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Dialing Back Social Media

It’s not as social as it was promised.

Ransom
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There are over 11,500 people who’ve told Facebook they want to see what I post there. Yet in the past month the highest number of people who’ve been shown any single post is around half that, the next highest about a quarter, and the average being more like 300 or so.

Facebook is holding you ransom: I can PAY to “boost” my posts to more people. Not only is this a game I can’t afford to play, I wouldn’t even if I could. It’s extortion, pure and simple.

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Twitter isn’t much better.

As a result I’ve decided to reduce my activity on social media.

There will continue to be automated posts of new articles and videos, but because both Facebook and apparently Twitter like those even less (the links take you off of their platform), they’ll show you even fewer of them.

So be it. I’ll check in occasionally to answer questions, but I’m no longer going to make the extra effort I had been to tailor content for Facebook and Twitter, or work my social media presence.

Besides, I have an EXCELLENT alternative. It’s completely free, completely in your control, and completely free of social media platform meddling.

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Each week you’ll get an email with my commentary, the list of the answers I’ve written and updated that week, and the videos I’ve produced answering questions and addressing the tech topics of the day. And you then can come converse with other readers on the site.

Yay!

Social media had promise, but they’ve let me down. They’ve let you down. I could go deeper, but I’ll leave it at that.

Take back control and sign up today: askleo.com/newsletter.

And since THIS post won’t be seen by everyone, maybe tell a friend or two as well.

Thanks,

Leo

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3 comments on “Dialing Back Social Media”

  1. I can see where social media would be useful for some but it’s definitely not for me. I had a Facebook account about 10 years ago and deleted it after about a week. All I saw was narcissism running wild. Not for me. I’m not on Twitter, Instagram or any other flaky platform either.

    Reply
  2. Hi Leo,

    I’m already subscribed to “askleo.com/newsletter” and have been for a while now. So just to be clear, it appears the Confident Computing newsletter will still arrive as usual and not as a separate subscription.

    On the matter of social media, I understand its ability to expose your content to a broader audience but at what cost? Fortunately for me I don’t have ANY social media accounts nor want any. They only seem to want to glean as much information about you in order to “pimp you out” to advertisers or worse. But it’s how they earn a profit… I get it, but I don’t want my information “out there” if I can help it.

    At first I thought you were going to say it was because of something you’d said or had done. I’ve never known you to engage in politics, religion or an other controversial subject(s), just computer software and hardware talk. Though that can cause a few arguments as well (Apple products vs. Windows or Android). But as it stands they just want you to pay handsomely to play. Good for you for not playing their games!! I just looked at your Patron page and I’ll help out that way. Thanks for all you do.

    Reply

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