The Keys, and Beyond…

About a month back, I started a little contest for my fans, where they can suggest friends to my Facebook fan page - in hopes that they’ll become my fans there, too. The Top 15 fan referrers (meaning those who refer the most friends who actually become fans) would receive free music from me. I thought this was a fun idea, and I wanted to post it wherever my presence was so that others could join in, or maybe even come up with a fun marketing idea of their own that they could try (if they’re an independent artist like myself, that is). You would think that most any social network would allow you to post a description/link to this type of event, right?

Wrong! :(

I’m not going to be naming any names here, but there is a social network that I was once a part of (I’ve since decided to remove my content/presence and dedicate my networking efforts elsewhere) that did not think this was a good idea. In fact, the admin there removed my post (it was on my “blog” over there at the time) and sent me an email about it, stating “we are not Facebook or MySpace” and that I couldn’t post this type of content on my blog on my own page there. There were a few other sentences in there, too - I must admit that I don’t remember it line for line, but at the time, I was immediately aggravated.

You see, this was a networking site that was supposedly tailor-made for an artist who creates music in the “New Age” genre (which, if you are familiar with my music, would definitely be one of my genres). In bold letters at the top of the home page, it stated (and still states) that the network is for those who “LOVE, SUPPORT, PROMOTE OR CREATE NEW AGE MUSIC”. That would fit the bill for me, right? And it also noted in the paragraph below to “post your events”. Well, that’s what my above-described post would be, wouldn’t you think? Well…I guess not - not in the admin’s eyes.

I did write back, and even though I made it clear that I was upset about their decision, I also noted that I respected their wishes. After all, they’re in charge of their site, not me. I let them know that aside from people possibly wanting to participate in my contest, maybe my fellow artists would run with their own spin on the idea (as I had posted/shared a few of my marketing ideas on the site in the past). Didn’t matter - I got a second response, stating more or less that I could just let everyone know “how to run the contest”, or let everyone know how well it worked out afterward. Well, that’s not really all that great - what if this contest posting would’ve been someone’s first discovery of me and my music? Maybe it would lead them to expand their horizons and discover not just my music, but those of artists whom I enjoy, too. That’s how this whole networking thing is supposed to work, right?

Well, not in that network’s eyes, it isn’t. Or, at least it wasn’t in my case - before I removed myself from the site a day later, I got a direct email from someone else through the site, inviting me to their radio show. I guess that type of promotion is allowed? And there was (and still are) at least a few blog postings on their home page promoting everything from CD releases to piano lessons. Oh well, I guess it was just my unlucky day or something.

But, not to worry. :) Seeing as that site didn’t see themselves as MySpace or Facebook, they probably won’t ever have that type of reach. And that’s OK for them, and me. I’ll be happy networking on other actual networking sites. Maybe you’d like to join me? I’m at:

Facebook
Twitter
MySpace
YouTube
My Free Music Mailing List

Thanks for reading and hearing me out. Whoo! Feels good to get that off my chest. :)

If I don’t talk/post/chat/email with you by Thanksgiving, have a Happy One!