As we continue on our social media obsessed path here at LvlUpDojo, we take a twist back to some of the negatives that come with these platforms we rely on.
The main staples of social media are Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat, Facebook, and YouTube to a certain extent. Recent changes to the Instagram algorithm, Snapchat story display, and YouTube monetization requirements have demonstrated that these platforms cater to large scale corporate accounts and needs. Small creators will have an increasingly hard time building their brands and reaching their own followings. Facebook has had terrible reach (if you don’t pay to promote your posts) for years, and the other platforms are joining in. They want to make money — we can’t really hold that against them, but we don’t have to play entirely by their rules either.
These algorithm changes aren’t the only thing we need to worry about. There have been several horror stories recently about entire Instagram accounts being deleted without warning or manual review.
Content creators, like LisaLouWho with her cosplay, rely on social media for their livelihood. If that can be deleted overnight without warning, we really need to build redundancy into our followings.
The first kind of redundancy is obvious. One social media platform is not sufficient, we have to have accounts across as many as we can handle. Newer platforms like Mastodon and Vero may have lower userbases, but they have chronological feeds and may grow further in the future. Adding these to your normal rotation with Twitter, Facebook, Instagram etc may start to feel complicated, but it will probably pay off eventually.
There is a second kind of redundancy that everyone should consider investing time into developing. While social media platforms give us massive reach and the possibility to go viral, there is also a benefit to having complete control over your own following. This comes from running your own website. A personal website will not have the same reach or ability to build followers as established social media, but it is entirely in your control. Websites are as customizable as you want. They can host a history of blog posts, pictures, and videos without having to worry about corporate deleting it all.
The best way to ensure you reach your following is to set up an email subscription program. Email is starting to feel like the new snail mail, but people still have to check theirs regularly. A website is a great way to create a place to set up an email newsletter (but it isn’t necessary). Newsletters can be used to advertise your other social media, let people know events you will be attending, announce new changes, showcase new videos, or anything else that seems newsworthy. This gives you a direct contact with your following that you control.
Social media may be a powerful tool, but we have little to no say in how it will change in the future. Investing the time to develop redundancy into your communities will make sure your hard work will never be wasted, and your livelihood will remain safe.
Want to get more advice on how to protect your followings? Join the LvlUpDojo discord and start talking with other streamers and content creators today!
