Did you folks see the Broadway show “Wicked”? It’s about two warlocks – two friends – George Bush and Rick Perry. Here are the lyrics from the duo they sing together on stage: “So much of me is made of what I learned from you. You’ll be with me like a handprint on my heart, and now whatever way our stories end, I know you have re-written mine. By being my friend…like a ship blown from its mooring. By a wind off the sea, like a seed dropped by a skybird,in a distant wood. Who can say if I’ve been changed for the better? But because I knew you."
So emotional. So apropos. Two pieces of cut from the same cake. Two cups of coffee from the same pot. The song continues: “And just to clear the air, I ask forgiveness for the things I’ve done you blame me for – but then, I guess we know, there’s blame to share.” It’s alright George, your Bible thumping amigo has as much chance of being President as the Gadhafi has of being Prime Minister of Israel.
Things are rarely done upfront. Deals are done in back rooms. When the President flies somewhere overseas to sign an agreement, the details have already been negotiated, behind closed doors. The ATA and OOIDA do most of their “nudging” through lobbyists during lunches or on the golf course. When a trucking company lands a big account, it’s typically after months, perhaps years, of work by sales people, long before the service contract is signed. Business and politics are done through what are known as back-channels.
The latest and “in” back-channel is Facebook. I told you I don’t believe in all this social media nonsense. I was watching a television show the other night. Two of the characters, who haven’t seen each other since high school, when they had the “hot’s” for each other, decide to get together again to “catch up”. The guy asks the gal if she Facebook’d. She lied and said yes. It added to her already high anxiety resulting from the encounter with an old flame. Later that night, she is in her kitchen trying to figure out how to Facebook a “friend” message to this guy asking him out to dinner. Having no clue about how Facebook works she ends up sending all of his friends (we know there is a 5000 “friend” limit) the invitation. Great TV. How cute.
But, also how ridiculous. A “real” man, interested in a gal, would NEVER, ask her to Facebook him. With respect, it is gay. Even an e-mail would be more manly. I think its’ great in this day and age that women ask men out, just not using Facebook. Pick up the phone and call her, or she calls him, and make the date. Why the heck would you use Facebook? I’m telling you, Facebook is Generation X’s hula hoop. And that’s not what I’m referring to.
But, there is an interesting – valuable – benefit to Facebook that most people don’t seem to discuss much. That’s the back-channels. This is the information that flows, not directly on Facebook, but through its messaging system – person to person. Everyone can do the same thing via Twitter, texting or e-mail, but for reasons that I don’t understand, using Facebook is preferred. Facebook is tedious and time consuming, but the back-channel stuff is what makes the whole deal interesting.
People read Life On The Road, but communicate to me on Facebook’s back-channel. I received a long “backchannel” message from someone who does not want to be identified. It was in regards to the problems I’m having “processing” claims through unemployment and the Social Security administration. This was extremely valuable guidance that was not available elsewhere on the net, web, the cloud – or whatever you feel comfortable calling the internetwebcloud – aka the IWC. Other such backchannel communications have been sent to me on other “projects” I’m going to be involved with.
Again, I’ve never received these type of communications on any other platform other than Facebook. I now have 15 “pending – unread” back-channel messages waiting from over 2000 friends of mine, who are not really my friends. They are usually more relevant than any e-mails I receive. The only downside are the weirdo’s and crazies – now I have an entirely new source of spam – Facebook spam – Face spam? Great. The 1-3 vital back-channel messages are worth it though.
As aside, in an effort to form a more “complete” back-channel “network” with people who have the same last name as mine, I encountered a “black hole” of “Gruskin’s” who I must say are pure evil. You would think it might be useful to know where we all came from, etc., but these people want nothing to do with me or each other. It’s sad. I believe there is one Gruskin in Australia who is not only angry I tried to contact him, but he sounds like an ax murder – Freddie Kruger from the Outback.
But, now I ‘m wondering what else is going on, through and over the backchannels of not only Facebook, but Twitter and the other emerging “social media” platforms. There’s a wealth of information out there can is potentially “shareable”. Who knows where the “what’s on your mind” whatchamacallits end up. We’ll see if all doesn’t get “old” and we go back to more traditional platforms of communicating with each other.
PS/(Wiki) Backchannel is also the practice of using networked computers to maintain a real-time online conversation alongside live spoken remarks. The term was coined in the field of Linguistics to describe listeners’ behaviors during verbal communication.
PS2/there is also a book called, “The Backchannel: How Audiences are Using Twitter and Social Media and Changing Presentations” by Cliff Atkinson.
PS/3 http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/economy/perry-criticizes-government-while-texas-job-growth-benefits-from-it/2011/08/18/gIQAPPZQSJ_story.html?hpid=z1
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