I ‘Unlike’ You | Social Networthing
I was just on my Facebook Author Page, stumbling through the statistics and realized, quite by accident, that I can tell when someone likes my page AND when someone unlikes my page. I had one unlike on April 28, 2016. This got me to thinking about why someone would unlike a page they had explicitly agreed to like. Then I began to wonder if ‘unlike’ was actually a word. Then if you spelled it, did it come with or without a hyphen? My thoughts descended into this general chaos for awhile before rallying back up to the more philosophical and hopefully more compelling questions of liking and un-liking in our life streaming society and how that can be tied to our self worth.
So my little Facebook Author Page isn’t much. We’re a small, but merry band of 283 likes most of which are my friends from my real facebook page. I say real and do my author page and injustice, but I don’t really know if I know how to use a professional facebook page. This got me to thinking, “Does anyone?”. Then I ask myself why? Why can’t I just talk about my writing on my personal page? Because somebody somewhere said, “That’s not how it’s done.” So I ran off like a good do-be and created my Facebook Author Page, then asked everyone on my personal page to like it. I asked all 588 of my facebook friends to go and like my official author page.
Yeah…it was kinda like that.
The response was a bit underwhelming. It was demoralizing. I mean, I didn’t expect all my 588 facebook friends to jump over and like my author page, okay…maybe I did. But if they didn’t, how was I supposed to reach the great hoards of the story hungry? Where were the players without game masters? Where were the heroes on their heroic journeys? I had what I thought was some fertile soil in my social networks before starting off as an Indy Author.
All I ever wanted to do was to tell a few good stories to some willing listeners. To transport their minds, for even the briefest moment, to another reality. To make these hypothetical listeners/readers question the nature of reality and for a time…to believe in something more. At what point did my voice, my story…the magic of other realities, quantum portals and ancient Councils get tied to a fucking blue and white thumbs up button?!
I think that’s the real kernel of my dilemma. I don’t really care if someone unliked my page or liked my page for that matter. I care that it appears, the only way I can get any real feedback from my stories is through this same piss-poor paradigm of social networthing.
How many followers do I have on twitter?
How many likes do I have on facebook?
How many email addresses to I have in my mailing list?
These are the metrics that I’m told hold value, when all I really want is to see a face light up with wonder at my worlds.
If you’re interested, something will be hitting the streets on Summer Solstice (June 19th for the uninitiated and those too lazy to use The Google.) If you’re on my mailing list, you’re already in the know.
Audio books, trilogies, novellas…Soon there’ll be movie rights negotiations and George R.R. Martin sleeping on my couch! If you want to keep up with the latest writerly news in the world of Russ Viola, there’s a widget at the bottom of this page that says: Let’s keep in touch. Put your email address in the box next to it and Join Team Mojo. I promise to be worthy of your trust and keep you informed of my shenanigans.
Found Objects is out now.
The Secret Life of Statues is book one of the Tools of Creation Saga. Check my books for links on where to buy the ebook or physical copy, and I guess you’re supposed to ‘LIKE’ me on my Facebook Author Page. Check out my tumblr and twitter feeds if that’s your thing.