COMPARED to the 20-somethings, I am not a social media expert.
But I am pretty good at social media management for a 50-year old.
Last week, I had 4,312 friends on Facebook.
With 485 pending friend requests.
I am followed by at least 2,703.
You can check out my Peter Solis Nery account (pink suit in the profile photo), and verify.
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I’m not so big on Instagram.
Although I have a very good gallery content-wise.
My account is @petersolisnery.
As of last week, I had only 937 followers.
That, after 685 carefully curated posts.
But you see, I don’t “follow for follow”.
If you observe closely, I only follow 11 accounts.
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I’m even thinking of unfollowing this handsome pilot now.
I mean, this mutual stalking has been going on for so long.
And still, he hasn’t proposed to marry me!
And I’m only following him because of that tiny glimmer of hope.
His posts are rather sh*tty.
Unless it’s his picture half naked.
And I don’t mean top half naked.
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I’m also on Twitter, and YouTube.
But I don’t follow up with those sites frequently.
I stay mostly on Facebook.
Because my Filipino fans are on Facebook.
Because Filipinos are notorious Facebookers.
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I don’t post bathroom selfies on my Facebook.
I sometimes post food, and nature photos, especially colorful flowers.
But mostly, I post my activity updates, or short poems and witticisms.
Like, Facebook is my online diary.
It’s also my journal on the go.
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On my Facebook account, I post my poems, my crazy ideas, my new philosophies.
Facebook serves as my testing ground for ideas.
I try to keep my content entertaining.
Emotional.
Engaging.
Crazy and fun.
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Last week, I posted this crazy video called “i decided…”, where I made a statement about “my decision” not to win a particular writing contest.
Modesty aside, I think it’s a pretty good one-minute video.
Check it out!
By Day 2, the video has garnered 1.4K views.
By Day 3, 1.9K views.
But what made me dance the Chicken Dance was the 600-plus views in the first hour.
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The idea for the video was really about two weeks in the making.
I knew very early that I did not win in the competition.
And I’m okay with that result.
Because I’ve already won in the same contest so many times before.
But a friend who rabidly looks after my interest had this evil thought: That my critics will be laughing at my back for not being able to sustain my seven-year winning streak.
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And I’m thinking, that’s a sh*tty thought.
I mean, When I win, people say that I should stop entering the contest, and give chance to others; and when I don’t win, and others eventually win, people will laugh at my back and insult me?
Well, I’m not going to play a victim like that!
I want to dictate the public discourse.
I want to direct the traffic.
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So I decided on a statement: “For this year, I decided not to win.”
And although it was said in jest, the moment I said it first, I knew I hit on something big.
I knew it is a winner.
A pretty brilliant prank.
So I had a great afternoon with this consultant-friend instead of crying over spilt chocolate, and contests not won.
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The next step was gathering my beauty team, and media tech team.
My hair and makeup was ultimately done by Noe Rey Segura, who has been my go-to person for many of my movies and photo shoots.
My wardrobe was salvaged from my collection of costumes (for when I receive my awards), mostly done by Debbie Segura Medrano, Noe Rey’s sister.
My video team is Group One Media, frequent collaborators in my indie films and numerous photo shoots and event coverages.
These are Dumangasanons who have great faith in me.
And I love them.
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I sometimes have a feeling that these people in my beauty, media, and tech teams hurt more (than I actually do) if I don’t win in any competition I enter.
I mean, that sounds really self-important.
But how can you explain people working hard on my video (better than most event coverage, and pre-nup videos, for example) for a song?
Watch the video again, and tell me─Does it feel like it can be done for a mere two kilos of pancit canton (granted that it has generous shrimp and pork cutlets) and 1.5 liters of Coke?
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To access the mentioned photos and videos, search #idecided or #petersolisnery on Facebook. Have fun.
Thank you. (500tinaga@gmail.com/PN)
