TODAY'S RAMBLINGS Anyone that knows me and/or reads this blog is likely aware I do not like Facebook, nor its subsidiary tentacles Instagram and WhatsApp. No, that's not right. I just don't like them: I believe they are amongst the most dangerous companies to have ever existed. The damage they've done to the commonwealth is immeasurable, but what they're doing to young girls is not: Facebook's own internal studies quantify the harm they're doing to teenaged women on Instagram.
But they don't care! But that doesn't mean the company is not brilliant.
Some background. I've been trumpeting (for weeks now!) my exciting partnership with my cousin, the artist Charles Clough. One of my roles in the partnership is handling the marketing. And there's no way around it: if you're trying to reach consumers, you must be on Facebook and Instagram (and Google). As I wrote before when some of you called out my hypocrisy, there is really no choice.
So it was with that in mind that I held my nose and signed up for a Facebook account. I used a new "clufffalo.institute" domain I had registered, in a pointless attempt to personally keep a low profile. From there, I built a Clufffalo Institute page, and have been running advertisements and making posts via the page since our launch earlier this month.
First, there is simply no advertising tool available like Facebook's, at least in terms of the ability to target specific people. Charlie and me? We want to reach men and women between the ages of 27 and 59, with incomes in the top 10% of all Americans, that have an interest in fine art. And maybe have them live in Manhattan, Brooklyn, Miami, Dallas, Houston, Chicago, San Francisco, or Los Angeles. Done. With even a small budget like ours, you're still able to get in front (via ads in their newsfeeds on FB and Insta) of eyeballs that conceivably could be customers. Sure, we are missing out on some iOS customers nowadays, but still.
But that's not how I get high on Facebook.
I am referring to the dopamine hits that Mark and Sheryl are so kind to send my way. By running advertisements, I get that nice, big red notification dot anytime anyone anywhere has any kind of reaction to any of our advertisements or post boosts.
So you see I've kind of gotten addicted to logging in to Facebook, and seeing that red dot. Someone cares! We got noticed! WE ARE SEEN!
I am of course being very sarcastic. But there is no doubt many of you know the quick high of seeing the red dot of social approval on FB or Insta (or LinkedIn or Twitter, etc.). I get it, but it doesn't mean I like it. At least not that much. And sometimes, the notifications are reminders to run more ads.
It's almost like Facebook uses the red dot to get you hooked. But someone like Mark Zuckerberg would never do anything like that, right?
FROM THE UNWASHED MASSES It was super to hear from the actively retired Lauren Ryder. In typical fashion, Ms. Ryder got right to the point.
"Hope all is well. I enjoyed both ‘The Dick Van Dike Show’ reruns along with ‘I Love Lucy’ growing up. I have not seen one in a while but your article made me want to.
Miles is also a long-time favorite of mine."
I'd start with "Who and Where Was Antonio Stradivarius?" and go from there.
Lauren was not the only reader with Miles Davis on her mind. Dr. Downs was especially fascinated by my retelling of our Parisian dinner in the summer of 1998:
"I hope Julie captured a video or photo of you almost(?) spitting out your foie gras and gagging on your Sauternes while dining at a fine restaurant in Paris. That would be a sight to behold. 😁
Indeed, it would. But alas, there are no photos. This will have to suffice.
Thank you to any one that is reading this newsletter.
KLUF Getting high? Music? I don't know much about all of that, but someone told me this album is good. Here are the indie darlings The Apples in Stereo, and their Killer "New Magnetic Wonder".
