Building a Following on Social Media

The Wrong Approach

Recently, I think because I have developed a presence in the forums and in the community blogs section of Lichess, I have received a lot of random requests in my direct messages. Some request that I check out their YouTube Channel and subscribe. Others request that I join their team on Lichess. So far, I have declined all of these requests. The main reason is that I don't blindly follow someone who is unknown to me. I don't "friend" strangers either. These requests come in usually starting with the phrase "Hi friend," to which I reply, "Do I know you?" and the answer is always some form of "No." In my old-school brain, "friend" still has meaning, and so I really don't like this initial deception. If you do not know me, we are not friends. I think it would be better to politely introduce yourself so that I can skip the step of trying to understand if I recognize something about your user name. Even with this polite approach, though, I think the results would be the same. I used to have a "no solicitors" sign on the front door of my home for many years. I just don't like to be "sold to" in any shape or form. When dealing with people promoting their channels, I always feel that same annoyance that they want to TAKE something from me, and then my automatic, knee-jerk answer is "no." If that person pushes more, it might end up that I block the person.

A More Promising Approach

Instead of using these "cold call" methods to randomly message players in hopes of support, I think a much more meaningful approach is to actually get to know other chess players. Yes, this requires work and social skills. People tend to follow people with whom they have a relationship of some sort. The best ways to get to know players on this site are through the forums and by joining teams yourself. The best way to meet chess players in real life is to participate in over-the-board clubs. It is also possible to create a following on YouTube just by having great content.

Create Content in Forums

If you are great at creating content that chess players love, it is good practice to post in the forums so that other players begin to take an interest in who you are as a chess personality. As a person who is often posting in the forums, I tend to notice
who is often there with me, and although we have never spoken directly, there are people who have inspired my thinking. Over time, I have come to appreciate their style of communication and thought process.

Join a Team

I have heard great things about the teams here on Lichess. By joining a team, it is much easier to get to know a smaller group of chess players on Lichess. Teams form bonds as they compete in tournaments. Team members by default are "for you," and so it is not much of a stretch to share content with a fellow team member AFTER you have taken time to get to know them a bit.

Attend Over-the-Board Clubs

I absolutely love playing chess in real life in the community where I live. There is nothing like face-to-face interaction with people. I have consistently attended my favorite informal club in a park for a couple of years. People know my name, say "hi" when I arrive, and wish me well when I leave for home. These guys are genuinely interested in my life, and I am sure if I were trying to build a chess channel on YouTube, they would be happy to look at it just because they know me. Granted, in my case, because I am just a beginner, they would probably look just to get a giggle, but nevertheless, I would not have to ask them twice to look at my channel if it existed!

Build your Channel and be Patient

If you are a new content creator, it is important to spend time developing your channel. Yes, this ALSO takes time and effort. I think in this day and age, if videos don't immediately go viral, people get discouraged and think they failed. This is not true. It really does not matter how many people view your content. If your goal is to monetize your channel somehow, numbers don't always matter, but if the right people of influence enjoy your channel, you are all set anyway. I know that I follow a lot of people on YouTube because I enjoy their shorts and they consistently make good content. If people spend the time to make content that gets uploaded in a predictable pattern, people will start to notice the content that they like, anticipate the next upload, and follow the creator so they can be notified. There really are no shortcuts to this. If you have great content, people will follow. If you are producing a lot of quantity without quality, people will not notice you as much.

The Good News

At least something good came out of the recent amount of "spam" I am receiving. Sorry if that sounds harsh. The next person who randomly messages me will likely get a copy of this blog post. It will save us both a lot of time. 1. They will know my position on randomly supporting people I do not know. 2. Hopefully, they will pick up a few tips on a more reasonable way to promote their channels.

I wish you all the best in your future endeavors! I encourage you content creators to KEEP creating and continue to socialize with other chess players on Lichess and in real life. Word of mouth is a powerful tool!

Cheers!