Haters gonna hate

Something I cannot figure out, and maybe you know the answer. More and more people tell me all the time (at least those in the professional digital marketing arena) that they don't like Facebook. They say that Facebook is annoying and is being taken over by brands. I even recently heard that the growth on Facebook isn't new users, it's actually for new brands and other type pages.

So, if all this is really true, and I could see that it very well could be...where is social media headed? At some point, these websites need to make money - and I understand that. If you ask me, the launch of Facebook ads is what started its demise. Now it's overrun with ads and sponsored posts...and don't worry, I add to that as well; with content as relevant as I can possibly contribute! :)

Twitter is starting to allow masses to sponsor tweets and accounts - so, in theory, they could be next to go down the drain when anyone and their dog can start spamming your already cluttered feed.

Instagram is discussing the idea of allowing brands to upload "high quality" pictures into your feed (as an ad). As you may know, Facebook is their parent company, so adding an advertising element is not much of a surprise.

I could go on and on about how this is potentially bad for social media, but I don't think I even need to continue my rant...because it's endless.

I suppose my only question would be: will the big social networks actually ALLOW a user to pay a subscription fee to avoid ads? I mean, in the old days, (ha) that's how it was done. You got an ad-free experience for paying a membership or subscription fee. Or, will social media networks continue to be ad hungry and once they realize they have hooked some users at a fast pace, unleash an advertising network.

Again, I get it. They need to turn a profit. But at what cost? Geocities what? Myspace where?

Expert schmecktert

I just need to put something out there. Digital marketing, social media, email campaigns - and everything in between...continue to evolve daily. DAILY. DAILY.

Thank you for reading the word "daily" three times.

I have something to get off my chest to those folks that call themselves 'experts'. Yes. I'm talking about the people that are "self proclaimed" experts in digital anything. I don't think you can really claim to be an expert when things change daily.

That said, I do think it is okay to accept that as a compliment. For example, if a peer or another digital marketeer said "Josh, you rock out digital marketing. You're the only one I know with this type of expertise and skill set. You're a valuable asset to our organization and the marketing community."

To that I would say, thank you. BUT I think it's something totally different to claim to be an expert at something that changes daily, and you KNOW it changes.

Another example. Let's say you're a barista at Starbucks. Can you be an expert barista? Absolutely. Brewing the perfect cup of coffee is a craft. You have to learn how, and for the most part, things don't change. You've got beans, water and a machine of your choice. You can choose to use that same machine the rest of your life and still make and sell coffee and have it be delicious (just make sure you clean the filters on occasion).

I hope there are others that agree with me. If not, they are probably experts in digital marketing.

Don't Cry Wolf

I'll get straight to the point on this one. If you're complaining about a brand, experience or something similar in social media, I find it difficult to consider your feedback as genuine when I see your compliant and proceed to review your ultra-negative tweet feed.

As a helpful hint, don't abuse your social media channels, especially twitter. Granted, once you post it, it immediately becomes old news. However, for those of us who find a single tweet interesting, if we comb through your other tweets and find that you will rant about anything and everything, without a genuine contribution to the digital community, you lose credability very quickly.

Use your brain when you post. Also, if you can't fit it into 140 characters, link your followers to a blog. Tweeting 5 tweets back to back, telling your story on twitter is rather annoying and defeats the purpose of twitter. It's called microblogging for a reason!

Uh oh, I just blogged a negative blog about negative tweeting. #doublestandard