Alternative Hip Hop Social Networking

Social networking is the catch phrase of the new millennium. Social networking is defined as: "the use of a website to connect with people who share personal or professional interests." To a new hip hop artist, social networking means getting new fans and connecting on a deeper level than simply putting up a banner or sending an email ad to millions of potential fans. Social networking has been around long enough now that even little old grandma has a myspace page. This is causing issues. Why? Because it is getting harder and harder to cut through the internet clutter and get a message heard, read, or viewed. This article has been written to help you cut through the internet social networking clutter and give you an alternative idea about how to use hip hop social networking to gain long term fans that buy CDs.

First, lets fully understand what a social network is. Myspace, Facebook, and Youtube, among many other websites, are entire social networks within one website. They offer blogs, videos, music, and pages upon pages of personal profiles. These spots on the web are entire social networking websites. However, they are not geared toward selling music. They are more geared at socializing. This is good for the average user. But a hip hop artist must learn how to use websites like these within their own hip hop social network to drive people to a full blown hip hop music website that has a shopping cart to capture sales. A hip hop social network my be made up of a combination of myspace, youtube, facebook, a seperate blog site, and a full blown website with shopping cart. All these websites, combined, create a hip hop social network that drive people to buy music.

Here is the problem with what most people consider Social Networking today:

We have all heard about web 2.0, MySpace.com, YouTube.com, and other online communities. Most of us have an account with each of these spots. And most of us will post a picture or flyer on our myspace page when we get shows or have something we feel we want to share. Here is the problem. Everything I just said is based on what "we," meaning ourselves, want to do and think, and "we" feel folks want. Think of it this way, when you are online, do you like people telling you what you want, how you must search, or what you should be looking at? NO.

Most of us want to socialize or social network online, and off line for that matter, the way we want to. It's a personal thing. It's where we unwind, put a face on ourselves, and create our home away from home. Basically, it's our own spot, the entire web that is, that we can create, surf, and turn into our own social network with no adult supervision what so ever. The web is a place for us to reach out and find what we want and learn about new things that we might find interesting. It is how the term social networking came about. The internet is no longer a place to just get information. It is now a place to socialize and interact with others that have similar interests as our own. Your job as a hip hop artist is to connect, or better, socialize with others that may want to join in your hip hop social network and ultimately buy your music.

Now think about this: When you are socializing online, how do you find music, websites, or new things of interest? We all pretty much just stumble upon pages online. We are in one spot, click here, end up there, and find really cool pages that fit within our own social network that make us think: "this is worth my time and effort so I will spend a little bit of time here to see if I really am digging what is being offered." Then, if we like what is being presented we hit "add to bookmarks," considering it "good" enough to add to our own social network and start clicking again looking for the next cool thing. I was recently searching for an electronic fence so my dog would stop digging under my wooden fence and ended up finding one of the coolest bands that I have heard in a long time. How did I make the jump from fences to bands? On one of the electronic fence websites there was a blog talking about electronic fences and how they worked. I was reading it and it was pretty informative so I looked to see who posted the blog thinking it was another electronic fence manufacturer and found that in the signature was a link to a band. I clicked on the link, and bam!!! The page was cool, the music was playing, and the pictures of the band caught my attention right away. This was a band that fully understood the art of alternative hip hop social networking. Why? Because they advertised, without advertising, their own hip hop social network to millions of potential people that might find their hip hop social network interesting enough to consider "bookmark" worthy outside of the normal myspace, youtube, or facebook social networks. 

Alternative Hip Hop Social Networking:

You and I have no clue what folks out there in "internet land" want to see, how they want to see it, or how they arrived at the website where they are seeing it. We only know what we want and how we want to see it. This is powerful if you understand it. Why? Because if you fully realize how you yourself browse the internet looking for similar social networks, and pay attention to your own methods of searching out these social networks, you can capture more fans for your hip hop social network. I know, it seems weird, but here is how it may be able to help you:

1. If you realize that people in general do not want to be told what to do, how to do it, or when they must do it, then you must also realize that if you have something you want people to see, hear, or "discover" like your hip hop social network, then you must present it in a way that is easy to stumble upon and discover. Here are some tips:

a)
If you have a myspace, facebook, or youtube page within your hip hop social network, make sure the information you most want people to see is very visible and easy to read. Do not make viewers stumbling upon your hip hop website have to try and read white text that goes across white images in the background. Do not make viewers have to go into your pictures page on myspace to see a flyer for an event. Post that flyer picture at the top of your social network page. And do not make folks wade through tons of little widgets that you got for free on myspace that look really cool to get to the important information. I am not saying don't have these cool features and widgets on your website, what I am saying is make sure the important stuff contained within your hip hop social network is towards the top and easy to read!

b)
If you have your own website as part of your hip hop social network then make sure you have a recent news tab in your menu system, or better yet, have the home page list the recent news right up front. If you are lucky enough to have people stumble on your page do not think you are lucky enough to have them search for cool things contained within your social network to consider it "bookmark worthy." If it is not up front and real easy to see they will move on quickly and miss something they might want. Do you know that most users will stay on a "discovered" web page for less than 10 seconds? Take a look at your website with an open mind. What can make the general public want to "join" your hip hop social network in 10 seconds?

c)
Options, options, options!!!! If we realize that folks do not want to be told anything about their web experience then we can use this information to realize that they also want to be able to select how they discover new things. Meaning offer your news in several different options like simple words on the page (text), video pod cast, audio pod cast, and pictures. Basically, write a simple catchy press release and use it as news, then if you have a web cam make a quick video about the subject adding a bit more of your personality or do the same with a microphone and make it an mp3 pod cast. But most important, a picture is worth a thousand words. Have pictures or flyers of your news so people that are trying to discover a new or exciting hip hop social network can use their own eyes and decide in less than 10 seconds if it "grabs" them and makes them want to invest the additional time to learn more about your hip hop social network and what entertainment value it may offer. Pictures go way back in the music industry. Eye catching pictures grab peoples attention. It is the history behind CD covers. The cooler the graphics on the cover of the cd the better the chance that a new listener will pick up the CD, or in the old days... a record, and learn more about it. It still works online in 2008! In most cases, pictures of activity within a hip hop social network will make people want to start participating in the discussions, sharing, or socializing that happens within social networks. To sum it all up, give your viewers the chance to "discover" your music the way they want to. Give them options.

2. If you realize that people may stumble upon your hip hop social network from anywhere online then you have to make sure you are everywhere online. Meaning: Only posting links and information on "music" related web pages or the standard myspace, youtube, or facebook social networks is not good. You have to make sure you leave your mark everywhere you visit online. Here are some tips:

a)
Learn how to create a signature that has a link to your hip hop social network. (You can learn how to do this by searching in Google with this search string: how to create a link in my signature. It is very easy to do and it will get you a lot of incoming traffic to your hip hop social network.) In everything you do online make sure you leave a comment, question, or request. Meaning, if you are searching for information on electronic fences then make sure you post a question to the blog section of a website you stumble upon. Don't make it anything about music. Use the web as a life resource. Only post your real questions about "electronic fences." Ask a question about how it works or whatever you want to know to make the purchase, decision, or whatever. Then make sure you put your signature with a link to your hip hop social network. Here is the cool thing. Not only will you get the answer you needed about your topic, but you will get folks you didn't even know, meet, or persuade visiting the pages contained within your hip hop social network. Remember - music is for the masses, not the few that you think they are into it!

B)
Most of us have other interests outside of music. Maybe it's pottery, who knows, but I am sure you have other interests. Post on blog sites that are not music related and use your hip hop social network linked signature. Visit forums of other interests and start talking to people and leaving your linked signature in your communications. Marketing a hip hop social network is a numbers game. The more people that see your linked signature, the more "clicks" you will get that lead people to your hip hop social network. Remember, you do not like to be "Sold" to, so don't sell to the public. Let them think they are "Discovering" a really cool new artist or hip hop social network. Simply socializing online, away from music websites will help a lot. People that go to music websites are bombarded with "Click here and listen to my music." Set yourself apart and get away from the crowded myspace, youtube, and facebook surfers and find good, new, fans among people simply surfing their "other" interests.

3. If you realize how you surf you may hold the key to how other people in your demographic surf. Meaning: If you like certain things then others in your age, race, or interest range may be surfing just like you. Warning, this doesn't mean they do it just like you, but may be doing it similar to you. Pay attention to how you get around the net. Ask yourself these questions:

a)
What do I do when I first sit down at the computer and go online?

b)
When I find something I like what do I do with it?

c)
How did I find the last three musical artists I now really digg?

d)
What is my computer and what are my capabilities? Meaning; What do I have trouble viewing or listening to when visiting other hip hop social networks? What do I search for so I know I can watch, listen, or view it without hassle?

Basically it comes down to this: by paying attention to what, how, when, and where you do things online you can get the edge on your potential fans. How? By putting your music, flyers, or linked signature in the areas you may visit yourself. Plus, by really looking at how you use the internet and what is easiest for you to view or listen to, you have the insiders tip about what format you will need to present your hip hop social network.

I have only outlined three areas you can use to attract new fans to your hip hop social network. There are countless other things you can do that are not "Music Marketing" related. Hip Hop Social Networking is not just about going on MySpace.com and finding new friends. It's about being social online in all areas that interest you and making sure while you are there you leave a trail to your hip hop social network. Social networking is just like networking off line. You don't go to a club that only attracts other Hip Hop artists expecting to get fans by the masses.... Do you? I hope not. Hip Hop Fans are everywhere. Even soccer moms are listening to rap on a daily basis while driving little Suzie to her soccer game.

Get out there and away from music websites. Find other interests and start thinking "masses." Find ways to connect with as many people you can and do not sell to them, just give them a trail to your hip hop social network. And by all means, stop trying to make people see, hear, find, or discover what you think is important..... give options, paths, and nudges to your hip hop social network instead.

Next time I will talk about how to "reel" people in and get them to buy your music once they actually stumble upon your hip hop social network! Until then, good luck, good surfing, and stay focused on the end game of selling CDs, not becoming your local "hood hero."

Peace,
Jai
"Love the Music in Yourself,
Not Yourself in the Music."

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