Social Media Mastery

Is it possible to copy exactly what a successful poster has accomplished? Anything is possible, but not everything is probable. Time has passed and the Internet, people, and world have changed because of it. To duplicate an experiment one must set all conditions to the original. Since time has altered the Internet i.e. added new, deleted old, or edited existing content and users, an exact replica cannot actually be reproduced, only a version or piece with a new personality, yours. Scientists aren't known to set open flasks of solution out in the world and expect the solution to remain unaltered.

Free will and human preference take center stage as eras meld from interest to interest. Following trends via hashtags, keyword usage, Headline News titles, or per social network site even for a week will show how finicky human Internet interaction can be and how innovative verbage can turn mainstream. Slang, memes, text abbreviations, and other colorful forms of communication can be termed as a sort of group code. Much like the artists of old who "hid" messages into their design for the "groups" eyes only, salty, image, and yvw do not convey the same meaning to those out of the loop. Salty to taste, beach life, or acting in a sassy fashion? Image, what do you see when gazing at a Van Gogh? It might be very different from anothers take-a-way. "yvw" is a text abbreviation for you're very welcome (or you van washer, can't be sure). All forms of artistic conveyance require the beholder to explain relative the to beholden. Know your target audience and communicate effectively for those included.

"Selling" also always doesn't mean exchange money for goods or services. Selling or advertising your personality, brand, or page in exchange for followers, likes, and reposts is what social networking equates to at it's core. Like it or not trading time, energy, and content for attention is a form of sales and marketing expectation.

The variable list when dealing with Internet data is extensive. Timing in general seems to be the biggest variable contributor that an Internet poster cannot readily affect. Having a ring-side seat to the WWW (World Wide Web) since it's inception, the show has been intense on occasion, other times the river hardly flows. The capricious nature of humans and algorithm updates both ring in the top tier of uncontrollable variances capable of interfering with a posters endgame. Where one chooses to post their content or when a poster is swayed by research data, advice, or opinion are both influencers an individual does have opportunity to affect. Others posting on the same or similar topics at the same relative time? There isn't much of a chance to halt the posting of others. If those others also have greater influence on social media, those posts are likely to outweigh your own.

Timing encompasses many layers of having ones hand on the pulse of Social Media and all that that implies. Not an easy task when posed thusly but, nevertheless, we post on. Timing relative to the hour of the day, month of the year, holiday season, or year in history matter greatly but many aspects of timing are just out of our control. Daily life takes time for work and family. Being mindful of a schedule will allow for set time to interact with the Internet during the most optimal moments. These moments are for the poster to decide. What time to post? What is the post about? Bartenders work late hours, posts directed to this group will probably not get much traction during business hours. Fishermen usually wake early in the am reading the newest posts with their morning coffee. Are you on Eastern Standard time but your target audience resides in California? 

There are also the things one cannot change about time like war, economy, tragedy, algorithm updates, or weather disasters. This is where adaptability really comes into play and where Internet success or popularity often just happens without concrete explanation. Two separate posters with equivalent content, one soars, the other seems to creep. This outlier situation doesn't happen often to the masses, but periodically to the few. A very interesting situation to watch occur, we have been blessed to witness it a few times since the start of the Internet. The endgames were as unique as the individuals with one going from rags to riches to rags, another riding along with the first but landing firm in the red, and a third knowing completely that it was the current of timing taking them to another plateau. What worked for one may not offer the same outcome when not acted out in the same timeframe. 

Free will and human preference take center stage as eras meld from interest to interest. Following trends via hashtags, keyword usage, Headline News titles, or per social network site even for a week will show how finicky human Internet interaction can be and how innovative verbiage can turn mainstream. Slang, memes, text abbreviations, and other colorful forms of communication can be termed as a sort of group code. Much like the artists of old who "hid" messages into their design for the "groups" eyes only, salty, image, and yvw do not convey the same meaning to those out of the loop. Salty to taste, beach life, or acting in a sassy fashion? Image, what do you see when gazing at a Van Gogh? It might be very different from another's take-a-way. "yvw" is a text abbreviation for you're very welcome (or you van washer, can't be sure). All forms of artistic conveyance require the beholder to explain relative the to beholden. Know your target audience and communicate effectively for those included.

The snapshot right was taken from Whole Whale and shows a graph from Buddy Media. The article is named "Hashtags on Facebook" and is a very good read. The article does not actually give a great deal of advice instead listing in a neat format others views. The thing about this graph and research is the graph doesn't factor in the Tweet's content. For instance, a first hand account of an explosion at a power plant will often get much more interest than a photo of breakfast cereal unless that cereal belongs to a celebrity. The variable list when dealing with Internet data is extensive, often misleading, and a joy to discover. Posing questions while viewing data and answering them honestly is likely to assist in reaching set goals. Remembering to take breaks periodically to refresh oxygen levels with exercise will also expand productivity. Stop and smell the coffee, roses, or printer ink along the way. To believe one can master an everchanging universe constantly expanding is folly, but one may strive to master a virtual portrayal of themselves. Navigate carefully and consistently, pointing your compass (and posts) toward the truth.

Search your favorite Hash Tags on Facebook https:// facebook.com/hashtag/ReplaceTypeTopicHere

Stephanie Haile aka Wavecritter

Blogs and Social Networks

Each individual adding content to the Internet through social media, networks, ad campaigns, blogs, or created websites is in essence "a poster". One who adds photos, text, video, audio, graphic design to the net or manipulates existing content posts and is the term used here to encompass all who input. These are only our observations and thoughts, go forth and gather some of your own.