In short: I don’t think about Facebook at all. Is that the response you were hoping to hear? It would have been for me back then.

When I left, my primary concern was losing contacts. A good chunk of my income is from music, and Facebook is (or was) heavily relied upon for networking in those circles. That turned out not to be a big deal at all.

In 2017, I was playing about 40 to 50 gigs per year. Today I’m averaging about 100. I think I would like that number to be around 125, but I’m most of the way there, and I did that without Facebook or Instagram.

How did I do it? Good, old-fashioned networking—going to shows, supporting the musicians I want to play with, and venues I want to play. Opportunities are about who you know, and being a regular in the crowd, being seen, talking to the right people face to face, and most importantly, being a good hang. (That last part is a much bigger topic, but we’re not going to get into it here.)

I’m not saying this process can’t be helped along with social media. I am saying it can be done without it, and social media can’t reveal how pleasant and charming you are to actually be around in person. You build your reputation in person, and your reputation is everything. Once you’ve established a good one, the networking happens organically.

And the same is true for your audience. Your social media presence is useful when people are seeking you out, but converting Facebook followers into actual people at your show is hard to do when you’re competing with a firehose of other information. It’s more effective to start with the people who are already at your shows.

During set breaks (you are talking breaks, right), and before and after the show, when people come up to talk to you, give them your full attention. Keep them talking about themselves. Ask them where they’re from, say something nice about where they’re from. Ask them if they come out to the venue regularly, and say something nice about the venue. Tell them your name, ask them theirs and remember it (picture someone with the same name in your head if you have to). If you get the chance to engage with them later, use their name. They like your music, and now they like you, and they will tell their friends, which is way more effective than you telling their friends how cool you are on Facebook.

Maybe I got a little carried away there, but I hope that helps you see that while social networking may have opened up some opportunities, unless you’re an influencer, it isn’t the reason you are where you are. It’s because of who you are.

Now if you actually enjoy using Facebook, I can’t really help you there. I'm still trying to get off Instagram.