“Class is an aura of confidence that is being sure without being cocky. Class has nothing to do with money. Class never runs scared. It is self-discipline and self-knowledge. It's the sure-footedness that comes with having proved you can meet life. ”
~ Ann Landers
However it may seem strange that I rarely have comments on my blogs, I am often invited to answer questions on QUORA (link below).
Sometimes I think about my answer, while other times I just let my mind go free and respond instinctively to what comes immediately to mind as in this case when I was invited to answer this question.
Ironically, as well. I spend the least time on InstaGRAM than anywhere else and yet it is the topic I seem to have grabbed the attention of some who value my opinion. Thank you. Happy to help. Here goes:
Why do my Instagram followers keep dropping?
Hmmm, very curious question. My first immediate reaction was a question: “what could this person be posting if they are seeing their followers drop?” Without question, social media can sometimes seem fickle when it is really not. This question bodes a suggestion to examine what you are posting …. if you are only sharing your last meal, and you didn’t cook it or it’s half eaten, unappetizing-looking or just plain “gross”. Other considerations may be that others may find that you have constant posts that are self-serving or promotional :: aka “spam”. People tend to gravitate towards sincerity, ingenuity, originality, beauty and inspiration. That is only my opinion. However, I do believe strongly that your following is a reflection of what you are sending out.
Don’t despair. Being fickle can also mean you can reinvent yourself easily. I would advise you to decide what you want to be known for or identified with and setting out to do just that. Or, if you have a specific interest that is not career, family, friends or social oriented, this is a great way of gravitating towards that interest, sharing it, finding sources or resources on that topic and then share it … you can check for #hashtag popularity or observe what seemingly popular people are posting. If that seems to capture your interest, it could be good advice to follow them and observe them from a distance and see if you can pick up any great habits or even share that person’s content as a means to cast your own web to gather people who share the same vibe.
Caution: what may seem funny at 2 o’clock in the morning with your work buddies or friends may be more embarrassing at 2 o’clock the next afternoon. At your desk, avoiding eye contact with colleagues or worse if its a boss. Your online presence becomes your reputation. What doesn’t matter at 20, can be a nightmare at 40. So act your age if you must, but at least apply manners and a mom rule: if you can’t do it in front of your mother, or you risk being scolded by her, then it isn’t going to be appropriate for a wide, global audience. AND just because your mom likes the better parts of you, her opinion may be skewed …. be wary that others will like your stickmen as much as she does.
Be optimistic. There is a lot of great quotes, beautiful images, fantastic photography that are in style any time, any season. Be classy, be polite, be bold.
Sometimes I really do find my fingers shake a bit to restrain myself from joining in and ranting like a lot of other people do when on social media.
Other times, I sit back, I read, I click on links to read more. I'm in learning mode then. That can certainly settle me down a bit.
However, one person I know very very well, and love very very much, in real life, knows that I'm not always so poised and restrained. I did go on a flurry of reTWEETs earlier today.
It could be virtually conceived by my reTWEETing I was reacting to what I was reading. I was. It upset me. I had a "poor me" reaction. The subject would know who I am talking about.
Yet likely that person doesn't read this blog, or any of my blogs for that matter. Doesn't read my Tweets, unfollowed me on Instagram, Facebook ages ago.
Aha! There was still a way to make connection: I sent out a series of reTWEETs of that person's. That was after finding out that this beloved RELATIVE (yes, it is a family member, which makes it more sensitive you'd think?) UNFOLLOWed me on Twitter too! I did whine by sending one previous tweet to a Twitter notorious person who was one of my first influencial follow backs on there had just unFOLLOWed me.
I was a lot more calmer at that point. Although I was perplexed how someone with almost 300,000 followers on Twitter actually takes the time to unFOLLOW someone who you had been side by side for almost seven years with.
You think they're ticked off after that much time? Well, hardly since the last interaction I was supporting something they were working on. Granted, that had been quite a number of months ago.
Maybe they figured out that I had found a great APP or social media tool that helps me better define my audience, they would be right.
That I'd written a little bit more about takers on social media who take, ask, want, post for you to like or reTWEET and then basically ignore you any other time. That goes with the territory. Just because someone follows you on any of them, there is no small type agreement that you are signing to promise that you will read, like, share, comment, rePIN, rePOST or reTWEET everything that individual does.
Can you imagine the drastic plummeting of following if that were the law? If the reversal of these images were true and it was social media that became cobwebs and tumble weeds?
Imagine the loss of blogs, books, ebooks, audiobooks, pages, websites dedicated to telling people how to use social media for their greater purpose, regardless of what that is, for example:
* More readers
* More viewers
* More consumers
* More buyers
* More applause
* More followers
* More hashtags
* More page views
* More subscribers
What would happen if you could only follow someone that you promised to endorse, support, champion, read, share, like, comment 100% all of the time. Who could keep up?
Possibly the takers, because they are already conditioned to taking without offering anything in return.
I'm not saying both of my Twitter twitches today were like that. Only one, because of the long term following compared to the actual number of followers this person has, how could they have conceivably singled me out to unfollow? I thought I was well within the positive engagement radar.
I have preached a lot about the Golden Rule: treat others as you wish to be treated yourself. In the world of karma credits, if you unfollow someone for some obscure reason, you are not treating others as you wish to be treated. In fact, you may want others to feed your ego, tell you how fantastic you are, share your stuff, like it, subscribe, repost and share.
For that I may have been guilty. Maybe I haven't been as "engaged" lately as this person had decided. I hadn't been rude, or annoying either.
Well, maybe I have been annoying. I have used this fantastic social media service that has allowed me to be better engaged with those reaching out to me while revealing who is just a taker.
