Social Networking - try it before you slate it
Beth wrote:
So i don’t get the whole thrill of Myspace and Facebook….I guess I don’t personally feel the need to be more interconnected with the world, especially in such a non-personal way. Anyway, a good friend just moved away and keeps begging me to join Facebook so we can “keep in touch more easily”. So these are my questions….
#1 what is the big excitement with Facebook and Myspace anyway?
#2 am i justified in just thinking he is a lazy loser and if he can’t just pick up the phone why bother keeping in touch?
Sigh. No offence, but I think those who just dismiss social networking without at least exploring it are lazy losers…
People think it's not cool, like it's some kind of internet dating saddo thing to do. (PS I think internet dating’s stigma is greatly reduced anyway.) Just not true — there are so many different types of people on there, and so many things you can be on there for other than dating. And it's not just a popularity contest. Don't be a snob about it until you've tried it.
So here are some reasons MySpace and Facebook aren’t totally saddo…
Sharing lots of photos easily (I mean really easily!) without having to pay for hosting or know anything about websites. You can also share videos and blog your thoughts, again without having technical knowledge or signing up to different sites for different things.
Creating a profile for your career, for friends to see or just for fun without having to know anything about HTML — you just need basic internet skills. It's a plus that you will also learn more, and easily, if you so wish.
Fun and time-wasting. Yeah, there are a lot of truly bored people out there. Plus, we all need a break from the grindstone sometimes. At least a bit of networking is more productive than online gambling, gaming or porn…(I have nothing against porn ;-)
Gossip! My mate is pregnant and instead of emailing a few who'd tell another few, and I might hear about it a month later, everyone knows via Facebook and they've got lots of support from friends etc.
Casual contact. How many people can you afford the time and money to call every day/week? On Facebook you can just send a quick chatty heads up (or throw a sheep) to remind them you are thinking of them. I don't feel the need to be inter connected either, but it's nice when you do want it.
Who says it's non-personal? A mate might send me a 'gift' which is part of a private joke, and let me tell you you can get pretty personal on the comments sections or messaging! It's lovely to feel that someone is thinking of you even while you are interacting with work/internet stuff.
Friends Reunited. I've found old schoolmates and friends I don't really keep in touch that much but I like to see what they're up to now and again.
Career. It can be part of your portfolio, and here I include social media like Digg. I've found potential clients via Facebook, writing comps/mags/blogs to submit things to which will help my writing, freelancing and career. It doesn't all have to be fun and games, it really is what you make of it — that's the real beauty.
Connection. Single mothers stuck at home with little adult interaction, those who work from home, people off sick long-term, people on the other side of the world who can't spend hours on the internet updating loved ones. It's an easy way to reach out and feel part of things, plus you get to choose the things.
Social life. My fave bars invite me to events, so I don't need to wade through the non-applicable listings in the local rag. Mates arrange soirees in super-quick time. Someone hot might even get in touch (or at least you can laugh at the losers). If I lose a phone number (or my phone and all of them, as a mate did recently) or email address I can find it fast, or appeal for people to send them to me!
I'm going on (I do ;-). But why ask someone else what the appeal of MySpaz or Facebonk are — why not just check it out for a month or so? You can always abandon it or delete yourself — there are plenty of negatives to go with the positives (bacn, anyone?). Just don't annoy the thousands (probably millions, I don't know) of users of these kind of sites by asking what the point is in that slightly superior way.
So i don’t get the whole thrill of Myspace and Facebook….I guess I don’t personally feel the need to be more interconnected with the world, especially in such a non-personal way. Anyway, a good friend just moved away and keeps begging me to join Facebook so we can “keep in touch more easily”. So these are my questions….
#1 what is the big excitement with Facebook and Myspace anyway?
#2 am i justified in just thinking he is a lazy loser and if he can’t just pick up the phone why bother keeping in touch?
Sigh. No offence, but I think those who just dismiss social networking without at least exploring it are lazy losers…
People think it's not cool, like it's some kind of internet dating saddo thing to do. (PS I think internet dating’s stigma is greatly reduced anyway.) Just not true — there are so many different types of people on there, and so many things you can be on there for other than dating. And it's not just a popularity contest. Don't be a snob about it until you've tried it.
So here are some reasons MySpace and Facebook aren’t totally saddo…
Sharing lots of photos easily (I mean really easily!) without having to pay for hosting or know anything about websites. You can also share videos and blog your thoughts, again without having technical knowledge or signing up to different sites for different things.
Creating a profile for your career, for friends to see or just for fun without having to know anything about HTML — you just need basic internet skills. It's a plus that you will also learn more, and easily, if you so wish.
Fun and time-wasting. Yeah, there are a lot of truly bored people out there. Plus, we all need a break from the grindstone sometimes. At least a bit of networking is more productive than online gambling, gaming or porn…(I have nothing against porn ;-)
Gossip! My mate is pregnant and instead of emailing a few who'd tell another few, and I might hear about it a month later, everyone knows via Facebook and they've got lots of support from friends etc.
Casual contact. How many people can you afford the time and money to call every day/week? On Facebook you can just send a quick chatty heads up (or throw a sheep) to remind them you are thinking of them. I don't feel the need to be inter connected either, but it's nice when you do want it.
Who says it's non-personal? A mate might send me a 'gift' which is part of a private joke, and let me tell you you can get pretty personal on the comments sections or messaging! It's lovely to feel that someone is thinking of you even while you are interacting with work/internet stuff.
Friends Reunited. I've found old schoolmates and friends I don't really keep in touch that much but I like to see what they're up to now and again.
Career. It can be part of your portfolio, and here I include social media like Digg. I've found potential clients via Facebook, writing comps/mags/blogs to submit things to which will help my writing, freelancing and career. It doesn't all have to be fun and games, it really is what you make of it — that's the real beauty.
Connection. Single mothers stuck at home with little adult interaction, those who work from home, people off sick long-term, people on the other side of the world who can't spend hours on the internet updating loved ones. It's an easy way to reach out and feel part of things, plus you get to choose the things.
Social life. My fave bars invite me to events, so I don't need to wade through the non-applicable listings in the local rag. Mates arrange soirees in super-quick time. Someone hot might even get in touch (or at least you can laugh at the losers). If I lose a phone number (or my phone and all of them, as a mate did recently) or email address I can find it fast, or appeal for people to send them to me!
I'm going on (I do ;-). But why ask someone else what the appeal of MySpaz or Facebonk are — why not just check it out for a month or so? You can always abandon it or delete yourself — there are plenty of negatives to go with the positives (bacn, anyone?). Just don't annoy the thousands (probably millions, I don't know) of users of these kind of sites by asking what the point is in that slightly superior way.
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posted by surfergrl at 4:07 PM
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