Adventures In Social Media: Just Because No One 'Liked' Your Outfit Doesn't Mean You Should Go Around Naked

It recently occurred to me that getting comments and Likes on Facebook is as unpredictable as getting complimented on your clothes.

Sometimes when you go out of your way to dress up, no one says anything. It's almost as if you were invisible and all the extra effort you put into looking nice seems like it was all for nothing.

But other times when you throw something on from the back of your closet without much thought other than it's the only thing clean and not wrinkled, you get a slew of unanticipated compliments.

Similarly, a provocative Facebook post that you may think will get a lot of comments only gets a few tepid Likes and is generally met not only with crickets, but tumbleweeds.

At a social media conference I attended a couple of years ago, a communications manager at a large hospital in my hometown of Columbus, Ohio, described the unpredictability of Facebook. She said several of her most well-thought-out posts generated little to no response, but a random post about new carpeting being installed in a hallway drew a flurry of excited comments.

This example illustrates that Facebook and social media, in general, is hit and miss. You may have a few misses, but if you keep at it, eventually you'll get a hit - and often when you least expect it.

Going back to the clothing analogy, if you got all dressed up but everyone ignored you, you wouldn't start walking around naked, would you?

This blog entry is part of my "Adventures in Social Media" series. In the next installment, which I plan to publish on Monday, Dec. 8, I'll highlight some cutting-edge features that could help you draw more attention to your social media endeavors - and have a little fun while you're at it.