Other Social Media The problems happen no matter what platform I use

[spookyboo]

I posted 3 different videos on tiktok the past few days, 0 views on 3 videos. I usually get up to 200 by the 10th day or so. Facebook has always been extremely slow unless I'm posting a funny meme then I get about 70.
YouTube shorts? Forget about it. YouTube videos? Nope. Instagram? Nope. The highest I get there is about 35 likes. Amazon short stories? Nope. TV? Nope. I had a tv commercial for years people would say they loved my stuff. I'd asked them which story they liked best on the podcast or youtube. Nope. They never read them. Never went to the URL. They just liked the commercial is what they'd say. I think they thought it was part of the show and not a commercial even though the URL was very clear.

Maybe I just suck? I have the wrong audience? Maybe I'm cursed? (LOL LOL) how do you get your content in front of the right audience if it doesn't get out there in the first place on ANYTHING and even when it is the right audience they don't click or go there? I use keywords, I use keyword phrases, I use descriptions...Then people steal my name on every single platform. That has been going on for years no matter what I'm doing. This is the 4th business I've had in 20 years online where someone has started something in my chosen name and then ran with it. 2 of them failed but now I even get trolls doing it (see tiktok under spookyboorhodes and you'll see what I mean.) One business the trolls flood ping'ed it into the ground until I couldn't take it any longer because of lack of sales. There was no way of stopping them.

I'm just one day going to toss it all away and go back to doing boring IT work but I can't do that because...if you heard the BS I've gone through sending resumes out you'd laugh. I had a great IT career at some very nice companies in the Silicon Valley and one day it all vanished around Y2K. like that. like wtf?
This message will probably self destruct. I'm just ugh. I still see that something will change one day. At least I enjoy making content.

 

[MattCommand1]

Spooky Boo Rhodes,

The thing that is constant in the world of social media is CHANGE. What used to be true may not be true now. There are always new players coming in and content being posted evolves. There is a lot of one-upmanship and competitiveness. People are always looking for something shiny and new.

No one can assume that the content they successfully posted before will be successful now. Standards change, communities, change, ecosystems change. What might work now, may not work 5 years from now.

This is why leaving an ecosystem and coming back a period of time later is tough. I know because I am one of them. Despite having several YT channels before, in practical terms, I am a beginner again earning my stripes and slowly working my way to 1K subscribers and beyond.

I like sci-fi (specifically Star Trek) but it doesn't automatically mean I will consume everything I see relating to the topic. Similarly, you are in the horror genre but that doesn't automatically mean anyone will consume your content. Keywords are only one element. Thumbnails are another. Descriptions and hashtags are others. And then there is the content and style itself. And of course, what does any algorithm look for? We don't know unless we immerse ourselves and keep our ears to the ground.

I submit that we have to be willing to experiment, change, and try new things to figure out what people are interested in.

In regards to your account name, there may not be a conspiracy. We are simply in a huge world where there are 1 billion people online. People are going to step on each other's toes occasionally. For example, "Mike Smith" is a common name. There are LOTS of accounts in that name because that is their name. Small companies and small business names which are legally valid in their own states will collide with similar or same names online. And very few people have the exclusive right to "cool names".

Even if there is a nefarious motive to take your name, the best you can do is be the best version you can be unless you plan on changing your name altogether. Twitter is infamous for having duplicate names. Not much anyone can do about it.

Being an entrepreneur, generally speaking, is hard. That is why most people have full time jobs. Being a successful entrepreneur is aspirational for many.

In regards to I.T., it is fraught with ageism. I saw that in the early late 1990's and 2000's. I was the only guy I knew who intentionally left the industry because the future looked bleek in the I.T. industry for anyone over 40. I have no regrets leaving IT behind. There are a few people I knew from before who are hanging on and they are way past their prime in that industry. Most people don't age well in the I.T. industry.

 

[spookyboo]

Where there is problem, there is a solution. I hope you find yours as soon as possible.

Me too! I keep trying because I love what I do.