Come Join Me on Parler

I want to start out with what this post isn’t.  This is not a post saying “hey Parler, you suck”.  Rather so far I am enjoying Parler and I want it to succeed.  So these are things I think they can and should do better.  I am also doing this post because yesterday I criticized something they are doing, in response one of their people gave me a great answer.

Also Parlers official account is following me and does respond to me at times.  I know some of you may be like, well of course they do, you are a well known podcaster.  Yea, but not to Parler I am not, I am just one of many on the platform.  Since lightly promoting it a bit to you guys I have grown to just under 900 followers in about a month.  That may seem like a lot but it isn’t.  There are accounts on Parler with hundreds of thousands of followers, 900 is not a big deal.  The fact that they even respond to me is huge in my opinion.  It shows they want to serve their users better.

Let me start out with what I really love about Parler so far.

1. 1000 Character Limit – this is great you can put our honest to God short blogs this way.  I have never felt one time posting that I could not get all of my critical thoughts into a post.  The limit of 1000 is really good though it does keep you from writing full on articles.
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2. They Have Actually Gotten Some Really Big Names – Like Senators and Congress Clowns Big Names.  – Yes it is true I have almost no use for any politician other than to mock them, but such people have large followings.   I have tried to support a lot of would be competitors to facebook and Twitter such as MeWe but you have to have big time folks to attract a crowd.  In addition to the typical politicians and media types Parler also has big name alternative folks as well.
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3. Slick App Interface – The app just looks good and works great.  Better in my opinion than competitors.
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4. I Actually See the People I Follow – I fing hate that FB decides that well Jack does not really want to see Bill’s posts.  Well facebook and twitter and most platforms, really then why the F did I follow them?  I see everything everyone I follow posts on Parler.  If I change my mind I can simply stop following them.
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5. Unique Content – There are two reasons for this.  One is I follow some people who have been banished from other platforms.  The other is simply that Parler is really growing and people and content creators are putting effort into making the content great.
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6. I Can Read Comments in the Feed – Twitter sucks at this!  You can’t see a posts comments with out drilling down into the post itself.  If you click to comment on a post on Parler you see the other comments.  It also trees the comments in a much more organized way then Twitter does.

Things They Can and Should Do Better

1. Make Content and Profiles Public – I know Parler says they value privacy.  Great but content creators do not want PRIVACY for the content we create we want reach.  1000 characters is enough space that I am willing to put totally original content on Parler, not just share links for content.  I will do this though IF and only IF that content can get into search engines and be shared outside the Parler universe.  I am sure some marketing genius decided that making people have to join to really get a a look around was a good way to get more members.  That genius is no genius, this is a fool’s errand.  Open things up, make posts easy to share on other platforms, make them findable by google, etc.  Sure you want to comment or share you have to join but to read, no this is a bad plan and this is the number one complaint people have about the platform.  You want more members?  Let people read and think shit I want to say something about that and you will have more members.  You want content creators to invest in your platform, well give us a stage to work on, not a back door room to hide in.  For those that want private profiles give them the option.  I think you’ll find that a small portion of average users like it that way but content creators will never chose private.  Content creators DRIVE social media, serve us better and we will help you.
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2. Add Live Streaming Video – Man I would love a live platform to talk to my audience with that won’t censor me!  But unless you do item one, I will never use it.  A Parler insider said live video is coming.  Welp you are wasting your time if I can’t broadcast to the world.  From what I see I think options will be there for like subscribers only and some sort of premium subscriber option where I can earn money with paid content.  Great I love that but give us the option.  If I am going to do a Beer with Jack stream right now I am gonna do it on Facebook where anyone can see it, not in some back door room.  Again though if I start doing that many of my people are going to end up joining.  If I want to make partner revenue I need to build my following first.  Given I have a membership revenue model already I likely won’t use it but others will and again if Parler wants us to put real effort there, we must be able to reach everyone.
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3. Give Us the Option to Follow Hash Tags – Hash tags are great, they help you find things and people to follow you’d never find otherwise.  But not being able to follow a hash tag means they don’t get used as much as they could.  Yes, I can look one up but we are busy people.  Just add a button, follow this tag.  In time that will let me make my feed bad ass.  There is no reason not to do this.
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4. Fix Your Dang Suggested People to Follow Feature – This is not a big deal but it is hurting the growth of community and networks and it is so easy to fix.  Right now my list of suggested people to follow is 19 accounts.  I am following EVERY ONE OF THEM.  Stop suggesting that I follow people I am already following.  Suggest stuff that fits my profile so I can find new content.  Also when you do that, add a option to remove the suggestion.  IE I don’t like this suggestion give me new ones.  The fact that I have to say this makes me question some decision making over there.

Unfair Criticism of Parler – It seems only right I include this, as some of this stuff is bullshit.

1. Parler Does Not Support Free Speech – First no one does online, but Parler is about as close as it gets from what I have seen so far.  I have had dozens of posts removed form FB and TW this year, zero from Parler.  And you guys know me I am a big scary anarchist, I trounce on Trumptards all the time and equally on the Left.  No one censors me. I looked into the claims of censorship.  There were two kinds.  First fake accounts claiming to be a brand or a person they were not and not as a parody.  If you want to parody me, go ahead but don’t claim to be me, that is fraud so good for Parler on squashing this.  The second was “SJW woke” morons attempting to get banned and doing so.  These morons set up accounts and then trolled the Parler team hurling insults and needless vulgarities until they got what they wanted then ran and shrieked they banned me.  Scew such people.
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2. Parler is a Grand Conspiracy to “Wall Off” Conservatives on Social Media Right before an Election – Oh and remember it is once again the “most important election of our lifetime”.  The stupid here burns!  To be clear people do not change who they vote for because you posted a story and some comments on facebook.  Wake up boomers!  Your brother in law that loved Obama is going to vote for Creepy Joe, he is, you will never change his opinion by sharing posts about him sniffing people.  It does not work that way.
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3. Parler is a Right Wing Echo Chamber – Oh so I am right wing?  Me the anarcho libertarian agorist?  I am right wing, really?  I have been posting my usual stuff I have not be reported banned or censored.  Are most users of Parler right wing, probably.  Is this surprising since Twiter/facebook/YouTube/etc area all run by die hard liberals and are only censoring the right?  If you think Parler is too full of one side of the discussion get your ass on Parler and bring your view, follow me there.  As always I will talk to you and answer you.  And as always if you talk like a man with a paper asshole, I will tell you that as well.  And if you cry about it Parler’s team will tell you to pull up your panties and stop following me.  It is only an “echo chamber” if you choose to only follow those who agree with you.  It’s your problem not theirs.

Anyway this post is not a great piece of literature, I am sure it is rife with typos and bluntly I don’t have time to proof read today.  However it is hopefully going to be considered by the team at Parler.  I know you guys don’t know me but before I was a podcaster I was a marketer for about a decade and helped some of the largest brands in the world, including Trump.  Yes really.  And you want to know how I got Trump as a client all the way back in 2006, I wrote and article saying his blog sucked.  His team fired back, I countered and two days later they hired me as a consultant, true story.  I can show you the internet archive of the exchange if you want.

What I am saying makes sense and it will absolutely accelerate Parler’s growth if they give it a shot.  Anyone from Parler’s team, please consider it if you made it this far.  Oh and Parler, if you don’t take a single of my suggestions, I won’t hate on you for it or anything.  You have no reason to listen to me, save one, I’m right.  Arrogant?  Nope just confident, like I said I have been in this game a very long time now.

Everyone else if you are not on Parler consider joining me there, give it a shot.  It is easy to criticize but as I have said for 12 years now, focus on solutions not problems.  The chief criticism of Parler is there is not enough diversity of thought, well that is something you can either bitch about or do something about.

P.S. – If you don’t use social media, why’d you even read this?  Don’t go bitching about social media as a thing in and of itself to me.  I respect anyone who says, social media isn’t for me but this article was not for you.  Don’t feel called out in the end where I said, ” The chief criticism of Parler is there is not enough diversity of thought, well that is something you can either bitch about or do something about.”  This applies to those using social media in some way already, not you.  It makes me sad that I know I need to say this.