Enjoy my most recent installment of Bootstrap Business Blog Blitz: answering your questions on social media marketing and more!
These days how relevent is it for a blogger to have a Twitter account as opposed to an Instagram account?
It’s still very important to have both in my opinion. I get 5–10x the blog and website traffic from my Twitter than I do from Instagram and it has helped my blog / website SEO tremendously. I think most bloggers that use both platforms successfully have a similar experience. Use both well to cover your bases. I like to remind people that “Twitter isn’t dead yet”.
Why have I suddenly lost interest in social media pages like Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter?
I’d have to say that it’s probably a positive thing, unless you are using these platforms for business purposes. I’m on social media all day every day (mostly for work) and it gets old after awhile. Hopefully you are replacing the time you spent on social media with healthier and more productive activities. There’s also nothing wrong with just taking a break from everything or limiting yourself to using a single network. I know many people who have ditched Facebook for Instagram or Snapchat, or they only use Facebook and no other platform. Other business professionals only use LinkedIn.
In today's post-fact world, does the media have a moral and social responsibility over their content, and should it be regulated?
I could write a lot about the moral or legal issues involved in modern journalism and news reporting, but unfortunately it won’t matter to many. It’s all about speed, buzz, traffic, and ratings. Journalists and news organizations have the “shoot first and ask questions later” because if they don’t they’ll go bankrupt. Journalists, newspapers, and magazines are all becoming endangered species in the digital age so they’re doing whatever they can to survive. I’m not saying it’s right but it all comes down to the almighty dollar.
Do companies have a social responsibility for their content? Ideally yes they should. Should it be regulated? I highly doubt this will happen for the previously mentioned reasons. Keep in mind that Facebook and Google tried to “regulate” news this past year but instead sometimes proliferated fake news or skewed results based on political preference. Reddit’s founder and CEO manipulated posts during the presidential election.
I try and stay out of politics but I’m just using these examples as very recent case studies in attempts to regulate news media. For journalists and media outlets it truly is “publish or perish”, often times at the expense of the facts.
Are Instagram "Growth Services" a scam?
I haven’t used any Instagram growth services personally but a lot of these services or “Buy Followers” are violations (or gray areas at best) with regards to Instagram’s terms and conditions and could get your account locked or deleted. Sometimes these services also include automated liking / commenting / direct messaging people as well to gain more profile views, followers, website views, and likes in return. Again, another violation or gray area of IG’s T & C.
Even if these examples were not potential violations, it could do more damage to your account than good. You could end up with a lot of followers but your post engagements probably would not be nearly be in line. Most people would quickly realize that many of your followers are uninterested or spam and your account reputation will be tarnished… probably the exact opposite of what you were looking to achieve. Any spam/fake followers can also be deleted at any time by Instagram or the account creators. If you’re automating likes / follows / comments / DM’s then you could also look like more of a spammer.
Twitter, and Instagram to a lesser extent, has been working to ban or weaken programs or services that automate or offer quick follower gains. I think all platforms will continue to crack down on these options to improve user experience, and if you’re on file as a past user of these programs/services then it might not bode well for your account standing. Instagram or any platform can change their terms and conditions at any time without notice.
You’re better off spending the time and money improving your Instagram account organically, paying for advertising, and even using other social media / web platforms to ask that people follow you on Instagram.
Facebook's new Messenger updates are so lame. Why isn't there a way to turn them off?
You aren’t the only one that feels this way. Facebook is doing everything in its power to fight Snapchat, including adding similar update features in Facebook Messenger and even WhatsApp. Instagram’s (also owned by Facebook) copying of Snapchat’s “Stories” feature has been successful but the Messenger & WhatsApp updates have not.
How can I copy text on Instagram?
You can copy and paste the URL of that specific picture from your browser (via mobile device or computer), or you could even take a screenshot of that picture/comment depending on what you were trying to accomplish. Screenshots on most smartphones are usually taken by hitting the Home and Power buttons simultaneously. If you're simply referring to copying an pasting text, it would have to be your own post (at least on mobile) while you are posting or under Edit, where you would highlight the text, hit Copy, and then hit Paste wherever you wanted it available.
Can I individually hide a photo on Instagram?
Unfortunately Instagram does not currently allow pictures to be public or private on an invidual basis, or “Unlisted” (you must have the URL to view) as they offer on YouTube. If you don’t want a picture to be viewed by the general public, then refrain from posting it or change your profile to private. You could still message the picture to your intended recipients, publish it privately on Facebook, or to a more limited audience such as Snapchat. As I tell most of my clients and associates, if you are even partially questioning yourself about posting a picture publicly… then it’s probably a smart idea not to do so.
Isn't it funny to look back and laugh at our previous job-seeking or career struggles we had when we were younger?
I don't know if I'd use funny as the word to describe it because I've taken my career incredibly seriously and essentially lived on the poverty line. Hence by media projects Bootstrap Business and Frugal Fitness, it's the life I've lived... and I didn't have much of a choice financially.
When I was struggling as an entrepreneur out of college or later to switch careers to digital marketing, I couldn't wait for the day to come where I would look back and laugh. I didn't know for sure that time would ever come, so I'm very grateful that is has the past couple of years. I'm appreciative of all my readers, subscribers, viewers, customers, clients, and employers over the years.
Keep your questions coming and stay tuned for the next installment of Bootstrap Business Blog Blitz!
I hope you enjoyed this latest installment of Bootstrap Business Blog Blitz: Quick Questions & Answers on social media marketing and more!
Interested in more articles about social media marketing?
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Published by Michael J Schiemer
Owner of Bootstrap Business
Money - Marketing - Motivation
Digital Marketing | SEO | Social Media
Mike Schiemer Builds Better Business
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