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Are you really 109


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Thanks Del and Cynique!

 

Del you are as old as you feel :-)

 

Honestly the age thing, I presume you got from Facebook.  I made up the year of my birth, like much of my Facebook profile information.   And facebook is still beating my site on a query on my name.

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LOL!  Damn Chris I guess you knew I'd be like a salivating pit bull in the corner here when Del threw me a piece of raw meat.  Alas I know people love Facebook and like an abused spouse I know there is always an excuse to explain the behavior of the abuser...

 

Del in theory, no based upon what Google actually says, helping users kind the most relevant content is what search engine try to accomplish. So content should reign king, not "popularity."  But you are right, popularity as dictated by who has the most money and resources is why facebook wins--even with erroneous content.

 

But is is not a simple binary love 'em or leave 'em issue, these thing rarely are.  For personal purposes I've left Facebook, but I'm still working on trying to exploit them for business purposes--even though I know I can never really do that on my own.

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Booooooo, I was expecting a more fierce Troy! Just kidding. I think Delano should visit that really long thread on here and read why Facebook really isn't beneficial as popular as it is. Unfortunately the masses, remain shackled (intentional use of that word) to Facebook to their own detriment when they finally realize they want to start a business or a serious discussion of some kind. Hey I just realize that Bing actually shows the public posts of people on Facebook in searches on their sidebar... it's kind of disturbing. This is not a simple thing at all though.

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Again I hasten to add that I'm not a big fan of FaceBook but, unlike you guys, I have had some very passionate discussions and intellectual exchanges with posters on FaceBook.  Religion and politics, 2 staples on Facebook, provide ample material for debate.

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Del, unbeknownst to most, the fact is that corporations ALREADY OWN the internet.  Only an internet entrepreneur would actually have the experience to know and understand this, so I understand why the vast majority of people simply don't get it.

 

Further, there are people interested in starting businesses online or simply just trying to establish an internet presence, but don't understand why people are not visiting their websites.  Much of what I write is directed to those individuals and businesses.  I don't expect individuals to understand, though I still communicate to individuals just the same. 

 

Sometimes the more thoughtful individuals will appreciate what I'm trying to communicate and modify their behavior in a way that is beneficial to Black owned businesses.  I encounter enough of these folks which makes the effort worth my while

 

Increasingly, for many entitles their ONLY internet presence is their Facebook Page.  Of course, I think this is a grave error, but I completely understand why business are starting to do it.  Businesses, especially small ones, are simply going to the entities that owns the internet. 

 

Sure I understand if you find Facebook useful.  I find it useful too.  But we need to be very, very clear about something; Facebook is not "free" or even "relatively free."  As a MBA you know nothing is free. 

 

Indeed I would argue, and have been arguing, that the cost is very high to all of us.

 

But again there are also people who don't care about these costs that have resulted in us not owning many platforms, TV Stations, Radio Stations, Newspapers, Magazines and alarmingly websites.  Those that we do own often mimic what corporate entities produce or are struggling to survive.

 

There was a time when AOL, effectively, owned the internet.  One could not easily establish an internet presence without them.  Once we were free of AOL the internet because a great place.  Today we are reverting back to an AOL like existence.

 

Chris what you describe on BING is not surprising.  Search feeds social media and I'm sure it is not being done for "free."

 

Cynique, I hear you.  I just prefer to engage people on their websites or here. 

 

It would be like Chris, who sells sneakers for a living, buying his sneakers from the Foot Locker and telling all his potential customers to buy their sneakers from the Foot Locker too.  All the while, the Foot Locker never compensates Chris for the referrals and does everything in their power, with the help of search, to ensure no one ever buys sneakers from Chris' store.

 

Meanwhile all Chris' customers come into his store and tell him how great the Foot Locker is.  Some even lament the fact that there aren't any Black owned sneaker stores like the Foot Locker...

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Oh, then we are in complete agreement because corporations absolutely own the infrastructure.  Today we sit by helpless spectators as they fight over controlling it.   Internet access should be treated as a utility.  In much the same way e get free TV broadcasts.  In fact, if we have free Internet access we would not need to worry about providing radio, TV access to telephone access the way we do today.

 

Even municipalities who want to provide "free" high speed internet access to their citizens are often prevented from doing so because of convoluted laws designed to benefit corporations.

 

Google is trying to give free high speed internet access to some communities but we all know this will be used to mine our communications for profit...

 

Yeah, it pretty much is a wrap.

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I really don't know if there is a simpler way of explaining this. I think it kind of falls on dead ears since most people simply use the internet as a pleasure device (yep in every way) and not as a business. This is the case in most situations where business is involved. The people who don't understand this, don't get our constant admonishment against remaining solely on Facebook, or they get it and feel that they don't have a choice in the matter and this is the only way to keep up with friends. It's a difficult game to play and a game that is further diminishing the power and importance of the consumer's dollar.

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My thinking on this subject is that you and Troy are a variety of the conspiracy buff  mind-set .  People like you have AHA! mentalities.  They immediately key in on opportunities to "out" corporations and declare: "I'm on to you. You can't fool me. You can bamboozle others, but I see through your schemes!"  A certain satisfaction is to be gained from knowing that you are smarter and more astute than other folks;  but bristling in frustration is obviously the trade-off, especially for those who have a vested interest in thwarting these monopolies. 

 

People who are oblivious to what is happening  are dumb consumers blindly pursuing what they want instead of what they need. Ignorance is bliss.  Then there are others who are philosophical about being exploited and take comfort in believing that honest virtue is its own reward.

 

 Old Cynics like me, don't give a damn. In my little self-absorbed world, the instant gratification of convenience is a priority. e.g. It's more convenient for me to have credit cards with low limits, and deal with plastic instead of paper.  I never pay attention to high interest rates, or fees or bottom lines. I just pay the amount of money I want to free up for available credit every month and use my dinky little Visas and Mastercards for "easy" purchasing.  I have no intention of paying these crooks off. They are just a vehicle for my convenience.  I prefer their flexibility over debit cards which are also more suceptible to fraud and theft. 

 

If FaceBook is gathering information on me for purposes of putting me on e-mailing lists and bogging me down with ads, I just figure that's the price I pay for having access to a public forum that allows me to vent and harass and post pictures of myself.  ;)  I delete unsolicited pop-ups and rarely buy anything on line unless I can't find it anywhere else, wherein the convience factor kicks in. I do have some options in my victimization. When FaceBooks starts costing money, I'l be outta there.  Ready to pass it by, having been there, done that.

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Interestingly I'm one of those folks you consider themselves the opposite of the conspiracy theorist. 

 

I'm only complaining about what is actually happening.  I guess the only room for a conspiracy might be the cause of what is happening--and I've always been open to ideas on the subject.

 

I'm not disputing your personal experience with the web Cynique, in fact, I share many of your experiences and opinions.  But obviously, as an internet entrepreneur, my experience is different than yours.  I also collect a lot of data about what I discuss, so yeah, on some aspects of this subject I actually do know more than most. 

 

But access to more data and experiences does not always translate into understanding, but it usually translates into understanding more than someone with less experience and access to information.  Still I appreciate there is a lot I simply don't understand or know.

 

I don't disagree with anything your wrote--how can I they are your opinions about your experiences. 

 

But one thing I think many people are missing relative to the increasing control of the internet by a handful of corporations is the reduction of diversity in what we see online. I know that the lack of diversity online is a non-issue to most.  We are fat, dumb and happy with the way things are going.

 

If you think about broadcast radio and what consolidation has done in that environment.  You'll realize that if you want to listen to black music your only real options are whatever KISS or Power stations you have in your market.  Even if you have both stations it does not matter much as they play the same 20 or 30 songs anyway. 

 

Again, I know there are many people who love KISS FM and are perfectly happy with Facebook being their only internet experience.

 

What I find most tragic is that the internet really was poised to improve on the lack of diversity in mainstream media.  But now that corporations control the internet those opportunities have evaporated.  All of us are less rich as a result; both culturally and financially.

 

So what is the cost of this?  What is the cost of no Black owned bookstores?  What is the cost of no Black owned websites, radio stations, TV stations or newspapers? 

 

It is not a hypothetical question. 

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You're a prophet, Troy.  You see the handwriting on the wall. Sometimes it gets lonely on that mountain top, but that's the price you pay for caring about your fellow man. Karma  is on your side.  What goes around, comes around.

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I think this is the best and most exciting time to be on the planet. India and China used to be spiritual powerhouses, now they are financial. More minorities are in positions of power. And they will prove to be virtually indistinguishable from the old power elite. Once they are in power. I could be wrong, but it doesn't matter.

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