By John Gilstrap
http://www.johngilstrap.com
I say once you’ve got a good blog topic rolling, stay with it.
I’m a part of two “social networking” sites, on of which is Facebook. On the positive side, I’ve rediscovered enough long-lost friends to make it a valuable experience overall. So I’m really not complaining. There’s just so much of it that I don’t get.
Why, for example, would I want to post something on someone’s wall instead of sending them a note? When someone posts something on my wall, why can’t I respond? I can do the wall-to-wall thing, but when you do that, my reply shows up as a non-sequitur because the context of the original wall-posting isn’t there.
I hate chain letters. As a result, I know I’m doomed to die young and destitute, but I refuse to perpetuate that which I loathe. The whole “25 things about me” thing came as close to tantalizing as any of those things have come, but I didn’t participate because I didn’t want to burden my friends—even my virtual ones—with a chain letter.
And the “groups.” What’s with them? I was hoping to recapture the halcyon days of the old AOL Writers Club, where there was a real—albeit virtual—community of writers who cared about each other. Through that Writers Club I met and became real-life friends with dozens of people, including Miller. The writers groups on Facebook, such as they are, seem to me to be an endless string of marketing pitches. It’s shocking to know how many charlatans there are who are desperate to steal people’s money under the guise of “self publishing.”
And the poke. WTF?
Okay, maybe I am complaining. Actually, as I read this, I realize I’ve come dangerously close the whining.
But I don’t have time to change anything. I have to go update my “status” page.
So far I’ve resisted all attempts to get me to join Facebook, and between your post and Michelle’s post yesterday, I see I’ve made a good decision!
John, I agree with you. Although there are some really interesting benefits with Facebook, the bulk of the features seem to be a substitute for having a real life. I created an account on Facebook to find and/or cultivate readers. And there are a lot of long lost friends that I’ve come across that also makes it worthwhile. I figured that maybe once or twice a year, I’d send out a note to all my “friends” telling them about my latest book. It seems that a few other authors have figured out that feature, too. I must get 20-30 invitations or book announcements a day. I’ve now turned off receiving them and I’m afraid others will, too.
I think we all need to have a handful of social networking accounts to widen our Internet footprint. But it can easily get out of hand whereby we spend less time writing and more time maintaining and updating those accounts.
BTW, one social network that I’ve found REALLY puts you in touch with former friends and colleagues is LinkedIn. I’ve found more old friends there in a few days than 6 months on Facebook.
John – my husband absolutely refuses to do the facebook thing but he is on linkedin and I think that’s kind of the professional social network for those who don’t want to be overwhelmed by Facebook. I love facebook as I’ve got in touch with many old friends but when children of friends in their teens ask to be my friend just to increase their friend quota then I’m like WTF?!! I now know more than I ever wanted to about their drinking habits and hangover experiences…not what I signed up for! Also some people post so frequently on facebook I have to wonder when they have time to live their real lives!
I do get overwhelmed on Facebook, but now I’ve jumped off the deep end into Twitter. I’ve even asked my web master to add a Twitter app onto my web page, God help me. Will this make me a Twitter brain?
Actually there are those who claim I’m already a twitter head. So no change there.
I have to agree with Clare. I think there should be a requirement that states something like, “You can only be friends with someone not more than ten years older than you if you promise to act like an adult.”
And the corollary.
“Teens,especially teens whose parents do not use Facebook: Please be sure to discuss the details of your illegal narcotics trade over Facebook using slang that teens think adults don’t know but in fact do know thereby allowing your youth pastor/school teacher/police officer neighbor to catch you in the act.”
The that got me was when one of my female former High School students friended me (her former youth pastor) then a few weeks later got tagged in a photo on another girls page tongue wrestling. The next time she came to my house for a big barbeque I had facebook up on a computer in my living room and revelation dawned on her expression.
…she still didn’t take down that picture though.
Oh…I forgot to mention poking.
I do occaisionally like to throw a sheep at someone.
It just seems the manly thing to do.
I finally gave in and joined Facebook after a gajillion people sent me invites.
I like that I’ve found lots of lost friends as well, but I say AMEN to everything you’ve said.
I don’t get why I need to join tons of groups and send out pokes and hugs to everyone. The wall to wall thing gets me too.
And sending plants to each other…how are we helping the rain forest?
Okay, that’s all. I agree.
I have Facebook, Plaxo, My Space, and God knows what all. I forgot the password tp Plaxo, but I don’t miss it. I used to write letters to my friends, then emails, now it’s throwing beads, abductons to eat in Los Angeles at a Burrito joint, inviting me to join the Young Communist League… I don’t get it. It seems so time consuming if you want to play it all out, which I don’t. I get friend requests from people in prison, people I’ve successfully hidden from for decades, and people I thought were dead.