Similarities and differences

I was running by Boulder Creek yesterday afternoon, and saw an angler casting a nymph at a hole; this triggered a thought.

A few weeks ago, I told our CEO, Todd Vernon, that I would take him fly fishing. I have introduced a few people, including my wife, to the "sport", with varying degrees of success. Because I enjoy it so much, I want to present fly fishing in a way that the other person will develop an appreciation for it, even if it doesn't turn into a regular pursuit. As I continued to jog along the path, I tried to come up with a way to describe the goal and workflow in a meaningful way, that would be relevant to Todd. Then it hit me, create an analogy between Social Networking and Fly Fishing.

Admittedly, this thought is in its nascent stage and will be developed more fully as I write this post, but I think it has some merit.

The similarities:
1- For the newbie, social media and fly fishing have a similar WTF? factor. If you walk into the world of either without without a primer or guide, you will soon become overwhelmed with all of the different options. In social media you can share your pictures, videos, thoughts, articles you read, blogs you read, and whether you decided to go with a skinny latte instead of a regular latte that morning. Walking into a flyshop without knowing what you are looking at will soon result in data overload. I caution anyone who thinks that asking the guys behind the counter where to start will condense the information for you.

2- In both fly fishing and social media, everyone needs to figure out why they do it, what works best for them, and what they are trying to get out of it. There is a lot of trial and error that will need to take place. Both offer an individual the opportunity to go over the top and become singularly focused on the activity, while also offering the casual participant the ability to play at just about any level they want.

3- Neither are really "social". Social media is largely composed of strangers interacting on a superficial level. Dialogs that happen across twitter or some other means do not reach the threshold of actual social interaction because the people involved rarely conduct a meaningful discourse. At the end of the day, everyone shares what information they want, with the hope of gaining more information than they provide. Fly fishing is the same way. You may meet people on the river, but rarely is the interaction meaningful. Someone may ask if another angler has had any luck, but that is really just an entry point to the next question of what are you fishing with (so that I can cut to the chase and use today's hot fly).

4- The only people you really trust are the ones you know from other places. The other day I went fishing with a buddy and fellow rugger at this golden spot. We were pulling big trout out of the river. We fished opposite banks of the same stream for hours without an issue. Guaranteed, if it was some guy that I didn't know, we'd be catching each other's lines and getting in each other's way. Social media is similar in that you really don't really care what others have to say, unless you actually know the person who makes the post, tweet, or other assertion. At best, strangers provide a perspective, and/or entertainment.

5- Unless you're really good, you better keep your day job. There are professional fly fishermen, and there are professional blog publishers. There are no barriers to entry for anyone to attempt to become a professional at either, but unless you have figured out a way to unlock the secret of success at the highest level, you are going to need to maintain an alternate source of income.

6- Both have a vernacular that makes no sense to the uninitiated. Only because I work for Lijit, do I know the meaning of Tweet, Digg, Technorati, rick roll, and Flikr. Similarly, a BWO, PMD, Parachute Adams, or a Comparadun will not mean anything to someone who doesn't toss flies at the seams. It's best to learn these things as you go and keep the ones that are relevant. Like anything else, discard the noise.

There are of course differences:
1- In fly fishing, you actually need to leave the house and do something. A 6 mile trek through the woods to a lightly fished spot is well worth the effort. While I know it can be murder finding a coffee shop with free Wi-Fi, I don't think it quite compares.

2- Unlike social media and video games, if you don't watch your ass, you can get seriously hurt. The woods, rivers and lakes are unforgiving. Take a wrong step, and they might need a helicopter to get you back to civilization. There's no reset button, and you can't delete the post.

3- You can't fake it in fly fishing. You can't throw out some random post to see what happens; nor can you create a persona. You can't bullsh*t a fish.

4- There is no instant gratification with fly fishing. You can spend 8 hours standing in cold water without catching a fish, and I have. You have to enjoy the journey. Social media is much more about the instant return.

5- Cost of entry: Assuming that one already has a computer, and a cell phone that is capable of sending text messages, the cost of entry to social media is only time. With fly fishing, unless you fall into the right garage sale, or have a buddy with a complete extra set of gear (there are more of us out there than you might think), you're looking at a $500-600 investment. If it becomes a real pursuit, figure on another $500 that you will gladly spend.



The fly of the day is the Copper John. Ugly little sucker that doesn't look like anything, but the fish sure seem to like it.





Tight lines,

Dave