Results May Vary

When In Doubt, Try Something New

"i have not failed. I've just found 10,000 ways that won't work."
Thomas Edison

Yesterday’s social media experiments were a mixed bag of nuts.
My internal dialogue fluctuated from “AH-HA” to “OH FUTZ!”
But they did help clarify a few things…in ways big and small.

As an aside, the experiments also indirectly led to me discovering the clip above of Jackson Dean singing the national anthem, circa 2018.

While Dean’s a new-to-me country artist now, I can see myself becoming a big fan. His soulful, country-folk voice and all-American done right aesthetic are right up my alley. Granted, I’ve only sampled a few of his songs. But I’ll be listening to more soon.

Jackson Dean

Back to the actual social media experiments: Based on my personal experience and preliminary results, here’s where our accounts are as of this morning:

• TUMBLR
  While the traffic is slight, it remains my #1 (by a mile) for its discoverability and lack of hyperbolic asshats (at least on my feed). Also a great research resource.

• THREADS
  After realizing how little actual engagement and ability to see what/who I want, I decided to “Private Dancer” this account.

• TIKTOK
  Not so sure I’m interested in posting here, but did enjoy finding a couple of accounts for inspiration.

• X/XITTER
  Decent for research, but unless you’re trying to reach porn accounts (or listening to asshats fight), what’s the point? Another “Private Dancer” account.

• PINTEREST
  Meh. It stays in the mix. Good for research, though posting only works if you pay to play. Which I refuse to do.

• INSTAGRAM + FACEBOOK
  Two more “Private Dancer” accounts. Meta-Static…nuff said.

One result of focusing on social media yesterday was I didn’t make a montage for the first time in several weeks. While I did post a trio of videos on our Too Channel (fka Second/Too Channel), I honestly needed a chance to recharge my batteries.

Also…the increasing negativity in the video comments (from homophobic hot takes to alleged tastemakers thinking they could do better) has been taking its toll on me.

‘I LOG INTO A TORTURE CHAMBER EACH DAY’: THE STRAIN OF MODERATING SOCIAL MEDIA (The Guardian)

Once upon a time, I thought stories like the one above were just clickbait. But I now realize how moderating the comments on our small YouTube channels can be painful some days.

Yesterday was one of those days. Yesterday was also the day I paused all comments for 12 hours…folks, myself included, needed to chill the fuck out. I will admit that it was nice not waking up to who knows what in the comments. As much as I love the kind words of encouragement, I’ve decided I won’t be checking or engaging with comments as much going forward.

Here’s the message I posted about it earlier:

Now that all that is done, today’s plan is about getting my montage mojo back. And also about celebrating some wins (including a new PAID subscriber on SUBSTACK and new SALES on our SHOP).

Thanks for reading!
Clint

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