Well….maybe it’s not quite that bad. You see, my on-line friends have found Facebook. For all I know, some of them may Twitter or use MySpace. I spent the evening visiting the blogs linked to my blog, and I was disappointed to see that many of them are posting less, or not at all.
I should tell you that I, too, have a Facebook account, but I get to it so rarely that I can’t remember my password. Luckily, I can reset it. I am sufficiently lacking in spare time that I can’t sit and learn all the cute little gifts that can be given, or browse all the groups I could join. I’m not sure I even understand all the different ways of leaving messages or carrying on conversations.
But, most of all, I wonder WHY my friends would like to have me post how I’m feeling or what I’m doing throughout my day. “Buffy has gone down the hall to her powder room.” “Buffy has gone to the kitchen to brew a cup of tea.” “Buffy has disappeared behind a towering stack of material to be filed.” “Buffy is cleaning up cat litter.” “Buffy is working on Accounts Payable.” “…another litter run.” “…another powder room run…” “MORE LITTER!” Get the drift??
I’m glad that you are all enjoying Facebook. Please forgive me if I turn out to be your less technologically able friend.
Arrrgh!!!
It's just my state of mind!
Yes, exactly. I find the whole ephermeral/mindless -ness of Twitter quite mind-numbingly worrying.
You know – I’ve been giving this some thought. Honestly, Facebook, et al, and weblogs are different species of the same genus. (I think I have that right, biologically-speaking!) Facebook is a “storefront” biographical collection point with communication capability. Kind of like a cyber apartment or house. A blog on the other hand is a cyberspace diary – again with capability allowing “peeping toms” or sometimes commentary by visitors.
Apples and oranges. Other than you, my blog is not visited overtly . . . perhaps a few have lurked or peeked, but not commented. At first that was disconcerting, because not getting visited is like no one “stopping in for a cup of coffee” when you’re home. This made me realize that my purpose for blogging is an affirmation of my thoughts, or at the very least a way of crystalizing things that nibble away at my subconscious. I enjoy the commentary, but if that’s what I crave, perhaps facebook is more appropriate.
However, I think Facebook could be like so many other things in my life that have sought to rob me of a simple life. I went through a cross-stitching phase. Then there was scrapbooking, re-enactments, and house redecorating. Huge time is spent in these pursuits – and huge money, too. For Facebook, the time spent there is time spent away from family and activities that are ultimately more satisfying.
Finally, though some would not mention this, Facebook is parochial. With my blog, you can come and go – any or all of you, or none of you. I can’t “reject” you as a friend, though I can delete your response, I suppose. I don’t keep a closed loop of “friends” where people who might be fun to get to know can’t “see” me. No rejections, and no limits.
And, besides, it would be heart rending if my daughters would not let me be their friends, so Facebook is their corner of the world. I don’t pretend they read my blog. Even my husband doesn’t!
Frankie–You have a point about the genetics! You are right, too, that some of us lurk. Most of my blogging is done as a lurker.
Buffy–I consider Facebook a “convenience” for my still-employed friends. They haven’t time for blogging, but they can spare a couple of seconds to leave a short message for me.
Buffy,
I know that you sent a blog entry about Facebook after this one but I still feel it worth commenting here.
I use Facebook a lot. It’s fun and I play with a few of the applications most days. But why do I mainly use it? Because it is a means to keep in touch with family. My family is the type that mainly meet just at Christenings, Weddings and funerals. I don’t particularly like this fact but that is how it is. But two of my cousins are my friends on Facebook, as is the wife of one of them plus several of their children. Just reading the news feeds (status) makes me feel somewhat in touch with them. I can rejoyce with their news – one of my cousins got engaged to be married the other week and I wouldn’t have known about it otherwise as he is the least likely to keep in contact with the family. But he will tell us through Facebook ( a good thing – there was a gap of several years when none of us even knew where he lived of what he was doing until he joined Facebook). And I can keep an eye on the entries for his brother, also my cousin, he isn’t all that well.
And then there’s the Stepkids. I tend to tactfully ignore most of what my Stepson posts. After all he is 22 and and at university, so I can’t expect some of his comments to be the same sort as mine. However, yesterday afternoon he wrote that he was “devastated” by some personal news and really upset. This was from a rather restrained chap who does not like displaying his emotions. So as soon as I saw that Facebook feed we got in touch and discovered that one of his friends since he started at university 4 years ago had just been found dead, a suicide. So we’ve been able to offer the Stepson the support he needs over the loss of his friend.
Yes, Facebook status feeds can be shallow. If the writer allows them to be. They can also be a way of fmilies keeping in touch.
Adele, thanks for the explanation. I know that some of my family is on Facebook. I’ll have to make sure we’re linked up.
I hope your Stepson is able to deal with his grief. I’m sure your support will be a vital part of his adjustment to the loss of his friend.
I agree with both Frankie and Cop Car about Facebook and the many others. As you know, I use my blog as a place to keep in touch with family (mostly) and to coment about “happenings”.
But most of the other “social” options, I have no real use for, except for instances as Cop Car pointed out. I do some mean “IM”ing though, but that is more of the “stop in for coffee” conversations.
The one that knocks me over is “Twitter”. Pop in a sentence or two over mundane items, then split. I just don’t get the use of that. Save us all the “intrigue” and just text your friends or significant other.
Just my thoughts.
I don’t get the Facebook / Twitter or whatever else is out there. I think they are extensions of those people that can’t live without texting such things as:
What you doing?
“nothing”
“me too”
“What ya doin later?”
“Same”
“me too”
I just don’t get it (however, I don’t like phones either, so take that for whatever it is worth).
Bogie, I don’t like phones, either! I had a cell phone for years, simply for safety when Elegante Mother and I were traveling. When EM went to the hospital last year, I discovered the easiest way to keep in touch with my family was to let them know my phone number. I’ve gradually become more of a phone user, but for the most part, it has to do with EM’s care.
Having said all that, my phone is dying. The one that makes the most sense to buy is one that has a camera. I’ve had the phone that is dying for easily five years. I think I paid less than $20 for it, so it was a bargain. I didn’t know until just this year that it was possible for me to use it to text. Just think how long it will take me to learn to use the camera! lol
Buffy–If you are/will be using Sprint, I’ll send you my “old” TREO if you want. As you surely know, it’s a PDA & phone & has a camera built in (though I was never impressed with the photos that I took with it–probably just my ineptitude). It’s of no use to me as it won’t work on Verizon. I’m pretty sure they could make it use your old cell number if you wished.