The five articles below came from five different sources. All today! If you actually browse them you will think I was doing a research on this topic!
Talk about synchronicity! Perhaps my conscious and unconscious querying is reflective of the state of affairs all over…so that would constitute as a subliminal research of sorts…and this means the virtual world is headed towards the emergence of a new wave of online connecting…or maybe that is just my wishful thinking…
For the last week I have been wondering all these thoughts and questions that are addressed in the articles below.
Specifically, given my gliding in cyberspace is not even a year old, I am learning that people are not ‘authentic’ to the ‘product’ or ‘brand’ they market. Example: came across a website via someone via someone else via someone else where this individual had amazing quotes and inspirational points about being “yourself” and “creating a sense of connection” in order to market your product etc. Yet this person had no time (not assuming no interest too) to respond to anything any commentator had left for any of their articles or posts. And some of the comments were actually more on point than what the author had himself stated! That is one such example.
Or another example:
As some of you know, I do have a twitter account. I originally signed up because of a road trip mama and I took last July from NYC to California to update some friends who were already on twitter or eventually signed up to see where we were. Hence my twitter account name: so_you_know LOL!
Then I used twitter to jot down thoughts when I didn’t have a paper or pen. And then I discovered–oh–I can follow news links this way from The Economist or Newsweek. Not to mention I get all my sports updates from the two biggest sports fans I know–my twinards: Ali and Amir. And then I discovered some people via other people who provided links to articles and information that there was no way I would stumble upon unless I was doing a research article of some sort–since the information they provided was of interest to me, so I decided to follow them. Some followed me back and others are editors of their magazines and probably didn’t even notice that another person is following the information they put out there.
As one good friend chided, how did you skip facebook and go straight to twitter?! They are different to me. But then again, I don’t have many “followers” and neither do I “follow” many, so maybe in my experience so far twitter feels a tad more useful for my purposes. This is not to say I have not come across people on Twitter who are so self-absorbed that it is like being locked in a room with a person who can’t stop talking about themselves (yes, some of us have have actually worked with certain such individuals in real life! LOL). I don’t have to put down those on certain social networking sites in order to simply state which ones are not for me (majority of them!). My point–you maintain the boundaries and the balance, be it on twitter or facebook or any other social networking site.
Apparently in the blogosphere everyone knows everything (or no one knows anything or rantagaolore) and has to sell that knowledge, lack of knowledge, and their rant. And it sells.
And yet there are some very unique websites, blogs, etc. out there providing great useful information or sharing astute viewpoints that are a breath of fresh air in the cyber pollution without the main purpose being aggressive marketing or worse, clandestine marketing. That’s more disappointing.
I will never understand the wavelength of driven marketers, especially those with disingenuous networking strategies. Can others really not see that? Marketing for marketing’s sake is just not my style; I get so bored I can’t even pretend to stay engaged. I mean–who am I kidding? Despite having subscribers to my personal website who were never originally on THE email List (I know! Hard to believe! hehe!), I continue to email articles, updates, etc. to those I know personally as if I never had a website.
I think human race is at the beginning stages of the next phase in our evolution where, although some might still be looking for meaning or have accepted there is no meaning but overall are essentially tired of that search, as long as an interaction is authentic–even if those involved are only faithful just to the moment which will be gone too soon–it provides satiety. Or maybe we have been stuck at this stage since antiquity and it is just hitting home for me now.
Anyway, if you don’t have much time:
the first article is super short and just facts.
the second article is simply brilliant. brilliant. brilliant. MUST read.
the rest are great and quick as well, but if you don’t have time…just read the first two.
cheers,
~a.
Online Status Anxiety: we’re a craven species, obsessed with status for the sake of status
Logging Off: Frequent User or Internet Addict?
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Mmm, I like this
@Rabi Shumba – Thank you. I do not think one has to abandon authenticity to promote something one has to offer.