Facebook Etiquette

Facebook has gone through quite a few changes this year.  We all know that change is constant.  It's a rare occasion when something stays the same.  Surprisingly, some things do.  Etiquette is one of them.  So, I took upon myself to come up with some Facebook Etiquette for everyone that uses Facebook, whether for business or personal use.

1. When you walk into someone's house, you speak first, at least that's how I was raised.  The chat messages are the same.  Don't just send out a mass chat without speaking.  You get more bees with honey.
2. If someone requests you as a friend for networking, when you accept, post or message a thank you.   A thank you goes a long way.  You never know who that person knows or what value they can bring to you.
3. Stay in touch.  If it's a producer, potential customer, designer, blogger, etc....Send a message every now and again and keep the communication open.  This will remind them of who you are and what you do.  
4. Monitor your Facebook account for spam.  There's a lot of spam going around facebook, ie those shoe advertisements.  Keep your profile clean, if you can.
5. Your status updates should be personable, but draw a line.  Beating breast cancer is great and worth the read.  Getting over a yeast infection is something that should be kept to yourself.  A promotion at the job is great and worth the celebration.  You firing someone because of embezzlement doesn't put your brand or company in the best light.
6. Facebook isn't Twitter.  Hash tags are twitter language.  Wordy statuses are apart of Facebook's language.  
7. Don't send repetitious invites to an event.  If someone declined, then they declined.  Sending the invite several times doesn't guarantee a change in the outcome.  

That's all I can think of right now.  I hope this helps you utilize Facebook better.  As always, connect with me on Twitter, Facebook, Reverbnation, Youtube, and Myspace.  I don't just sing....I'm a nerd too....LOL.

@T_RayBiz

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Lung Transplant

I am blessed to still have my mother alive.  She gets on my nerves sometimes.  But what mother doesn't do that to her child?  LOL.  There's nothing like a mother though.  If it wasn't for her, I wouldn't be able to share my voice with the world.  Well, yesterday while I was watching football, I learned that one of my childhood friend and her mother are facing a difficult hurdle.  Her mother was diagnosed with sarcoidosis a little while ago.  Unfortunately, they don't have enough money to cover the cost of a lung transplant.  Well, if I had my grammy awards and millions in the bank, I would just cut a check for the cost and call it a day.  I don't have any of that yet.  What I do have is my debut single, "From Your Love."  Now, this song was originally written in reference to a relationship.  After I listened to the words again, the song could be about anyone you love.  So, I can imagine that my friend feels this way about her mother.  Anyway, any proceeds from Downloads between now-until (TBD) will go towards her surgery.  I'm not doing this for fame or fortune.  I'm doing it in the name of Life.  So, if you believe in Life, Download "From Your Love" at http://vibedeck.com/t-ray and help keep a life.

Read the mother's story at http://www.transplants.org/donate/beverlyjohnson

1 Starts a Crowd

Being a singer is such an adventure.  You have no choice but to do as many shows as you can.  In my perfect world, there would be 1,000,000 people at each show.  Unfortunately, I live in an imperfect world; therefore, I have shows where there are only 20, or less sometimes, in the crowd.  My last show was at Club Throbacks in Atlanta.  Now, this venue has a nice size, with pool tables in the my back.  I honestly think it has a nice setup.  The sound system is annoying, but it's still cool.  So, this particular night, I had to work the door for K-Rock Entertainment, @MsKrock on twitter.  SN:  I was so happy about working the door.  That was something I always wanted to do!  Anyway, I ended up going on last. I wasn't too happy about that because the band and I are were getting restless, plus we all had been up all day.  Well, I get up there, the mic that the band needed to use wasn't working.  So, they're upset about that, but they still sang as if it worked.  Anyway, I sang a little acapella to get the crowd's attention.  Once I had them, we sang our songs.  While singing, one person came up to the stage as if he was hypnotized by my vocals.  I'm not exaggerating.  You can certainly do your research on that...LOL.  After he came up to the stage, a female came up and gave me $5.  By the end of the song, everyone was clapping and happy, into the music.  So, at the beginning of the next song, the owner of the club came and sat in the front of the stage.  You know I worked that to my advantage and made that thang all about him....LOL.  While I was on stage, I figured out something very important.  1 person came up to the stage first.  1 person was the first person to pay their money, show their id, and go through security to come in.  Before you have 1,000,000 people at a show, or a packed house at a smaller venue, 1 person has to come and start the crowd.  Satisfy at least one fan or one person, and you begin to grow your fan base.  Don't focus on the size of the crowd, the amount of money you're getting, or the recognition you feel you don't get.  Focus on connecting with at least one person.  That starts a successful career!