Amidst searching for “self help” groups online to aide my addiction, I came upon an article that not only serves as a big exhale for me, but describes why humans seem to be so stuck on social networking. Peep this summary of Anthropoligist Robin Dunbar’s opinion on gossip and grooming…

Lets go back to a time before internet, before cell phones, and long before facebook and twitter- a time when our ancestors roamed the planet. Even though our ancestors didn’t have the internet, they somehow managed to stay dialed in to the culture that they were apart of- but how In the world…?! Lets turn to primates to answer this question, after all- they are our closest living relative.

The main way that primates come to understand their rank in a group is through the method of grooming. During the 20% of their lives that they spend grooming, primates are able to attain relationship knowledge and information including who gets along, who doesn’t, and who’s gettin’ it on. This behavior is necessary in order to understand their place in a social hierarchy so that one-day they can climb the ranks to the top (Reasons for reaching the top include mating with the best, to produce viable offsping, to keep your gene pool in the running for…becoming Americans next top model? Haha, etc etc, the list goes on and on and anybody who has sat through a lecture of human evolution knows how in depth this can go, so we won’t go there).

Anyways, that’s exactly the point as to why we as humans are interested in social networking. Humans are innately interested in knowing our place in society and how we compare to others around us so that we too can climb the social ladder. This desire may have stemmed from early primates however; the method in which humans have been able to understand hierarchal positions has evolved over time from grooming to tweeting.

And so, I go on facebook to see who’s friendly to each other, who’s mad at each other, and who’s gettin’ in on. You see, we all NEED this information to move on up in the world. It may seem like petty gossip (which most of it is) but its only natural for us to crave this information so that we one day can be on top of the social pyramid.

Thank you to Robin Dunbar’s study for making me feel like my addiction isn’t a huge problem. But I guess I could spend some more time at the beach….

Your home page is where 90% of your visitors will land when looking for your band, making this the most important page on your site. Make sure it includes current news on the band, a music sampling and link to album info and sales, links to social networks and dynamic multi-media content. Make sure presentation is clean and organized. Have clear links to other important sections to the band website, such as band bio, photo gallery, video gallery, fan capture, management and booking contact info, discography, and very important – your band’s store.

Merchandising is your bread and butter and can be the means to funding your music. Don’t forget to include sharable, promotional content, such as wallpapers, graphics and ringtones – this is your viral marketing material. Link your social media community profiles back to your home page so you can unclutter your profile pages, making the page load faster and more viewer friendly. A presence on social network communities are essential, but not as a stand alone. With over 70 million unique visitors per year each, Myspace and Facebook are vital to your web presence. If a potential fan looks for you on Myspace and can’t find you, you’ve lost a fan. But, with more than 8 million bands and artists with Myspace profiles, you have to distinguish yourself with a dedicated website. Producers, venue owners and media will opt fora professional, invested, self-promoting band over one that is not. If you don’t take your music seriously, neither will they.

[audio:Better half of me.mp3,Struggles.mp3|artists=Derrick Fury,Derrick Fury|titles=Better Half of Me,Struggles]

[audio:Professionals show.mp3,New Shhh Mixdown show.mp3|artists=Pook Diesel,Pook Diesel|titles=Professionals,New Shhh]

[audio:03 Feet Don't Touch The Ground (Fresh Mix).mp3|artists=The Wrecking|titles=Feet Don't Touch The Ground]