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Question -- social media

#81
40Hz said:
Up to a point. However, everything you do on FB is monitored. And a lot if it is publicly visible. So just because you're not sharing your personal info that much doesn't mean that a friend can't - or won't. Many times it happens innocently or carelessly, but also sometimes when a spat breaks out. I've seen a lot of very personal info flung around when the fur starts flying in my sister's FB circle.

First rule of the Internet - it was originally intended as a network designed to survive a nuclear attack. So once something is out there, it's out there forever. You can delete data, put so-called privacy locks on it, or try to hide it. But most times anything you do is recoverable. And when it's not, there's always traces left behind. This is not paranoia by the way. This is the natural result of good network design. The only totally secure and private network is the one that's never switched on.
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All true, and, as I remind my friends all the time, when a service is free on the internet, it means you are the product. Also: Never post anything that you don't mind the world knowing. ;)
 
#82
Let me offer another guess from a purely marketing standpoint. My band has a FB page and I keep it up fairly diligently but FB throttles band pages (among others) in order to get them to pay to "boost" their posts. This means that only a fraction of those who like/follow our page will see the event post for our next gig. However, when I then share that post to my personal account, potentially all of my friends can see it. If FB was a cornerstone of this band's marketing strategy, that may be why they were turned off about your lack of a FB profile.

I don't have firm numbers but I would estimate that we get about 95% of our draw via FB. Additionally, I get great utility from FB for learning about other musicians and bands, both local and national acts, that I would otherwise miss out on. I just ignore or block the annoying people.

YMMV but it has been a net positive for me and for my band.
 
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#83
Bunk McNulty said:
All true, and, as I remind my friends all the time, when a service is free on the internet, it means you are the product. Also: Never post anything that you don't mind the world knowing. ;)
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Exactly. There are now high cost (as in two comma price tag) "scrubbing specialists" (some gray but mostly blackhat) that will do everything possible to purge all your electronic traces. But even they don't claim 100% cleaning capabilities. They're extremely thorough. But only as far as it's possible. A concerted search by people with the money, resources, and talent with the know-how (such as major governments and private "information retrieval and coordination specialists") can usually still find a thing or two or ten despite that.

It might have been possible to delete something placed in a public data channel completely and permanently 20 years ago. I doubt it's still possible - or at least not a 100% sure thing today.
 
#90
Wandering Bass said:
Short history -- I used to gig 5-7 times a week, but have taken the last 15 years off due to medical and family issues. I'm all geared up, practiced, and ready to perform again.

I auditioned for a band a few weeks ago. They have singer/drums/guitar/keyboards/sax covered. During the audition we locked right in and had a great time. We nailed the four songs they had requested I learn and jammed a few additional songs, plus I drummed one song, and my backup vocals were...well, good enough with room to improve. Everything felt great. The band leader told me I was rocking it, and he really liked that I can also drum if the drummer can't make it, because he can have his brother (a guitarist) cover bass and put me on drums. All good.

The next day he messages me and says he can't find me on Facebook or whatever, asks for my profile info. I explain that because of what my wife and I do professionally we don't have publically accessible social media presences, it's a very real risk for her. He seems put off by this.

A few days later I get the word -- I'm out. They had chosen me, but went with someone else because of their "vast" social media presence.

Question -- Is this typical these days? Is having a social media presence a requirement for joining a band? Or was this just an odd instance?
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It shouldn't be, but some folks have pretty strong delusions about promoting on social media. I've recently experienced something similar but not as extreme. I had deactivated my facebook acccount and my current BL was pressuring the group to share an upcoming gig event. I gave in and did it, but i know the reality is that sharing that event would likely have zero net effect on who shows up.

Don't get me wrong, i do see the use of it for groups. I do think having a band facebook page is a good thing. I just don't think every band member should be required to have a friends base and blast them with event invites because the result is marginal, usually. If a group REQUIRED me to have a social media presence, then they are not for me.
 
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#91
Wandering Bass said:
Short history -- I used to gig 5-7 times a week, but have taken the last 15 years off due to medical and family issues. I'm all geared up, practiced, and ready to perform again.

I auditioned for a band a few weeks ago. They have singer/drums/guitar/keyboards/sax covered. During the audition we locked right in and had a great time. We nailed the four songs they had requested I learn and jammed a few additional songs, plus I drummed one song, and my backup vocals were...well, good enough with room to improve. Everything felt great. The band leader told me I was rocking it, and he really liked that I can also drum if the drummer can't make it, because he can have his brother (a guitarist) cover bass and put me on drums. All good.

The next day he messages me and says he can't find me on Facebook or whatever, asks for my profile info. I explain that because of what my wife and I do professionally we don't have publically accessible social media presences, it's a very real risk for her. He seems put off by this.

A few days later I get the word -- I'm out. They had chosen me, but went with someone else because of their "vast" social media presence.

Question -- Is this typical these days? Is having a social media presence a requirement for joining a band? Or was this just an odd instance?
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I've never heard of this. If the the is going to be that way about this, it sounds like more trouble than it is worth.

That said, social media is the number one way that bands advertise their gigs and themselves. They will want to put your name on stuff, have pictures of you, etc.
 
#93
I have two accounts on Facebook, real one with several pictures of mine. I use it to keep in touch with my friends. I also have fictional one, with nonexistent name, fake birthday and place of living. I have over 50 "friends" on it (just random people from gaming and metal groups who found me funny). No one in my family knows about it. I use it to comment on public stuff, troll people and whatsoever. I also post dumb memes and stuff, just to make someones day a bit better :)
 
#94
Wandering Bass said:
Short history -- I used to gig 5-7 times a week, but have taken the last 15 years off due to medical and family issues. I'm all geared up, practiced, and ready to perform again.

I auditioned for a band a few weeks ago. They have singer/drums/guitar/keyboards/sax covered. During the audition we locked right in and had a great time. We nailed the four songs they had requested I learn and jammed a few additional songs, plus I drummed one song, and my backup vocals were...well, good enough with room to improve. Everything felt great. The band leader told me I was rocking it, and he really liked that I can also drum if the drummer can't make it, because he can have his brother (a guitarist) cover bass and put me on drums. All good.

The next day he messages me and says he can't find me on Facebook or whatever, asks for my profile info. I explain that because of what my wife and I do professionally we don't have publically accessible social media presences, it's a very real risk for her. He seems put off by this.

A few days later I get the word -- I'm out. They had chosen me, but went with someone else because of their "vast" social media presence.

Question -- Is this typical these days? Is having a social media presence a requirement for joining a band? Or was this just an odd instance?
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Sounds like total B.S. I separate my personal and band stuff on social media too, for myself but more for my wife whose job could be affected, but I do it differently...I do Facebook only for the bands and use a stage name.
 
#95
Sounds like the band leader is too controlling for my tastes.

One of the bands I play with recently picked a new member who's in a very high profile position professionally. It wouldn't do to have him advertised as a member of the band so he plays under a pseudonym and and isn't mentioned on social media. No big deal. He's a good player, nice guy. The band isn't going to succeed or fail based on one person's social media presence.
 
#97
Find that really strange to be honest. My band isn't some big time thing, but 2/5 don't have a Facebook account. Of the remaining 3, 1 doesn't have internet so he checks it once a week when he goes to the library, 1 turned off notifications, and then the last (me) checks social media just as much as your average millennial and because of that I end up managing all our social media almost instinctually.

Even for my band members without Facebook, we set them up a fake account they can use if they ever felt inclined to check out our audience online.
 
#98
It's possible the band was looking for an excuse not to hire the OP, but it's also possible they were being truthful. I know people who think that if you do not have a FB account that there is literally something wrong with you, and that you are creepy and weird. They are almost offended by the idea, as if they find me threatening in some way. Word is that some employers don't like to hire people who don't have a social media presence. I find all this to be a bit disturbing.

And it gets worse, some psychologists think I might be a psychopath: Is not joining Facebook a sign you're a psychopath? Some employers and psychologists say it's 'suspicious' | Daily Mail Online

Society has an odd fixation on this business of putting all your personal business out there and giving up your privacy, so it wouldn't surprise me if once in a while you run across a band that rejects you over the issue. Best to move on and find a band with more brains and respect for your privacy.
 
#99
Seems to me playing out in a band is a social thing. You play at a social gathering. Go figure that "Social media" is a great tool for social events. Ive noticed that the more active people are on social media, the more likely they are to know about your gig and come to your gig. And theyre more likely to hit the dance floor. Who'd have thunk it?
 
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#100
KickingBass said:
The older less tech savvy folks may not think so
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Please understand I'm not singling you out personally, but I always find it amusing how often the term "older" seem to get paired with the phrase "less tech savvy" by some people. ;)

Knowing, or thinking one knows, how to exploit a consumer social media site may demonstrate one's "street smarts" - or "low cunning" as I prefer to call it. But that is not the same thing as being "tech savvy" in my world, which just so happens to be enterprise IT.
 
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