Ahead of the curve as ever, I yesterday joined Facebook. This was purely to view a specific group page which a mate has set up for an old gang. I was alarmed to discover that Facebook reads your email addresses to suggest ‘friends’; and that other people who have your email address can discover you unless you monkey with the privacy settings. Of course, I now blush at my naivety.
Please don’t be offended if I ignore any request you might have made to be my Facebook pal. We can be pals on Blogger or sometimes even real life. It’s just that I am at capacity as far as internet time-wastage goes and I really cannot afford to get drawn into that world.
The importance of staying out was brought home to me yesterday by a young female blogger who had linked to the infamous Scottish hate the English post. I perused some of her other posts and they all seemed to be long, agonised complaints about people who had been horrid to her on Facebook.
"I really cannot afford to get drawn into that world"
ReplyDeleteIn the same way that you would say no more about the weekend sport?
Am going to send you an invitation to be my friend so that I can be deeply offended when you ignore it.
ReplyDeleteThere are just so many ways to offend people these days.
ReplyDeleteWillard - yes, exactly not like that.
I agree. For a moment I was tempted to ask you to be my friend on Facebook, but then I thought: "I'm already his friend on blogs and a little goes a long way".
ReplyDeleteAs the only member of the household who neither texts nor is on Facebook, I marvel at the waste and stress the two induce, both by their presence and absence. I'm sure the tabloids have tales of how lives were saved and engagements sealed through them, but it looks to me that both basically induce a compulsive need to say; "Hi, how's it goin'?" as many times in a day as possible.
facebook doesn't have to rule your life, it can just be a very useful tool to help you keep tabs on your ex girlfriends.
ReplyDeleteA guy I work with took three days off work the other week to help sort out his teenage daughters love life.
ReplyDeleteShe did not wish to "talk about it" in the good Aussie Neighbours TV fashion, so Facebook was consulted, which resulted in a summit meeting of the parents.
Personally I agree with the boyfriend she is "a bit of a slut" the situation is still on going, apparently you can follow developments on Facebook.
I "Facebook" a year or so ago, at the behest of some guys from a flying squadron I was in several lifetimes ago.
ReplyDeleteFor that, it is useful.
However, due both to the staccato nature of communicating and a profound disinterest in my own comings and goings, I look at it infrequently, and post almost never.
I'm with Skipper. Despite refreshing blogs obsessively, I have to remind myself to go check on Facebook a couple of times a week, and I only do that because people I work with use it to communicate actual information (a terrible idea of which I highly disapprove).
ReplyDeleteHey Brit. I just wanted so that I've just finished eating a prawn sandwich and later on I'm planning on washing the plates before watching the football. It's just started to rain and I really need to cut my toenails.
ReplyDeleteI would rather my scrotum was polished with the back of a cheese grater than join facebook, Soho used to teem with people who today spend their time on this spawn of the devil, the digital equivalent of Toulouse-Lautrec's legs.
ReplyDeleteThere is always "the Immelmann manoeuvre", named after an obnoxious student at my language school, who "friended" a teacher. The teacher accepted then quietly unfriended Immelmann after a few weeks. However, in true German fashion Immelmann noticed and became enraged and murderous.
ReplyDeleteNever "friend" students.
ReplyDeleteOf course, now that you've signed up (been assimilated, in FB talk) it's too late, but you should consider this.