Changes (MySpace, Facebook, Twitter)

This is going to be a long one, so read what you wish.

So forces that are completely out of my control have made necessary to shake up the social networking situation that I use to communicate with you, my sweet and loyal readers. This is not something I want to do, but I must change with the times. So here is a “heads up” on the changes coming.

Twitter:

That’s right, you can now follow us on Twitter at www.twitter.com/The_Triggerman. Yes, I think Twitter is stupid too. And if in the next six months it either proves itself useless or an internet fad, I will be more than happy to drop it. But for now, it might be the BEST way to easily keep up with what’s going on with Saving Country Music. For the reasons why, keep reading.

MySpace:

MySpace unfortunately is becoming less and less useful day by day to communicate with people. They have hidden the bulletin board to push their “Stream” which gets mucked up with dribble. Any time anyone wants to change a comma to a period in a picture caption it wants to notify everybody about it. MySpace is trying to take everything bad about Facebook and Twitter and incorporate it into one, and it doesn’t help that every day more people are spending more time on Facebook and Twitter, leaving MySpace feeling like a ghost town.

Also in the last month or so I’ve had people tell me, “You’re the only reason I come to MySpace anymore” or “You’re the best thing on MySpace.” All flattering comments that I appreciate, but this is NOT a “MySpace thing,” this is a thing to Save Country Music, and it doesn’t exist anywhere more so than the hearts and minds of us all. But if it did have a home online, it would be savingcountrymusic.com. Not MySpace, Facebook, or Twitter. These are just tools to help everyone communicate.

So from now on, I will still be on MySpace, post bulletins and such as I always do, but coming very soon, the articles I write will no longer be posted in total on MySpace. HOWEVER, I will post a LINK to all the articles on the MySpace blog, so in one easy click you can go and read them from Myspace. Also if you have subscribed to the MySpace blog, which is still a good way to stay in touch, then you will still get a notification when there is a new article. People are encouraged to leave comments on saving country music.com as I’ve been pleading for people to do for months, but if you still want to leave comments and kudos on MySpace, then go right ahead.

There are a bunch of reasons that I need to stop posting the articles on MySpace that is a lot of computer-speak jargon that most of you are not interested in, but long story short, the more people that go to saving country music.com and read and comment, the more the word about Reinstate Hank, and Free Hank III, other causes, and the bands we love will be spread through Google and such. I know this is a big risk and I will probably lose some people in the shuffle, but I am losing more people by being only a “MySpace thing.”

My loyalties will always lie with MySpace first, NOT just because I’m familiar with it, but because MySpace began as a way for bands to communicate with their fans, and has done more for music than anything else on the internet ever has or ever will. I’m disappointed in the way MySpace has handled the changes in social networking and that the spoon fed public is so quick to jump to Facebook or Twitter or whatever fad is next without taking consideration of the ramifications on the artists and art they love, but there’s nothing I can do about it but attempt to adapt.

Facebook:

Simply put, I think Facebook is evil. It took all the bad things about MySpace and amplified them. It is addictive, and I have seen friendships lost, love torn apart, and families descend into meaningless squabble just because of what somebody said on somebody elses “wall”. Sure it has some value for communication, but the bads outweigh the goods, in my opinion. I have an account over there, and people tell me there groups set up for me and such, and people talk about me all they time and push my stuff. Well that’s great, but moving forward, my presence on Facebook will be about the same, which is somewhere between apathy and neglect.

The main reason for this is because Facebook will not allow there to be a barrier between my Saving Country Music business, and my personal business. I started this thing with a few simple philosophies that I have stuck to from the beginning, and the first one is that it’s not about me, it is about the music. Still somehow on Facebook people can see my personal information, including personal email addys and such, and there is nothing you can do about it.

If another person tells me “It’s not like MySpace, you just have to get used to it,” I’m going to kill a puppy. I have had three different people try to explain and set up Facebook for me, and when I tell them. “Listen, I don’t want everyone in this group to be able to see all my personal information” they say, “stop thinking of it like MySpace.” The problem is not that I’m thinking of it like MySpace, the problem is that Facebook is designed so that everyone can get into everyone elses personal business so as to make an addictive atmosphere so people spend more time on the site and they can sell more advertising.

Sorry, but I ain’t playing.

The Message Board:

One of the symptoms of the downfall of MySpace and the rise of many more people participating in this Saving Country Music movement is that I am just unable to keep my finger on every pulse that is out there. I know that some people have gotten mad at me because I can’t keep up with their podcasts, videos, blogs, whatever, and I don’t mention them in my articles. That is the reason I built the Saving Country Music Message Board. When we first started it was going great. Lately it has been a little weak, but if there is a topic, a band you want to discuss, this is where you can do that. If you have videos, post a link. Pissed about something in pop country? Vent. That is what it is there for.

One of my biggest concerns is that we are all getting too spread out over different websites, social networking channels, podcast outlets, etc. My goal right now is to do what I can to try to consolidate as much as possible, everything in one place so that we can all stay in touch with what is happening. But I need your help. This movement is growing, and that is a good thing. We just need to make sure that we grow smart, and make sure that the lines of communication stay strong. So work with me, and I will work to make sure we’re all on the same page.

Horns up, fists in the air, and birds flipping!

–Triggerman.