Facebook immunity (6 of 11)
Last week, I talked about some big, overriding trends that I believe will affect all of us moving forward – and even today currently.
While I ended off on a fun note about cyber warfare (yay! 😉 )… the actual theme was one of CENTRALIZATION.
We talked about how the vast, wide, expansive and democratic nature of the internet has grown to be focused and centralized through just a handful of corporations. They go by the names of Google, Facebook and Amazon. There are some other names you could throw in there, but the same theme applies.
Those companies are the gatekeepers. And, they like to charge tolls to cross their bridges. 🙂
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My first piece of advice on how to weather these trends isn’t exactly new. You’ve probably heard it before. But, it needs to be said anyway.
You cannot build assets on services you don’t own and control.
… because the gatekeepers can take it away from you anytime they please. It wasn’t even your’s to begin with.
I’m talking about things like…
- Facebook “fans”
- Twitter followers
- Instagram followers
- Youtube subscribers
… right on down the list. Those things are nice. We all want big lists of followers and fans on these systems. But, you don’t own any of it.
Don’t rely on the toll collectors.
It’s fine to make use of paid traffic (aka paying the toll). In fact, it is a smart thing to do! But, you don’t want to RELY on any of these external companies for your business security.
Perhaps you see where I’m going with this already…
You have to build your own, internal assets that are not controlled by one of the toll collectors.
Namely…
- Your blog and all assets included.
- Your email list (aka your community).
Full stop. End of story.
We live in an ATTENTION world today. Google and Facebook currently control about 80% of the world’s attention (for referral traffic) and so we go to them and do what they say – essentially.
But, while LittleThings folded because of Facebook’s algorithm change, other sites which have nice email lists probably didn’t even notice the change.
Because, while LittleThings DEPENDED on Facebook, people with their own community do not.
It is “owned media”.
So, with all the things we said last week, it comes down to this…
Yes, traffic is centralized. Play the game as it is. Pay the toll collectors and be out there on all these networks doing what it is you do. Google, Facebook, Twitter… all the major hubs. Yes, the internet is centralized. But, go there and pay the game.
But…
Your ENTIRE focus should be on building OWNED MEDIA.
Build your own community. And no, not on any social network.
We’re talking your own email list. If you want, it could be your own community (i.e. forum, etc.). But, the key is that you own it. You set the rules. And nobody can take it away.
And yes, I’m aware that even your web assets and email list are hosted on third-party companies. But, you still own those assets. Plus, you should be backing them up. And you can take them to any other company you want and reach your tribe.
The best way to defeat centralization of the internet is to…
Make your own HUB.
– David