People who are involved in social media, and most people have some type of connection to the Internet, will use Twitter or Facebook to promote . When it comes to dealing with Transylvania, everything you knew about social media was wrong.
Most of the wonderful writers or bloggers who have run a blog on Transylvania, or any niche subject blog will tell you that getting people to read and comment on your work is hard enough.
Thanks to the strength of social networking sites, a lot of people can find your blog and comment on it. And they'll do so — often when they feel strong emotions based on what they think the blog is about. Often, they will write on the page you run or on your Twitter feed. There are facts... and then there are facts.
Take for example this: What is the name of the current Grand Prince of Transylvania?
The titular Emperor of Austro-Hungary. The last person to hold it without dispute was Emperor Karl of Austria, King of Hungary.
Even this statement is not entirely correct, since the last Emperor of Austria, Karl I was referred to as: His Imperial and Royal Apostolic Majesty, Karl I, by the grace of God Emperor of Austria; Apostolic King of Hungary, King of Bohemia, Dalmatia, Croatia, Slavonia, Galicia, Lodomeria, Illyria; King of Jerusalem, Archduke of Austria; Grand Duke of Tuscany, Crakow; Duke of Lorraine, Salzburg, Styria, Carinthia, Carniola, and of Bukovina; Grand Prince of Transylvania; Margrave of Moravia; Duke of the Upper & Lower Silesia, Modena, Parma, Piacenza, Guastalla, Oswiecin, Zator, Cieszyn, Friuli, Ragusa, Zara; Princely Count of Habsburg, Tyrol, Kyburg, Gorizia, Gradisca; Prince of Trent, Brixen; Margrave of the Upper & Lower Lusatia, in Istria; Count of Hohenems, Feldkirch, Bregenz, Sonnenberg, Lord of Triest, Kotor, the Wendish March; Grand Voivode of the Voivodship of Serbia.
This is a long title, but it has two interesting points that make a person think about how people see Transylvania in terms of society today. The Grand Prince is from the Hungarian royal family ( or Austrian Hapsburgs) not, as one would think, the Romanian Royal Family.
Getting a conversation going on this subject when it deals with Hungary and Romania, is at best interesting on Facebook, everyone it seems, has their own view of history. In fact, using these titles will make people question you. It's not only available online, but one can find it in books.
Twitter and Facebook, as big as they are have challenges, a few years ago, I received an email, all about how horrible it was that Hungary isn't a part of Transylvania, and that it is unfair that the Hungarian people living in Transylvania are marginalized. I was surprised with this email, but it is a point of view that one person had.
As it turns out, a lot of people seem to have heard of this email, and as in my case, they tried to contact the sender to no avail. Yet, with Facebook and Twitter this email is coming back again, and social media is both helpful and harmful in the way it deals with events such as this.
It is harder and harder to see past so much information and as good as learning is, it is easy to surf Facebook and Twitter all day for "facts" and "figures." This can lead one to feel I am anti social media, but I am not, I am suggesting that our learning should increase as should our ability to question facts and figures. I am suggesting being open to new ideas, but to also be aware that older ideas in a new shape will be there as well.
Most of the wonderful writers or bloggers who have run a blog on Transylvania, or any niche subject blog will tell you that getting people to read and comment on your work is hard enough.
Thanks to the strength of social networking sites, a lot of people can find your blog and comment on it. And they'll do so — often when they feel strong emotions based on what they think the blog is about. Often, they will write on the page you run or on your Twitter feed. There are facts... and then there are facts.
Take for example this: What is the name of the current Grand Prince of Transylvania?
The titular Emperor of Austro-Hungary. The last person to hold it without dispute was Emperor Karl of Austria, King of Hungary.
Even this statement is not entirely correct, since the last Emperor of Austria, Karl I was referred to as: His Imperial and Royal Apostolic Majesty, Karl I, by the grace of God Emperor of Austria; Apostolic King of Hungary, King of Bohemia, Dalmatia, Croatia, Slavonia, Galicia, Lodomeria, Illyria; King of Jerusalem, Archduke of Austria; Grand Duke of Tuscany, Crakow; Duke of Lorraine, Salzburg, Styria, Carinthia, Carniola, and of Bukovina; Grand Prince of Transylvania; Margrave of Moravia; Duke of the Upper & Lower Silesia, Modena, Parma, Piacenza, Guastalla, Oswiecin, Zator, Cieszyn, Friuli, Ragusa, Zara; Princely Count of Habsburg, Tyrol, Kyburg, Gorizia, Gradisca; Prince of Trent, Brixen; Margrave of the Upper & Lower Lusatia, in Istria; Count of Hohenems, Feldkirch, Bregenz, Sonnenberg, Lord of Triest, Kotor, the Wendish March; Grand Voivode of the Voivodship of Serbia.
This is a long title, but it has two interesting points that make a person think about how people see Transylvania in terms of society today. The Grand Prince is from the Hungarian royal family ( or Austrian Hapsburgs) not, as one would think, the Romanian Royal Family.
Getting a conversation going on this subject when it deals with Hungary and Romania, is at best interesting on Facebook, everyone it seems, has their own view of history. In fact, using these titles will make people question you. It's not only available online, but one can find it in books.
Twitter and Facebook, as big as they are have challenges, a few years ago, I received an email, all about how horrible it was that Hungary isn't a part of Transylvania, and that it is unfair that the Hungarian people living in Transylvania are marginalized. I was surprised with this email, but it is a point of view that one person had.
As it turns out, a lot of people seem to have heard of this email, and as in my case, they tried to contact the sender to no avail. Yet, with Facebook and Twitter this email is coming back again, and social media is both helpful and harmful in the way it deals with events such as this.
It is harder and harder to see past so much information and as good as learning is, it is easy to surf Facebook and Twitter all day for "facts" and "figures." This can lead one to feel I am anti social media, but I am not, I am suggesting that our learning should increase as should our ability to question facts and figures. I am suggesting being open to new ideas, but to also be aware that older ideas in a new shape will be there as well.
Comments