Over the past couple of "Internetting," I have belonged to a large number of different hobby and interest type member web sites, groups and forums-- gardening, stamp collecting, writing, artists and more.
The Idea of Sharing What We Like is a GOOD Thing...
Dandelions are everywhere, even in our THICK groundcover...
It's a pretty natural part of such memberships that we share photos of items in our various collections, or from projects we're in the middle of. Some sites are about photography so we share our images as part of our "work," as well.
So far, I'm not telling you anything you don't know!
I'm sure many of you remember "Show and Tell" from school-- you'd bring something to school, show it to the class and talk briefly about it... maybe offer some kind of description, where it came from, how you got to own it, why you like it, why you brought it to school.
I always thought it was pretty cool, because not only did I get to see other things, I would get little insights into the lives of other people.
Online groups are a bit like a "virtual show and tell," in many ways.
Apple blossoms in our garden, this spring
What surprises me is the large number of people-- actually a majority-- who just post photos of their items or experiences with absolutely not one word about what they are sharing.
Boom. There's a photo of "something." Not a word as to what it is, nor where it came from, nor why you like it. What... are we just supposed to guess? Or is your relationship with the content you're sharing really so thin that you could as well have picked a random piece of paper out of the nearest trashcan?
What's more, so many of these folks will just post 20, 30, 50, 100 photos in a row, in such a manner, with no descriptions whatsoever.
To me, it seems like very strange behavior. And yet? Within these groups, it seems almost like "the norm."
Oh... So You DO Care... After All?
Ladybug climbing our fence, yesterday...
Every now and then one of the posters pokes his or her nose back into the group to wonder out loud "Why aren't people 'liking/upvoting/sharing' my stuff?"
Color me stupid, but perhaps if you took a few moments to make the images/shares you post a little more interesting and actually about something, maybe people would stop and interact with them!
I've noticed that people on many social media platforms (not just in interest groups) do this same thing-- post dozens of photos of something or clever memes, and we have no idea who the folks or places in the photos are, nor where they came from.
Making it Personal = Making it More Engaging
Why do we interact with content? Typically because it touches or reaches us, in some fashion.
Buddha statue with a dusting of snow
One of the easiest ways to reach people is to personalize your content. When you share your own spin and your own interactions with a subject matter, your potential audience senses that you care about what you're sharing; you're already engaging with the content and showing that it's worthy... and, by extension, they become more likely to care, as well.
Conversely, posting "naked" images or content suggests to the world "I don't really care..." and when you send that message consider the possibility nobody else would "care," either. Why should they, if YOU don't?
Although we may not consciously think about it, we tend to be drawn to personal stories. Given the choice between looking closer at a meme that has already been shared 1000 times, and that same meme with someone's personal story attached... we tend to choose the latter. And even though it may be very subtle... that type of personal sharing shows a passion for the subject matter which we tend to be drawn to.
Keep that in mind, next time you're tempted to post or share something without adding your own spin on what makes it shareworthy! You might be surprised by how the level of engagement on your posts will increase.
What do YOU think? Do you belong to any hobby groups or web sites where people endlessly post photos or memes with no personal descriptions or explanation? Do you find such content interesting, even without any explanation? Alternately, if you feel this is OK-- or you do so, yourself-- please share what you are hoping to accomplish by "removing yourself" from the share? Or do you simply not care-- the share is just to "fill space?" Leave a comment-- share your experiences-- start the conversation!
(As usual, all text and images by the author, unless otherwise credited. This is original content, created expressly for Steemit)