Many people include Google+ as part of their overall social media strategy to network and share their content to their friends. Many hope that they will cast their nets and hope to reach an even wider audience.
Though profile views are not the be all and end all of Google+ fame and fortune, it does provide a glimpse into a person’s overall standing on Google+. I’m a small fish in this vast pond. However, Anthony Davis with his over 6.5 million profile views swims in a different school of fish.
I first encountered Mr. Davis on June 8, 2014 when his https://plus.google.com/+AnthonyDavisMBA/posts/41EMggNJZWu post somehow slid into my Google+ feed. The picture showcased a dog, presumably his, performing quite a feat. I was impressed, but then I looked at the hashtags that he choose to associate with this post. Sadly, quite a few had absolutely nothing to do with the dog and its activity displayed in the post
Then I noted that people had shared this post more than one thousand times. After a quick scan of some of Mr. Davis’s other posts, it was obvious that he enjoys a success on Google+ that small fries like me can only dream about.
Though the dog’s feat was awesome, I found the tactics that Mr. Davis used to promote his post a bit unsavory. Thus, on June 9, 2014, I left a comment on his post. This represented an important act for me, because though I share the posts of others on Google+, I rarely comment on this platform.
In my comment, to paraphrase, I communicated how impressed I was with the dog’s athletic prowess. However, I indicated that I felt that Mr. Davis’s inappropriate use of hashtags made the post seem like spam and that it took away from it potentially standing out on its own merits with the use of relevant hashtags.
Sometimes a nice respectful debate can freshen the air on the internet. With that in mind, in the evening of June 9, 2014, I eagerly signed into my Google account to see if Mr. Davis had justified his tactics to upsize the audience of his post. Sadly, I found that my comment was missing. For a moment, I thought I was on Bubblews.
I wondered if this was a glitch or if somehow Mr. Davis was behind my missing comment. I figured I would give him the benefit of the doubt and re-post my comment. Therefore on June 10, 2014 I again commented on Mr. Smith’s post. Here is that comment:
Han Van Meegerin
9:24 AM
“+Anthony Davis quite a display of athleticism. The dog seems so agile and strong. Why spam the post, by tagging it with Caitlynjenner, nbafinals, breakingnews, traveltuesday. Apple etc. It takes away from the post making it and standing out on its own merit with relevant tags.”
Later on June 10, 2015, I once again logged into to Google and once again I noticed that my comment was missing. In addition Mr. Davis’s account was now restricted and I was blocked from following and viewing Mr. Davis’s Google+ activity. Again, I had a creepy sensation that I was on Bubblews. Clearly, my inquiry had seemed to strike a nerve with Mr. Davis.
Let’s examine exactly how Mr. Davis introduced his post. This is how it appeared on Google+.
“Anthony Davis
Jun 8, 2015
Who dog can do this? #humor
#inspirational #whatshot #lol #animallovers #Caitlynjenner #nbafinals #breakingnews #June #funny #Monday #pitbull #Tuesday #fathersday #traveltuesday #gifs #Apple #Netflix #humpday #Wednesday #tbt #imágenes #Facebook”
There is no doubt that the dog in the post demonstrates remarkable athleticism, but I have to ask what is the association between the dog and its activity with Caitlynjenner, nbafinals, fathersday, Apple, Netflix, breakingnews etc. I see absolutely no connotation and thus I view Mr. Davis’s behavior as an abuse of hashtags on Google+.
It’s hard enough for common folks to gain traction with their own posts, using legitimate promotional means which can include the use of appropriate hashtags within the Google+ ecosystem. Mr. Davis’s reckless use of hashtags shows an utter disregard for fellow Google+ users, because it helps gain for himself an undeserved notoriety via an artificial promotional strategy and thus comes at the expense of others trying to carve out their space on Google+ though legitimate and appropriate means. Further, Mr. Davis’s apparent attempt to silence his critics is a sad display of internet insecurity and shows an unwillingness to defend one’s own behavior.
https://plus.google.com/+AnthonyDavisMBA/posts/41EMggNJZWu
© Copyright, Han Van Meegerin – All Rights Reserved
https://plus.google.com/+AnthonyDavisMBA/posts/41EMggNJZWu
https://plus.google.com/+AnthonyDavisMBA/posts/41EMggNJZWu
https://plus.google.com/+AnthonyDavisMBA/posts/41EMggNJZWu
Han Van Meegerin
I’ll send Anonymous a Red Stripe beer.
When you said unrelated, I never imagined the tags would be THAT unrelated.
Which brings the question- don’t people bounce off the post once they see that it has nothing to do with the tags?
When asked how many tour de france cyclists were doping or otherwise cheating, a certain well-known competitor responded “Everyone except the guys in the back.”
The world is full of it. It’s damn hard to get anywhere on pure merit. But I sally forth, motivated by those who have taken the high road and seen success and having a beer now and then.
People will use any tactic to get views.
Well said, its a shame they resort to this kind of stuff!