Thursday, September 10, 2015

Spamming and Slamming

A few days ago I let loose the Girls Rock Metal Detecting website upon the masses of Facebook. I have been a contributing member, sharing finds and engaging with other detectorists in social media communities since the day I started metal detecting almost four years ago. I am a video narrator and on other channels and have created banners and graphics for different pages as well as being an active moderator of various Facebook groups. While I did effectuate a profile change when undertaking the Girls Rock Metal Detecting project, and may seem like a new face, I still felt comfortable posting the website, which is completely on topic. I had also received an amazing response from moderators who encouraged me to post links, blog articles, videos, or "whatever I wanted."  Needless to say, I was quite shocked when someone accused me of being a spammer and a non-participant in the groups.

 What exactly is spam?  "Electronic spamming is the use of electronic messaging systems to send unsolicited messages (spam), especially advertising, as well as sending messages repeatedly on the same site..." "It is named after Spam, a luncheon meat, by way of a Monty Python sketch in which Spam is included in every dish. The food is stereo-typically disliked/unwanted, ..." Thank you Wikipedia! I think it's safe to say that I was not hurling canned meat at anyone so we'll go with the electronic definition of spam. I was not selling anything and I never posted the link more than one time to any group. While it is true, I did post the link to multiple groups, I am an active member in these groups and wished to share my website with each group much like I do with finds, videos or blog articles. Those of us belonging to multiple groups have grown accustomed to seeing posts more than once, accepting this as a harmless side effect. (We could get into semantics about how there are way too many metal detecting groups but I didn't create the Facebook world I just reside in it -- Plus I love the variety!)  Next, speaking to relevancy, as a member of a "metal detecting group" there is an assumption of risk that you will see metal detecting links (gasp!). However, an amazing little tool known as a "scroll bar" allows you to scroll through posts until you find something that catches your fancy. Bottom line, your personal lack of interest in a post does not make it spam.

 There are two things an innocent bystander may not know about me: 1) I have a tremendous passion for metal detecting and 2) I have an out-of-control creative side that regularly assumes full dominion over my being, plunging me into projects it feels will sedate my artistic cravings. From this, Girls Rock Metal Detecting was conceived. While it is true, the idea was born out of a vision to provide a platform for female detectorists to fully express themselves, it would be disingenuous not to point out the benefits I am being afforded. Girls Rock Metal Detecting has tapped into a side of me that has been dormant for some time--The imaginative artsy side who is so excited to have a reason to write, create graphics, produce videos, engineer film and sounds, and to interact with others in a hobby that is truly inspiring. The one thing I am NOT getting out of this is money! I never intended for Girls Rock Metal Detecting to generate a revenue of any sort. I have long since learned that it is difficult to find a job in the arts that actually pays the bills, so I must hold down a 40 hour a week career to keep a roof over my head.  I truly believe, because this project is not money driven, what I am doing comes for a pure and true place in my heart (as corny as that sounds). I hope this honesty translates through the videos and my social media content. I realize not everyone will understand and appreciate what I'm doing, but I really hope you'll give it a chance.

xoxo Siren Kimmie (HDIC Girls Rock Metal Detecting)
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