Social Media Profit Driven Enterprises

While using social media we need to remember that it isn’t run for our benefit, but to make as much profit as possible for the shareholders. This makes certain operations better because they are more profitable. 

It's one of the reasons I really don't like some algorithm making decisions about what and in what order I see things. The algorithm for any of these services is based not on what I want to see, but what the company will keep me on the site for the longest time and make them the most money. It's interesting, I don't really mind having ads in my timeline. I just ignore them. It's the fact that the order in which things are shown aren't based on anything that I care about.

I really like to have my entries presented in (reverse) chronological order. If you put an add between some entries, that's OK with me. Just don't muck with the entries that I want to see.

Thinking about Facebook, Twitter, and the others as profit-making entities helps keep me from getting too worked up about things. After all, I grew up with broadcast television and am used to the add-based model. As long as the ads aren't obtrusive I'm OK. I don't really like pop-up ads because they get in the way of my actual interest. Ads that start playing the minute I hit a page cause me to immediately get off the site. If I want to hear your pitch, I will click on your ad. Don't shove it in my face.

I'm also unlikely to pay for things on social media sites. I already pay for streaming and I don't want to pay for reading articles just to avoid the ads or let people that I'm me.

I think that users need to realize that corporations are greedy. They will work to get every ounce of profit from their enterprises. Media outlets are no different. It we want to fight greed in social media, we need to make it more profitable for them to give us what we want and shun those outlets that don't do that. 

Fight with your pocket book and hit them in the only place that they care about -- THEIR pocketbooks.

Moving to Streaming

 We have dropped our cable television and now have only 1GIG Internet service from Fidium. This will reduce our bills and provide us with service. 

We have adopted Roku equipment for our televisions. We don't have all the new-fangled smart TV's, but have added Roku streaming devices.

We still like some local TV, so we have adopted YouTube TV. We also have Amazon Prime and Paramont+. Have nad Amazon Prime for some years and use it to make purchsses, music streaming, movies and original programming. We go a free year of Paramont+ from T-Mobile and decided to keep it after the free period.

It's early, but so far, things seem to be working well. The streaming also has some other advantages, for example today I am writing this on the laptop while watching the Youtube TV on the large monitor. This is something I couldn't do before. You can probably tell that we don't have a lot of the latest technology and really don't want it. But, we are moving into the future.

The objective of this move is to reduce costs so I don't think we will be adding any additional services although we may change services as we use those we have. So far, the setup of services seems to be OK for an old retired guy and his younger and still employed wife.

More as we gain more experience with this setup.

Another Mastodon Update

 

Here I am again after spending even more time on Mastodon. (breedlov@mastodon.sdf.org to be specific). I'm finding it entertaining. As you probably know, I abandoned Twitter the day that Musk announced his intention to buy it. I felt it would be the shit-show that it has become and I didn't trust the rich kid to make it any better. In fact, from what I read it is quickly sliding to the right to join the other "T" social media site backed by Little Lying Donald.

I'm still getting the hang of it and I don't spend a great deal of time there, but it is most definitely becoming one of my "Other Places". Interestingly enough, I like the web interface better than the IOS interface (sorry, don't have Android to check it out.) The web interface seems to be more flushed out and allows me to do more with the site.

So far, I don't really have a theme to the 200+ posts I have made. Mostly, I respond to things and post articles with comments that I have found on Feedly. But, that is the same pattern that I follow on other sites. I'm a bit of a news junky and like to see what's going on in the world (yes, I follow more than US News). In fact, I like to have different views than the US press and talking heads. I track the UK, Germany, and Al Jazeera among others just for that reason.

I have added many of these sources to Mastodon for tracking, but I suspect that I will get most of the information from them on feedly. I like the interface and it allows me to see pictures and get the gist of articles easily without having to read the whole thing.

On the topic of following, I have not unfollowed anyone so far and have followed a larger number of individuals than I did on Twitter. Not sure why this is. I'm just trying things out to see what works best for me. So far, things are working the way I thought and are holding my interest. I'm not sure, however, how many toots I am missing because they scroll by. 

I did go to "slow mode" to keep things from scrolling off the screen when I am on the site as I like to #Explore and view the #Federated posts (they really whiz by).  As you can see from the picture I probably still miss some toots because of the sheer volume at tome times.

I'm just getting into following hash-tags. I'm trying out the advanced interface on the web version to see if this helps. It will take some time to see just what works best.

More later.

Mastodon Update

I have spent a bit more time on mastodon and I'm thinking it will be a good place to be. Definitely better than Twitter under Musk. I have even been through a problem which wiped out my entire account. Everything is back to normal -- whatever that is -- and I'm starting to post and read more. I'm looking forward to spending more time there.

One thing I would like to see changed is the way images are handled. I'd like the ability to size the image and control its placement. We'll see how things progress.
 

Twitter Advertisers not happy with Ad Placement

https://www.theverge.com/2022/12/7/23497928/twitter-advertisers-brand-safety-unbanned-accounts-white-nationalists

Ads for around 40 high-profile brands and organizations have been spotted on the Twitter pages of white nationalists, according to a report from The Washington Post. Ads from brands including Amazon, Uber, Snap, and GoDaddy, media companies like USA Today and Morning Brew, and even one government organization, the US Department of Health and Human Services, were seen on the offending Twitter pages.

I can understand this and I commend advertisers for hitting back at Musk where it counts--in his pocketbook. This is the only place where egos like Musk's feel any affect. The "T" media (Twitter, Truth Social) need to understand that, if they choose to go violently to the right that they will face consequences and the only consequences that they care about are their wallets.

I certainly wouldn't want my ad next to any right-wing radical. I don't even want to be on Twitter once Musk announced that he was buying it. So I can imagine trying to make money on the platform -- unless, of course the company condones the actions of these right-wingers. If they do, I assure you they won't get my business.

I am always amazed that any corporation who wants to sell to women, minorities, liberals, any decent human being would want to advertise on a site like the "T" sites. I just can't understand their support for these radicals and their hatred and bigotry.

Yeah, I know, I'm an old white dude and as such, should be more right leaning. But, that portrayal of old white guys is off, at least in my case. I grew up in the 60's and am actually pretty liberal. Just take a look at my previous post to understand where I'm coming from.

The Places have Changed

 
When Elon Musk announced that he was going to buy Twitter, I quit. Just like that. I figured the site would become a shit-show and, from what I read, my feelings are justified. We'll see. As an alternative,

I have moved to Mastodon. You can find me at @breedlov@mastodon.sdf.org. I'm still evaluating the site, but, so far, it has to be preferable to the new Twitter under Elon. It seems to me that social media sites starting with "T" -- Twitter, Truth Social -- are sinking deeply into the right-wing radical swamp. DEFINITELY not places that I want to hang.

Will Mastodon be a place where I will want to hang for long? We'll see as I spend more time there.

Coronavirus: Where are you?

I'm at home. Where you should be, by the way. (OK, this isn't really my house, just an illustration.) Except for walking around the neighborhood, it's about the extent of my travels since this whole thing began. But, physical location not what I mean.

I'm retired, so I spend my days around the house anyway. But many of you are either laid off or working from home. I feel bad for those of you who are laid off and I wish you the best. For those of you working from home, keep up the good work. What I'm interested here is where are you online? Are you watching television, listening to the radio, streaming -- how are you coping with being at home and avoiding contact with other people, at least physically?

I grew up as an only child and am pretty much an introvert, so this isn't as bad as it might be for those of you who get a lot of social contact regularly. I did work for over 50 years and breaking the habit of not going into work starting in January with a bit jarring, but the isolation of this coronavirus situation is adding to that feeling even for me.

I find myself in several "places". Let me first say that I'm physically in Sacramento, CA, USA. But, electronically, I'm all over the world. I text my grown kids and my wife is still going to work during the day, but I do see her at night. I check up on my neighbors and call friends a bit more often, but generally I find myself around the house alone. Yard work and other chores occupy some time and I walk around the neighborhood for exercise and just to get away. But I spend much of my other time online. Here are just a few "places" I find myself, with my comments.

Regular "Places"

Here are some of my regular places. I guess you can say I'm a news junkie. I like to get perspectives from a number of sources around the world.

Feedly

I like this RSS application. I use Feedly as a replacement for the morning newspaper. I have several sources from across the world. I find it interesting to see news and commentary from other countries. I also like the fact that I can configure the app to show me stories in chronological order and skip the order that some algorithm thinks I should see. As I have said many times before, I really don't care what's popular or trending. I will decide what's important for me and view that. Lay things out in order and let me choose what to read.

Facebook

Yeah, I know, I'm an old guy. But, I'm here. Again, I set things up to show the latest posts and read the things I want to read, not some things arranged by some AI. I also post most comments here. Facebook allows for more options when commenting and stating my feelings about stories. I will also place things from Feedly here with my thoughts.

Twitter

I do a quick scan of the latest tweets especially when there is breaking news. The usual latest order rather than what someone else thinks is important to me. I tend to follow most of the same news sources that I find on the other services, but I also follow local politicians and thinkers from various points of view. I sometimes check Tweetdeck during breaking stories. However, if you put in #coronavirus, the posts fly by so fast that you can't really make sense of them. The same thing has happened with other breaking news. I tend to keep my home source, Sacramento, Northern California, and Boise. These are places I'm interested in and it helps me see what people are saying in and about these areas.

SmartNews

I have this on my phone an tablet. It allows me to pick up some additional sources without having to have them constantly in my news feed on either Facebook or Twitter. I generally look at this once a day to see if there's anything else that I might be missing. There generally isn't anything, but, like I said, I'm a bit of a junkie.

GoComics

When I got a regular physical newspaper, I read the comics every day. This site gives me the same experience. You can select specific comments to follow so that you see the ones that make you laugh and ease the day. I follow mostly the old classics, but I do follow at least one political cartoonist.

Sometimes I find something to post to Facebook. Lately, it has been the political cartoons because of things going on with the whole virus situation.

I find that I need this comic break each day. It's something like meditation to keep me away from all the bad news that comes through websites and news feeds.

Reddit

I have had a Reddit account for many years. I have spent little time there, but have recently started to check it daily. I'm looking for any odd information and, especially for something humorous to lighten the day. I find that one must keep their sense of humor in these times. I look for light things, but, steer clear of anything mean or malicious which might be posted.

Other "Places"

I also have other places that I occasionally. For example, I have an Instagram account, but I really don't spend a lot of time there. I don't take selfies and have little to post there. I also have a LinkedIn account. But, since I have retired, I only visit that place every week or so. I really am not looking for a job as I'm sure you can understand.

Just in case it seems that I spend my whole day in these "places", now that I walk, ride the stationary bike, bicycle outside, read books, work around the house, take care of the yard, and, yes, even watch television. As much as possible, I try to maintain my regular life. I am a lot more cautious and don't go to stores or drive to other communities to work as I used to. But, I find the routine calming and the exercise beneficial.

I wish you all the best.

Where will You Watch TV and Niue’s?

Now that the streaming wars are starting, where will you watch and how much are you willing to spend? One estimate that I read said that users will have to spend a minimum of $70/month to view what they see now.

It it worth it to you or should some other model be adopted? More on this later from me. What do you think?

The Buy Shit Channel

I like to look at news and social media in the morning. This take the place of reading the newspaper for me. But in doing so, I have come to the realization that many of the “channels” which purport to give you news on trends and technology are really “buy shit” channels.

They often just post PR from manufacturers and sellers without adding anything to them. I’m sure they are getting commissions for anything sold when you click on the links in the articles.

So, I’m wondering that they are really up to. Are they just trying to get us to buy more shit we don’t need in order to impress people we don’t really like? I think so.

Makes me want to just curl up on a corner and not look at anything at times. I think I’ll put down the tablet and go for a walk.

On-Call, something I will NOT miss in retirement

I'm sitting here listening to a network maintenance call after hours. Being on-call is DEFINITELY something I will not miss in retirement. After I retire, I look forward to being able to stay up late, get up late, and not be interrupted by a phone call in the middle of the night.

For the 22 years I have been at the California ISO, I have been on-call. Sometimes for weeks at a time. Luckily our on-call rotations are generally not a problem as we don't get calls. But, the very fact that we are on call causes some consternation as you are always expecting a call. And, while you are on call, there are things that you can't do and, you have to respond within an SLA to a call.

So, my personal on-call will start on 1-Jan-2020, but, hopefully, it will only be for fun.

Retirement: Where do I go online?

Retirement is coming:

• 45 calendar days
• 22 work days

and I'm looking at my online presence. I'm wondering where I should stay and where I should be after retirement and what sort of presence I should maintain.

It's interesting after nearly 56 years of employment what adjustments should be made. I have been several places because of my employment and other places because of my non-work life.

At a minimum, I will need to change my status from employed to retired. I imagine there are other things which will have to be changed, including things I am "following". Many of these are related with my job and will probably not be relevant to my retired life. I also imagine I will be adding things as I get involved in them.

Then there are places which I wonder if I should be involved at all. For example, LinkedIn which is concerned with getting a new job. I will not be looking for that, hopefully, unless something goes really wrong with our finances. I know, right now, that I am actively pruning things which seem irrelevant to my next phase and may even drop my membership completely.

More as I get further along in the process.

Hey, Google! Want me on a Chromebook?

Google,

If you want me on a Chromebook, provide an application like OneNote. It's as simple as that. Make the application as useful and easy to use and I might actually switch.

What do you have open?

It has been a while since I wrote anything here. Lately, I have been looking at my workstation and thinking about the programs I have open. Here's a look.

Every day, I open these four application:

• Outlook
• IE (our corporate browser standard)
• OneNote
• Skype (formerly Lync)

In addition, I might keep Chrome open periodically. Except for Chrome, I don't close these until I shutdown my workstation at the end of the business day.

Unlike some people, I don't keep a lot of windows and applications open, but I live in these applications. My workstation has to be able to handle all the development and office tools (e.g. Word, Excel) that I use throughout the day as well as these four applications which I use pretty much consistently.

Which applications do you live in?

 

Too many bowl games?

I like football as much as the next guy -- OK, maybe not as much as some guys, but I watch it -- but there seem to be an inordinate number of college bowl games during December. In fact, so many that I lose interest in watching them. What about you?

Don't Decide the Order

HEY, Social media!

Don't use some fancy algorithm to decide the order in which I see things. I don't need any AI or other technology to decide what's important for me. I like to see things in the order in which they were posted--that's it.

If you want to insert an ad or promoted site, that's OK. I understand that your primary goal is not to provide me with information, but to make as much profit as you can. I can ignore those things easily.

But don't decide to rearrange the order of things just because I have looked up something or bought something. Because I buy toilet paper online, doesn't mean that I'm interested in toilet paper in any way other than it's utilitarian use. Just because I look at some electronic gadget, doesn't mean that I can afford or am even interested in some other similar gadget.

Just because I read an article about someone or something doesn't mean that I have a broad interest in some other thing that might be vaguely related to that article of make some corporation more profit.

Just keep the most recent things, the most recent. There is no need to rearrange things when I say I want to see the most recently posted articles. You won't get my dollar by doing that.

Don't mess with it.

Start a Video, Lose my view...

I have said it before and will say it again. If your site starts a video without any intervention from me, especially an ad, you will lose me. I may never return to your site or will really consider clicking on a link that leads there in the future.This is an issue with even some major sites like CNN. I HATE this, especially when I'm visiting your site while at work or in public.

If I want to view your damned video, I will click on it myself. DON"T DO IT! Enough said...

Context Collapse . . .

Facebook is working to combat a decline in people sharing original, personal content, the fuel that helps power the money machine at the heart of its social network, according to people familiar with the matter.
Overall sharing has remained strong, according to Facebook. However, people have been less willing to post updates about their lives as their lists of friends grow, the people said.
Instead, Facebook’s 1.6 billion users are posting more news and information from other websites. As Facebook ages, users may have more than a decade’s worth of acquaintances added as friends. People may not always feel comfortable checking into a local bar or sharing an anecdote from their lives, knowing these updates may not be relevant to all their connections.
According to one of the people familiar with the situation, Facebook employees working on the problem have a term for this decline in intimacy: "context collapse." Personal sharing has shifted to smaller audiences on Snapchat, Facebook’s Instagram and other messaging services.

[Source: Bloomberg]

So the question is, is this a bad thing? Do I really want to know that you went to the market, or got a haircut? Sure, if you get invited to the White House for a state dinner, I would like to know, but, other than that, I'm not interested. I should say that I got onto Facebook because of companies posting information there -- a work thing. I also see information from co-workers and other professional connections. But, I don't post information about myself. If you are interested it what I am doing, I can only say, get a life! Man is your existence that boring that you care what I do minute-to-minute? Put down the phone, get off the computer and go DO something. Just don't tell me about it.

Sure, I see that Facebook is really thinking that their profits go down in proportion to this type of thing. That's their REAL motivation, not your social interests. But, I just can't get excited about it.

Popularity

So, when did popularity become an indication of the importance of a news item? Stories about the Kardasians are popular among many people, but DEFINITELY aren't important stories. In fact that entire clan could be eliminated from the planet and it wouldn't be important. I think our media has succumbed to the ratings game and are trying everything they can to gain viewers, listeners, com mentors to  increase their ratings. It sucks.

What does this say about our society?

This is irritating. Can someone explain why this is the top story in CNN.com Top Stories?

Can someone explain why it is even a story?

There are so many more important things than some celebrity's appearance in the world. I'm not certain why this even rises to the level of a story, let alone a "top story". Let's hear about something "real" going on in the world, not some speculation whether this actress or that actor had work done.

OK, I really DO know why this is a story. People are more interested in this "fluff" than they are in the important things in the world. They would rather read about some celebrity -- most of which are basically useless -- than they would about situations in Africa, or even at home.

Relegate it to the lifestyle page, if you must, but don't call it a top story.

A Tablet Place -- Old Eyes

One of my devices is a Dell Venue 8 tablet. Here is the setup. The tablet, of course is the Dell. The mouse is a hype bluetooth mouse. The keyboard is a Brookstone folding keyboard. And the glasses are Beyond Reading glasses. It's has proven to be a pretty good set up for consuming and even creating content.

The tablet runs Windows 8.1 and is in essence, a miniature laptop. Because it runs Windows, I find that the mouse is essential to my experience. Although the touch features do work on the tablet, I run enough "desktop" applications in my use that I find the mouse makes things better. It's battery operated and goes a long way on the batteries. It gives me the precision I need on the small device, especially with my touch-challenged fingers.

The keyboard is another necessity for creating content like this blog. It folds in half and is rechargeable. It does a good deal of time between charges and can easily last several days with my usage. Although I can use the on-screen keyboard, I find it less than adequate on this and other devices. This keyboard can also pair with my cell phone in case I want to go extra tiny. The feel is not as adequate as a regular keyboard and I can't type as quickly as I can on a laptop or netbook, but it works adequately for the use.

The last component are the glasses. I have just purchased these and they give me three ranges of magnification for my tired old eyes. Although I like the tablet, I find that the type is often just too small -- like trying to read the instructions on the pill bottle. These glasses give me the magnification I need to make things better. I actually see pretty well up close for consuming content, but, I don't see all that well when I use the keyboard or put the computer on the table.

And, speaking of the table, you need one to use the complete set up. The tablet case stands up the device, but it can't hold the keyboard. This makes a flat surface an essential component of content creation.

So what do I think? All=in=all, a pretty good set up. I sometimes think I should have gone with a larger tablet with a keyboard,but, for the cost, I am reasonably satisfied. Since I consume more content than I create, this set of tools is quite sufficient for my use.