There's no place like own...

It's almost hard to remember a time when we didn't have social media. There are icons and celebrities who have made their names and fortunes on their own. They defied the old ways by sharing thoughts, stories and their lives with the world on personal accounts. We all aspire to InstaFame or 1 million YouTube subscribers. It has inspired every kid with an Iphone to be a producer and influencer. 

All of us (creators and followers) have noticed that not every post from a channel or handle we subscribe to or follow shows up on our feed. It is now a jumble of new and old, music and food, political and satisfying. 

For creators this is especially troubling. There is no longer any confidence that posts will reach even the people that want to see them. Hours spent on videos and posts can be wasted if there is no budget for ads and even then one has to be sure the keywords are correct and that the campaign is set up correctly. Advertising platforms love taking advantage of newbies. On the other side, how can I make sure I see posts from the creators I want to see?

Stay with me here. What if I told you there was a platform that was all your own? You can change the theme and layout and everything about it. No one can stop you from reaching your audience and your followers can always find you. What if I told you it has been around for decades? 

Before I spill the beans, think about how many articles you read a day? Where do you read them? Wall Street Journal? Gizmodo? Magnolia.com? How often do you click a link from social media to read an article on a website? This is the kicker, you probably need a blog. The reason I didn't say blog is because it has bad connotations. It's old and outdated. Yet we read and interact with them everyday. What you will realize once you start writing articles (posts) on your own website (blog) is that you own it. No algorithm changes affect you. Now you can use social media to direct users to your own content and use your articles as inspiration for posts. 

Do you see the difference? Can you feel the freedom? No one can take your audience and no one can de-monetize or suspend or ban you. So go make your website, write articles, use other platforms to build what you own. While you're at it, share this blog post, I mean "article" with someone who could use it.