I joined facebook a long time ago to keep tabs on my daughters. I now have an account for one reason: Facebook marketplace.
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Social media. Am I missing out?
- Thread starter NickyBass
- Start date
You can join FB groups you like, block people you don't like, and put as much or little personal info there as you want - suit yourself.
I resemble it, too, but I've been yelling at Facebook since way before I got old.. heck, I was yelling at MySpace. The fact that there are alleged benefits to it (and yes, some of those are valid) does not tip the risk-to-reward balance in it's favor for the vast majority of people, whether they recognize that fact or not. There are benefits to heroin, too, but not enough to make using it a wise decision for all but the terminally ill in untenable pain.
The issue with social media in general, and Facebook in particular, is that it is replacing, to an exponentially increasing degree, normal face-to-face or at least voice-to-voice, kind, thoughtful human interaction. We are simply not better off, as a society, relying on a medium for communication that strips away the nuances of facial expression (Yeah... .right.. "emojis" are just as good... sureeeee......), vocal inflection, a soft touch on the arm when making a joke to make SURE the other person knows it's just a joke and you DO care about them....
The little hits of dopamine when you see someone "like" your post.. the constant need for validation of one's opinions on a minute-by-minute basis.... I've seen it ruin too many people's lives and relationships. Folks are weaker for it, less tolerant because of it, reliant on it for happiness rather than actually living full, productive, kind lives helping those in their community. Yes, I have a very strong opinion about this. Yes, there ARE people who DO use social media and do fine... it is possible. There are also people who, for whatever reasons, can drink a fifth of booze every day, smoke two packs a day, and live to be 90 years old. Doesn't mean it's a good idea.
There... I yelled at it some more...
Just my opinion. I had a Facebook account for about two months, many years ago. Saw the awful side of a lot of people I used to think quite highly of, closed my account, and never looked back. Also been an active participant on several other forums over the years... two for pilots, a few vehicle-specific forums to help with keeping some of cars/trucks in good shape, some electronic forums to help repair and build gear, and two sailing forums. EVERY last one of them, the longer I participated, showed folks devolve into cruelty, intolerance, and hate. Not everyone, of course, but usually the most frequent participants; the squeak wheels, the loudest mouths.. they ruined it every time. This place seems quite friendly, and the rules so far seem to be enforced QUITE fairly and evenly. Kudos to all. Maybe it's the ol' bass player vibe...
To those who dig FaceBook, Instagram, etc... dig away. Just be careful. The biggest danger is that the dangers are not apparent.
Just finished practicing for a few hours, and my hands are sore. Gonna go play with my dogs and take my wife out for a beer. Life is good. Blessings to all.
it's pretty active where I'm at. I've gotten tons of gigs and bands from my FB connections. As far as like, streaming and promotion and stuff that's not really what I do, but networking has been good to me
I don’t have any good modern stories. I recently joined some FB groups for similar reasons, but my experience is you have to filter through so much shiz I am not sure when it will be worth the time. Hopefully you have a better experience wherever you live.
facebook is stupid
instagram is stupid
everything is stupid
instagram is stupid
everything is stupid
Talkbass is my social media.
If I take a peek at friend’s social media feeds I just see junk.
When people ask me about not having any social media, none say that it’s a bad idea.
If I take a peek at friend’s social media feeds I just see junk.
When people ask me about not having any social media, none say that it’s a bad idea.
I use facebook and instagram to promote concerts and keep track of my local music scene. As I recently moved cities (~2 years ago) I have found it quite useful to get my name on the map and connect with other players. I tend to use them more as a notice board and visual portfolio than as a way to interact.
I don’t know how helpful it is in the end and I have very much considered cutting it off now that I have as much work as I am looking for. However, it does seem to be a key part of the artist promotion landscape and, the way I see it, if I’m not doing that labour then I am relying on my band mates to do it so I might as well stay in the game a bit.
I have heard a lot of credible critiques about the impacts of social media on mental health so it would be good to move away if I am not actively gigging in the future.
I don’t know how helpful it is in the end and I have very much considered cutting it off now that I have as much work as I am looking for. However, it does seem to be a key part of the artist promotion landscape and, the way I see it, if I’m not doing that labour then I am relying on my band mates to do it so I might as well stay in the game a bit.
I have heard a lot of credible critiques about the impacts of social media on mental health so it would be good to move away if I am not actively gigging in the future.
Aside from YouTube (which I never comment on video anyway) I don't use any type of social media..... it drives me crazy and in general the people that use social media are the ones that look like they have their phone surgically attached to their hand.
Nothing good comes from social media. They track what you do and say. They build a model of you and your behaviors and sell that to other companies and the government.
Stay away.
Stay away.
I would start with defining your target audience (age, for one). Different segments of society (especially age) communicate differently. Myspace was all the rage years back until the "old timers" got on it, and the kids moved to Facebook. Now, even Grandma is on Facebook.
As an "old timer" who is also a techie, I feel a better presence for a band is a custom web-site. A custom web-site can also have a chat area, or even a forum. Email too, of course.
Facebook always seemed "weak" by comparison with a custom web-site: to me. Really, in the "old days" the only real option was to create your own website. Now, social media makes it MUCH easier, but the features are limited, and whatever you do, it "looks like" Facebook.
Again, it comes down to your target audience:
As an "old timer" who is also a techie, I feel a better presence for a band is a custom web-site. A custom web-site can also have a chat area, or even a forum. Email too, of course.
Facebook always seemed "weak" by comparison with a custom web-site: to me. Really, in the "old days" the only real option was to create your own website. Now, social media makes it MUCH easier, but the features are limited, and whatever you do, it "looks like" Facebook.
Again, it comes down to your target audience:
- Do they use computers much?
- Do they search via Google, Facebook, or X (Twitter)?
- Looking for audience, musicians or venues?
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Facebook has plenty of groups and it really is beneficial for networking. Marketplace has had a few gems that I was able to score for good prices as well.
Theres also plenty of groups and pages dedicated to whatever you’re interested in.
It’s not a bad time as long as you don’t take it too seriously
Theres also plenty of groups and pages dedicated to whatever you’re interested in.
It’s not a bad time as long as you don’t take it too seriously
FaceBook has some good accounts of people who post interesting factual tidbits...IF those tidbits are your kinda thing.
Ditto a X (twitter), or a Gab, Parler, or a MySpace.
Like a TalkBass, these things eat away at your time. TB does however for me anyway, allow for some great info, and a place to make commentary on passing events and gear. Many great posts here over the years. Ditto many other platforms.
It all depends upon what you're looking for.
I'll scroll FaceBook for a few things I signed up for; mainly Detroit Rock Scene page and Raquel Welch memorial threads. Not too much else over there I find worth the time. Ditto X.
If it's about band promotion, then you gotta post your best pics, have some catchy graphics and you have to keep the posts & pics current to give the impression a you & your act a happening!
