not a huge fan of FB, but until something else comes along: it is the go-to forum for quickly establishing 'presence'. unless you have a 'viral quality' youtube draw, where else can you post onto the great/vast www and get some sort of recognition for your personality/band/business/etc.?

both of my bands have websites, accounts on FB. some youtube stuff, twitter, yada yada. it's not that anyone of those outlets are so great by themselves: but all of them (and more) are what potential audiences/paying customers like to use to stay 'in it' or get information or spend time using for recreation. your reference to the diminishing 'hipness' of FB may have to do with the 'elder creep' that has taken place since FB began as a forum for college age youth. i think 'boomers' have taken over the site: people like me (and you) who want to have a connection with family and friends, express pointlessness on a regular basis (you can't relate to that?), and get info and pictures (posts) of say (in my case) grandchildren.

for all of the time you/we spend on TB, blowing off about irrelevancies here: it's interesting that you'd be so critical of a forum that could/would help you get more work, or help you put a positive spin on one of your projects, or just be another source of communications. it's one contemporary form of 'getting the word out'. also: 'crowd sourcing' an upcoming gig is a social media phenomenon. it's the only convenient way to get to potential customers in a 'targeted' fashion. you cannot do that with only a website, per se. if you are on the www, you have to find a website (someone told you to go and look). on FB, you are 'found', just by signing up. again, i'm not a huge fan, but it's one of those venues that is too significant to ignore when promoting.

it's the modern equivalent of 'going where the people are' to get/reinforce a following. you don't have to like it to get those benefits. but you do have to use it to get those benefits.

Well stated. I'm still not going on Facebook, but nothing you said here is irrational.

That being said, you did say you guys do it all.....Facebook, YouTube, website, etc. And that is what I am advocating. I never said one should NOT use Facebook. I only suggested they should ALSO have a website, even if albeit a simple one. And, actually, it was more of a question as to its value.

Thanks for the input.

 

[BlueShox]

I couldn't imagine being in a successful band today and not having to use facebook. My group has a website and e-mail as well, but 95% of our booking and promo is by way of facebook. Maybe it's because our fans are in their 20s and 30s and that's how they communicate, but IMO if you're not using facebook then you're shunning a very powerful marketing tool at the expense of being "old fashion" or "disconnected". You don't have to use it for personal uses.

We're an original band; I have a personal page, which you need to host a band page. On my personal page I have about 200 friends, all real life, and almost all who have been to shows before. Those are the ones I invite to the gigs. I don't follow anybody but my wife, so no "news" comes to my feed from them. The only people I follow are large bands who I want to be notified of tour dates (because I want to go see them myself), and local bands and venues who will often post about openings and gig opportunities. I'd honestly have a hard time wanting to hire somebody into our band who wasn't on facebook, because I'd be a little unsure how useful their promotional efforts would be outside of it. All 3 other guys in my band are on it, and in the "events" that we make for gigs I can see exactly how many people each member has invited and how many people have accepted or declined the invites. I don't have a problem calling up member A and telling them they need to put a little more effort into promotion. We do the online promo in combination with more old fashion techniques of flyers, getting into print media, calling local radio stations, etc.

 

[El Spearo]

I am the complete opposite. If I go on a Facebook page and all it has is a link to a website, I usually just hit the back button. Not interested at all.

 

[GwenOnBass]

Facebook is disempowering to me for reasons best not amplified here. I avoid it like the plague.