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Feelings on FaceBook
About a year ago, I decided to cave and get a Facebook account. I had/have a MySpace, but hated it and never use/d it, and was pretty skeptical about this Facebook thing. But I’d stumbled across it looking for someone (a gal I’ve never met, never spoke to, never had contact with before… don’t ask.). I found out she had a Facebook, and I couldn’t see her friend list without an account. Being nosy (as we all can be), I opened an account, and started looking around.
It really is a very interesting place, Facebook. Pretty much everyone has one – my brother, my mom’s best friend, my thespian friends, Search-n-Rescue/CERT people… just last week I found a girlfriend from the Single’s study I was in 20 years ago – she’s still in the military (19 years!) and is currently stationed at RAF Lakenheath in England (I’ve been there – when we were stationed at RAF Alconbury). So it’s kind of kewl to re-connect. I’m ‘friends’ with about eight people from high school, a few long-lost girlfriends… but mostly I’m friends with people I met here at Xanga. Which… okay, kind of seems to defeat the purpose, but at the same time…
Well, it’s just EASIER to read a one-line status update on how people are doing than to read lengthy blog entries about a kid’s bout with swine flu, or someone’s weekend, y’know? Not that I don’t care, it’s just faster and more convenient. And most of the status updates… well, they’re easy to skim, because they’re shallow. ((Oooh, this is not coming out the way I want it to…!!)) Most people don’t have a lot of things going on that are of interest, that’s all. Daily grind is easier to take as a one-liner. ((<< is that better? Hrm…))
But I have SERIOUS Facebook issues. For one, it’s a HUGE time-sink, regardless. Because I have 90-some friends, and that’s a LOT of live feed to skim thru, one-liners or not. So I hide the games, which helps. And I used to play a few games – a weird version of Scrabble and Lil’ Green Patch, but those were even BIGGER time sinks, and… well, I have a life. ((wince.)) This is SO NOT coming out right… don’t flay me. For my own life, though, I needed to NOT piddle around with games. So I quit cold turkey.
I am (and this could be a fault, I guess) a creature of habit. I develop routines, and work best within the restraints of certain guidelines. So on Facebook, I start everyday commenting on other people’s status updates, links, photos, and notes. Then I choose a ‘Flair of the Day’ and post a flair on my FB. At night before I log off, I list whatever DVD or book I’ve watched/read. During the day, I usually post two status updates (one 11am-ish, one 4pm-ish), and maybe a link if something strikes my fancy. I also post a ‘Blogs Up’ note, telling people when I’ve posted here, and what it’s title and content are. Other than that, I mostly comment on other people’s comments.
Still, that all takes some time! And when you maintain a blog that requires news research, scriptural study, graph making… and you want to post pictures here (and there), and… well, I spend WAY too much time on-line again. I’m not accomplishing as I want to in reality. ((And yeah, I know – I accomplish a lot, but I have WAY MORE than that to get done, hello!)) So… I question the need to be in two locations on-line.
But what’s REALLY brought this up for me (especially the past two weeks) is that while I have Facebook open in another window and am here (or reading news sites or whatever), Facebook has been redirecting me to weird sites. They look like advertisements, but I did NOT choose to go there, I do NOT know what they’re accessing off my machine, and I seem to be getting infected with some not-so-pleasant things. So I’m spending even MORE time defragmenting, anti-Malware-ing, anti-virus-ing… it’s getting to be a real problem. Another time sink. And I don’t like it. I don’t trust it. It’s one thing if I accidentally click on one of their sidebar ads, but I’m not choosing to go to these places, and I feel violated.
Sooooo! While I’ve had a good time at FB, I’m seriously considering closing up shop over there. I have my hands full with this blog, and I feel this is far more important to maintain and do a good job with than that. Not sure what that means for comments, though… I’m still thinking about that. I can’t re-open comments here. But I want comments public. I might have to look for an off-Xanga comment module that allows moderator approval of comments BEFORE they appear. It’s my only idea, at this point. We shall see.
But I just wanted to tell you why I haven’t bothered accepting the four new ‘friend’ requests… it’s kind of silly to add friends to a site I’m going to strip and leave vacant in the next week or so, don’t you think? Still mulling over what to do…
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