While sharing my thoughts, experiences, wishes, and dreams on social media has led to many blessings, I am now becoming more private online, and that includes ListeningRoomNetwork, our festival and related business activities.
There was a time when we didn’t know each other’s every fleeting thought. And it was OK. Maybe it was better?
There’s something about human nature that seeks to find patterns, something in common. And there’s something about us that is riveted by conflict. Posts on social media, especially Facebook, seeking to share and explore issues too often descend into disrespectful conflict.
There’s also something about us that craves products that seem FREE. The hidden cost is the corporate abduction of our data, repackaged and sold to advertisers, spammers, and even thieves.
The final straw for me was learning that 3 of our Facebook pages (ConcertsInYourHome, ListeningRoomNetwork, and ListeningRoomFestival) had been taken from me. I had invested many thousands of dollars creating and promoting these pages. Some hacker in eastern Europe managed to remove me as admin, severing my access to my followers. How do I know this? Facebook told me.
And even though Facebook has a record of every keystroke I made to create and maintain these pages for years, they would not return these pages to me unless I gave them a copy of my driver’s license. It would be rudimentary for them to establish my identity with the gobs of information they already have. They just want more. I refused.
Of course, after 10-15 years of feeding them my data, I still have tons of useful connections and friendships with my Facebook profile, and it’s difficult to look away. There are interesting and kind people that I can only connect with via Facebook. But if I post something that has anything to do with my business, Facebook finds a way to hide that from you, unless I pay them.
Give us more money. Give us more data.
Trust us. Trust Alexa. Trust Google. Trust that Ring Camera. Trust. Trust. Trust.
Never mind the constant parade of hacks and leaks of our personal information by corporations and government entities.
Give us your info and we’ll make your life easier and more fun. It’s mostly true!
The trend is so powerful. How can you resist? Everyone is doing it.
Do you really want to go backwards?
I have no desire to live in the woods and to cut myself off from modern life. I enjoy the city and I like Google maps. I occasionally like to make a ripple in the water and see who is swimming online.
So – I can’t promise you won’t see me on social media, but I will be as absent as possible.
But the NETWORK? Doesn’t it need exposure and promotion via social media?
Not really. Our members are free to use social media as they wish, and they often share our content. Over the years I’ve found that our best artists and hosts come from word of mouth, not advertising.
For example, one of our artists tells a talented friend, “You have to join this site – it’s where I get most of my best gigs!”
Or an attendee asks a house concert host, “How do you do this?” and the response is “I joined ListeningRoomNetwork.com – they make it so easy.”
So, I’m not paying for clicks on ads and pages. I’m going as directly as possible to the people who appreciate what we do, and working to inspire them so they’ll share what we do.
If you want more, you can subscribe to our Podcast or join our network as a fan.
What do you think? I welcome your feedback here. https://my.listeningroomnetwork.com/contact
Fran Snyder
Founder, Listening Room Network & Festival
Listening Room Network 