OK, first things first, let’s be clear on one important caveat before I make a fool of myself … I am not a social media expert, I’m new to the world of online philately and my kids would be the first to point out that I’m far from cool!
I know a little about Philately though … just two months ago I launched an online blog with my father, Matthews & Son Philately. Why? Both of us have been stamp collectors since childhood and I had come to appreciate that Dad had created a rich narrative for his collection comprising stories, yarns and anecdotes. I felt that these were worth sharing and hence we launched the blog (www.mandsphilately.com). I wasn’t too sure what to expect, I was out of my comfort zone and I even questioned the relevance of philately to social media (and vice versa).
So, two months in, I thought I’d post my thoughts as to why social media may have a critical part to play in the future of philately and my experience to date. It’s all my opinion and I may raise more questions than I do provide answers, so I welcome constructive feedback and comment. I’ve purposefully focused on the role of interactive social media channels in this blog – so I’ve not considered the multitude of largely static websites offering philatelic reference materials, catalogues, events, services etc.
For me, philately has traditionally conjured up scenes of village hall stamp fairs populated predominantly by elderly gentleman sifting through endless dusty cardboard boxes, battered albums and faded envelopes. Nothing wrong with that … many a satisfying evening has been spent sorting through purchases and on occasion, a bargain has been discovered. The online world of social media – Blogs, Vlogs, RSS feeds, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube etc. – seems a world apart. Can the two really coexist?
I believe so … indeed, I would go as far as to say that it’s critical to the future of our hobby. We’re all aware that the popularity of philately has dropped in recent decades and no longer has the same appeal to younger generations. That said, ’collecting’ remains a hugely popular pastime amongst all generations including the very youngest, it’s just that their collections comprise animated characters, social media ‘likes’ and gaming trophies rather than antiquated pieces of paper. But they are all collectors, ‘collecting’ is an eternal pastime.
So my argument goes, isn’t philately simply a maturity step for the innate collector in all of us? For many philatelists, that step was historically bridged through family influences – parents passing the hobby down to sons and daughters – certainly, that was the case for me. Today, that step is far more likely to be bridged through online influence. So, as philatelists, how well are we influencing online?
Having dipped my toe in at the deep end, my first impressions of philatelic social media is generally positive. Firstly, it is evident that there are some outstanding examples of philatelists who are challenging the norm, looking at philately from a different perspective and creating innovative content. It’s clearly the key to creating community and therefore, fundamental in creating online influence. In particular, the efforts of Graham Beck (Exploring Stamps, a YouTube channel re-inventing philately for the 21st century using the power of the internet and modern video techniques) and the Gerard McCulloch (Punk Philatelist, a blog that sets out to prove that philately is a fascinating and vibrant expression of pop culture) should be applauded. The content on these social media channels is creative, fresh and hugely entertaining – check them out. Another channel worthy of note is the podcast, Conversations with Philatelists, hosted by Michael Cortese and Charles Eating (both representatives of established U.S. philatelic auction houses, NobleSpirit and H.R. Harmer respectively) in which they interview philatelists around the world – very engaging.
Less positive are the plethora of Facebook philatelic groups in which an overwhelming number of posts from non-philatelists querying the value of specific stamps pulled from inherited collections is matched only by the number of often vitriolic and conflicting replies from so-called experts. I can’t help but think that this is only emphasising divisions and is having far less influence on growing the philatelic community. How do we turn those queries from prospects looking for immediate returns into support that encourages participation in our hobby rather than alienation?
My immersion into the world of philatelic social media has reenforced my belief that philately is diverse and boundless. The new and exciting ways of approaching philately is not necessarily changing what I personally collect or even how I collect but it is giving me a far greater appreciation of other approaches and a clear understanding that there is no ‘right way’ or ‘wrong way’. The beauty of philately is that you can make the scope of your collecting experience whatever you want it to be.
So in summary, a few observations I have gleaned from my first couple of months in the world of online philately … Firstly, yes, philately and the online world of social media can coexist and there are some great examples of how it can be done successfully. Secondly, ‘collecting’ remains a hugely popular pastime – creating the bridge into philately places an emphasis on effective online influence. Thirdly, philately is diverse and as philatelists, we all have a role to play in not only supporting that diversity but contributing positively to those online communities where we can add value – and just occasionally, taking ourselves out of our comfort zone!
It is not my intent to review specific philatelic social media channels (who am I to judge) but I will add a page to the blog (www.mandsphilately.com) to reference those channels that I have found most enlightening.
Matthews & Son Philately 