Steel, Iron and Facebook

I decided to revisit Facebook this year. I joined in 2010 but after a week of exploring a variety of groups, I put it back on the shelf as "not ready for prime time."

Here we are 5 years later, and I decided  to try it again. After all, according to the popular press, so many privacy issues had been resolved, it was all "wonderland," etc. etc.

Interestingly, the Wall Street Journal published an article on July 14 entitled "How to Start Liking Facebook Again: Fixes for the Biggest Complaints" by technology writer Joanna Stern. Apparently I wasn't the only one who had problems with FB. However, I am possibly unusual because I NEVER liked FB, and I still don't.

Ms. Stern's pet peeves sound like 2010 all over again. So the question remains: Can one find value over at Facebook? The answer is a qualified "yes" but it goes beyond likes. FB aso remains a huge time waster and distraction. I simply don't have the time or inclination to sit with my smartphone all day. In fact, to accomplish things I frequently turn off one of my phones and set the other to silent. I know, horrors. But then, I'll never get carpel thumb disease.

Steel and Iron
Now, why the title of this post? There is some value over at Facebook, but one must be selective. For example, I am interested in things that improve my life; in other words, things I can apply to my lifestyle. I have no interest in those dim bulbs in the entertainment industry. FB and Google+ also provide a means to contact family, friends and acquaintances.

So what might improve my life? I have several interests in which a few of the 1.4 billion FB users can provide value to me. These include travel and cooking. Travel specifically in a steel can (a small class B RV) and cooking with cast iron. Other than that, I already have more than sufficient sources of information and guidance. More importantly, those other sources are trustworthy.

That, by the way, is my #1 pet peeve about FB and any and all social networks. The internet is the Wild Wild West with many unknowns. I really don't need instant chat about any and all opinions. I'm interested in what works, what doesn't, and what I can use. Opinions ("I like this") are about as useful to me as the voting on America's Got Talent. Yet, I too get sucked into the FB vortex and find myself hitting the "Like This" button. Okay, I admit letting people know what works has some value. but I also suspect this might simply be a popularity contest. One thing I have learned about creating value is this. It isn't a popularity contest. Some people will use what I provide and others won't. Some will refuse to simply because they don't like me. On the other side of the coin, if I find value I'll use it. I really don't care who did it and my opinion of them is meaningless. It is about finding value and then applying it. In fact, I'd go so far as to say "If I don't use it, it has little value." It's like working on a HOA board, which is a payless, unpopular job. Some owners and residents will like the results, some won't and some will forever dislike various board members, simply because they are on the board. No big deal, because I didn't buy a condo to be in a social club. Who does? That's why they make retirement and over 55 communities, isn't it? Ditto for other aspects of my life.

First the Iron
I find the "Cast Iron Cooking" group probably the most interesting FB site. Now I know that's a personal, subjective comment. However, I suggest the reader think about how much time they have spent cooking, baking, eating and then cleaning dishes. I'd also suggest we consider what it is that really makes a difference in our lives. I am of the opinion that talk is cheap.

Why a group about cooking? For the foodies, cast iron might seem oh, so middle ages. For those who don't cook, how much time and money has been spent in restaurants, both good and bad? In the wild, one is frequently uncomfortable. A good meal makes a real difference and it is sometimes the only thing over which we have some control of comfort when camping. I've done a lot of ground camping and that's been my experience. One thing that made a real difference was a good meal. It still does and my spouse and I enjoy cooking and baking. It's one of the ways most of us share our good fortune with others. "Breaking bread" is in the American Lexicon.

Over at the cast iron group, people share results, not just opinions. It isn't about wants and needs. They share cooking tips, cleaning tips and recipes. Everything it takes to make a meal of anything from corn bread to steak to beans to stew and pie. The group users provide the evidence, too. Lots of photos and recipes. Now, other groups do similar things, but this group is "doing" and doesn't spend much time "complaining."

Now the Steel
Another interest is several RVing groups. In particular, smaller Class B or C. Why? Well, I have a specific interest in travelling and living in these rather complicated machines. There are a number of these groups over at Facebook. Some provide more value than others.

Now, I've actually had my fill of certain kinds of travel. In my business life I've driven about 600,000 miles, flown more than I can remember. Spent as many as 11 months at a time "somewhere else" living in a motel or compound. Home was sometimes 12,000 miles distant.

In those travels it was mostly work. I wasn't wherever to make friends. Sometimes my purpose was to make and force a difficult decision. It wasn't about popularity. Once it was about lifting the banishment of a company which had found itself in serious difficulties. Yet I was at times popular. When results are necessary, achieving them may make one notorious if not popular. For companies, it is all about results and survival. Good companies reward this with more work. Sometimes bad companies also do so, but from experience, these bad companies will be more inclined to attempt to squeeze blood from the workers. Greed is rampant in our society.

In nearly all of these travels, I either drove by or flew over millions of people. I didn't share their experiences. I first saw the Grand Canyon from the air. Now, it's time to see all of the things I flew by, up close and at my pace. So I have an interest in doing just that.

RVing on Facebook
Rvers are a diverse group. At one end of the scale are those travelling in a $2 million Prevost. At the other are those living stealthily in a Van parked in NYC. Most of us are somewhere in the middle, travelling in a smaller RV called a "Class B" or "Class C" and costing when new from $50,000 to $150,000.

Obviously, this diverse group has differing viewpoints and needs, wants and desires.

As the owner of a class B, I have a specific interest in that type of travel and living. However, there are other sources of information. My favorite is the FMCA Roadtrek Chapter. Why? That group via their cyberrally communication is a group of committed listeners. They each paid for this privilege.

That, by the way, is probably the #1 problem with FB. It is free. That means people sign up who have no financial or other tangible interest. On FB, we'll be interacting in a group comprised of the makers and the doers, but also the casual bystanders and from time to time, the loose cannons. I commented recently in a FB group that the problem with "free" is it has no value. Provide access for free and people equate that to "no effort" which is one step on the entitlement bandwagon. It may also simply be entertainment. I have no interest in entertaining the bored. That's why we have free TV.

Over at the FMCA there is a membership fee. That alone keeps the casual observer and the loose cannons at bay. In all honestly, I've gotten far, far more value from my FMCA membership than I have from FB. That's the reality. Sometimes, the best things in life are not free, nor should they be.

Sharing implies a give and take. That's not necessarily the way it works at FB, unless one considers sharing to be opining.

What FB has going for it is visibility. Some RV manufacturer's have decided to spend a lot of time on FB. I can understand that from a marketing and sales perspective. Owners have a free site to go to for advice, etc. Potential buyers see the involvement of the manufacturer and equate that to commitment and service. This can drive sales, which is really important in competitive industries, and the RV Class B world is competitive. This is not a criticism. I'd rather have a responsive company than one which is non-committal and un-responsive. However, there is perception and there is reality. There are some really large, well known companies which have thrived by driving perception, to alter the reality of the customer. I'd rather live in an unaltered, raw reality. It's a fine line for any company to walk.