Recently, my Instagram was hacked. I had roughly 2K followers and now I have none. The hackers told my followers that I was starting a new clothing business and I needed their support. As “proof,” they put up a picture of a white Mercedes Benz SUV to show them “my sweet new ride” that I got from my new business. They too could get a ride like this. Now, anyone who knows me knows I don’t talk like that, but I lost my account and all my followers.
What do I mean by building a house on rented land? I didn’t have the email addresses of my followers. Zuckerberg did. It was his land. His platform. I can’t stress this enough. You need to be able to communicate with your followers without Zuckerberg, Musk, or anyone else as a middleman. This is why an email list may be the most valuable digital asset an author can own.
I’m not saying social media isn’t valuable. It is to publishers and the like, but it’s far less valuable than they currently think. So, how do you build an email list? Simple, start right now. Write down the last 25 people you had meaningful contact with. That probably excludes your plumber and your IT person, but maybe not your hairdresser. Any questions?
And now for today’s Obit:
“Resurrected and Recycled”
Junelle Monroe was from Pickett County in Tennessee. Ms. Junelle, as she had come to be known, was born in 1886 and her passing was mourned in 1972. The name Junelle was a combination of June and Ellen, her grandmothers. Her hobbies included keeping a scrapbook of obituaries of family members, friends, and acquaintances.
June 24, 1921: Child Drank Poison, Died. The son of Dr. and Mrs. William Caldwell died today from accidental poisoning. The boy’s mother placed the bottle of poison on a table for a few seconds and left the room. Moments later the boy drank the poison and died within hours.
April 1, 1931: Housemaid Drowned in Washtub. The body of Miss Mattie Lincoln was found head down in the washtub. Mattie had fainted and fallen into the water. Mattie had served breakfast at the house, and a search was instituted when dinner was not served.
January 19, 1952: Woman Dies Of Burns. Lizzie Grady of Monroe County, one of the Grady quintuplets, died from burns suffered when her dress caught fire from an open flame. Four of the five Grady sisters had been cleaning up after a party when Miss Grady’s dress was ignited while sweeping near an open fireplace. By the time the others responded to her screams she had extinguished the flames but had suffered fatal burns. Miss Grady lived for ten hours after the fire.”
Ms. Junelle had once read that there was a correlation between birth traumas and the method of suicide a person chose. People who were born with the umbilical cord wrapped around their necks more often chose hanging. Breech babies (babies who are not born head down) are more likely to use mechanical means, like slitting their wrists. Ms. Jenelle died peacefully in her sleep.
What a painful way to learn a lesson! I would not have believed it would be so easy to lose so many followers instantly. Food for thought!
Thank you, Liz. I am collecting email addresses:)