Fatherhood on Friday: Twitter Adds By Subtracting
Did your Twitter follower count take a hit yesterday? Good.
If you’re an active Twitter user, you probably noticed that your follower count took a hit yesterday, during the first throes of The Great Twitter Cull of 2018. After mounting criticism, Twitter has finally begun thinning the herd, removing those who exist only through their non-existence: the fake accounts, the bots, and the long deserted.
Of course, there is uproar. Popular accounts that base their own worth upon the number of their masses do not like said masses subtracted, regardless of their connection to reality.
The trick, as we see it from our soapbox, is to be an engager, not a collector. Because a following on social media is meant to boost messages, thoughts, and general conversation, not your ego.
And the buck doesn’t stop at 280 characters. Companies are seeing Twitter’s purge of impressions and raising it with integrity. For example:
It’s a good sign for our industry that brands are working harder to analyze an influencer’s following, rather than merely taking a huge heap of followers at face value. If social media platforms are to continue to serve their crucial role, in both interaction and influence, they need to maintain a commitment to be, well, social.
Case in point: On a day when we lost about 80 followers, our engagement was up by around 7%. So really, we’re enjoying the chance to slough off a few pounds. We’re nearing our fighting weight, and it feels good.
IN THE NEWS
Data on working fatherhood from the Pew Research Center show that the hopes and experiences of being a parent today for American men are dramatically different than those of previous generations.
When kids are small, a parent’s right to speech is likely stronger than the child’s interest in online privacy. But when the child gets older, the right to privacy may be stronger, and they would benefit from being able to control their digital footprint.
If you’re a grocery store and ignoring the growing population of dad shoppers, you’re “leaving money on the table.”
“It had been three months since these dads seeking asylum in the U.S. were separated from their children. All of whom are under five years old.”
“I think a lot of people think of my father as this prince of darkness, who was just moody and dark, especially onstage. But, in my experience, that wasn’t him at all.”
“Like all new fathers, I’m destined to be influenced by my dad’s life, a life that in many ways was tragic & unfulfilling. But my dad’s inability to accept himself will ultimately have a positive impact on how I approach raising my own kids.”
Bottom line: Life gets easier when you have someone to confide in.
The #AbsenceNoMore campaign is the driving force behind “Daddy Oh Daddy,” the illustrated keepsake for expectant fathers that is designed to provide dads with their own significant moment where they too can be a part of the childbearing process.
Fun nature tip! As far as lemurs are concerned: The more childcare you exhibit, the manlier you get.
PORCHLIGHT POSTS
- “I waited a long time to tell each person in my life that I struggle with anxiety and depression. There were practical reasons I kept it to myself, but ultimately it came down to this: I was embarrassed by it.” — D. Doug Mains, We All Need That Person; For Me, It’s My Wife
- “You do see color when you’re the only person of your color in a room, in a place, in a crowd. Color screams in your face as you listen to the pins dropping when your head peeks through the doorway.” — Jeff Bogle, The Shape of Time Being The Only White People In The Room In Selma, Alabama
- “Each day that I see a post on Facebook about how his wife is doing, my heart goes out to him. I want to do nothing but be there with him sitting in the hospital just so that he has someone to talk to.” — Brandon Billinger, How One Man And The Dad 2.0 Summit Changed My Life
- “We need to prepare our kids for the world. Not only that, we need to prepare them for a world wholly unlike the one in which we grew up — and wholly unlike the world today. How do we prepare our kids for a world we can’t even anticipate?” — Jamie Greene, Work Hard and Be About Something: Fatherhood, Masculinity, and ‘Kinky Boots’
- “They aren’t ever going to be in strollers again. I’ve lived long enough to learn that parents are needed for a lifetime, but the need that they had before is gone. They need other things.” — Joe Medler, Playing Catch and Enjoying the Show
Part of what makes the Dad 2.0 Summit a must-attend each year is the programming. That means world-class experts and stars in their respective fields sharing their knowledge, experience, and opinions with the group. Are you interested in joining the ranks of Dad 2.0 Speakers and Ideas? Your chance will be here soon!
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Originally published at www.dad2summit.com on July 13, 2018.
