Depth of field is a photographic term. It is a measure of how much of the distance in front of and behind the object we are taking a picture of is in focus. In cameras that have manual settings, you can change the f-stop (another photographic term) of the lens to change the depth of field.
F-stops are essentially the size of opening that the lens has. If the opening is small, the depth of field is deep (much more is in focus). If the opening is large, the depth of field is small (where only the object is essentially in focus).
When younger, I used to take a lot of pictures with a manual camera. I was reminded of all of this as I try to learn more about analytics and thinking around being successful using social media, hashtags, websites, content, and creating to earn the attention of others.
In researching hashtag tools and influencer databases — helping me find ones that are popular and relevant to what we sell — what I learned surprised me. That I should not focus necessarily on the popularity of a hashtag or influencer but rather I should focus on the audiences that relate to these hashtags or influencers.
A subtle but significant change in focus. As a novice, popularity seemed like a good goal. With this search taking me deeper, I am learning that finding the right audience for what we sell is much more important. Popularity is only a tool to get us a little closer to those we want to sell to.
When our eyes are big and wide open, we see little. There is no depth to our eyesight or focus. This always occurs when we know little. Where are goal seems real and achievable without much effort before we start.
As our eyes become smaller, almost squinting to see better, is when our interests take us deeper and we begin to benifit by this depth focus. Improving our focus and depth of field of understanding always occurs after we start towards a goal.
It’s what frustrates many but gives us the best chance of succeeding if we take the time to really spend time learning what new things we now see or begin to understand.