Monday, May 12, 2014

What's With All The HashTags

hash tag, number sign, hash tag... is this new language or what?
          hashtag, number sign, hashtag...                                                  is this new language or what?
So I was minding my own business over the weekend doing my normal routine, posting a content post on my social media accounts. Something I have been doing daily to promote my music for a while now. Technology and social media change so fast, often it can be hard to keep up with.  
Like any good entrepreneur I try not only to keep up with the changes, but also to utilize them in order to work smart, not hard. I'm an Independent Recording Artist and that means I need to not only build an audience to sell my music to, but also engage it. Back to the story... so I was minding my own business (Music Business that is) when I had a status come up from a friend in my newsfeed about how the next time they saw someone post several hash tags, or @ tags (@ meaning you tag a "page" so your post goes on that page for it's likes to see) that this friend was going to block then unfriend whomever does it.
Of course I had to comment, there was no way I was going to keep my big fat Greek yap trap shut about this topic. A. because I didn't want the person to think I was trying to "spam" anyone. B. because I genuinely wanted to explain why people are doing it. Especially people who admin pages on Facebook like I do for my music. So we went into a message exchange and as best as I could tried to explain that hash tagging and tagging helps posts to come up in news feeds so friends or likes can actually see them. This person totally disagreed, oh well what can you do.
I understand that some people just want to use Facebook to keep up with friends and think it is the way it used to be when it first exploded onto the scene. A place where people could post random thoughts, photos, videos and openly engage in conversations in a natural uncensored way. Unfortunately that is not how Facebook is anymore. As much as we would like it to be, it has gone the way of so many before it myspace included. Where ad revenue and an all powerful algorithm have replaced true conversations.
The changes are basically that Facebook does not show posts from a profile or a page to "all" of it's friends or likes anymore. It only shows to 1% of the friends or likes. For example on my page I have around 15,900 likes. Back in the old days when I posted an update, it would come up in the news feed of all 15,900 likes. There also used to be an option to send a message to all of those likes. Which was fantastic for a business or Independent Recording Artist like my self to engage with those likes. Now when I post an update, Facebook only show that update to approximately 159 people. Unless.... and herein lies the problem, unless I want to "pay" to "boost" the post. The cost to "boost" a post on a page is utter lunacy. It can range depending on what day or time (as they vary that charge by days and times) from $50 - 300 & up for just ONE status update. For a profile to "boost" a post it's only $6.99 (the one with friends not likes).
Don't get me wrong, I'm a capitalist, and I'm all for people making money. What I have the problem with is, in addition to doing advertising all over the layout now, they have stopped the free flow of communication from people. It wasn't enough to have advertising which I'm totally fine with, but they now are actually charging so that friends or likes can actually "See" what you post, that's the problem. I mean what's the post of even being on a "social network" after all if you can't "be social" unless you "pay" to have a conversation? 
This friend whom I was talking with said people who do all the hash tagging are cheapskates because they do not want to spend the dough to advertise. It's not like everyone who has or admins a Page on Facebook is a corporation or has the advertising budget of Beyonce or Katy Perry. The ones it hurts the most are non profits, or animal rescues. Because the the way the algorithm works is... 1st they only show your posts to 1% of likes or friends on a profile. This is a fact, it has been going on for a few years and began to hit everyone in 2013. Unless someone admins a page they probably wouldn't notice. 
The second part of it which is really the killer - is people are not "seeing" your posts... so they do not "engage" in them. Then Facebook begins to show your posts to even less than the 1%. This hurts not only businesses but non profits very hard. Churches and all kinds of people using "Pages" for a cause or business. Someone like me or a animal rescue is a lot different than a company who has the resources to spend on advertising just so Facebook can make a few more billion.
Of course everyone is entitled to his or her view of it, just where I am coming from. So until the next round of changes rolls around, Greek Girl will continue to hashtag and tag away. It's not "spam" it's making sure that my people actually see the content I post. It's that simple. I hope I've shed a little light on why you might be seeing so much hash tagging going on. Hope you have a great week! 
Blessings, Love & Music ~
Ava :D xo
www.avaaston.com 

No comments:

Post a Comment