Blog Content, Facebook Posts, and all that Techy Stuff

It's been mentioned to me on several occasions that "MySpace is for kids; not old people", or, "Facebook was for when I was in college - it's not for my grown-up life", or, "why do YOU blog - what do you have to say, anyway? and does anyone really care?!".

So I've done a lot of pondering on those random statements.

When Facebook really boomed, I totally gave up - without deleting it - my MySpace interactions. Facebook was more user-friendly, and easier to manage. Besides, far more people my age were (and are) using Facebook - to re-connect with childhood and high school and college friends, former co-workers, family members they had lost touch with, AND to make new connections ... where the common denominator might be a special interest they share.

That suited me better, so I jumped into Facebook with both feet.

And while I admit, I will sometimes fall into the trap of posting things on Facebook that are rather random ("I love fresh peaches"), possibly insignificant ("just finished washing my hair", potentially annoying ("hey, I just took a quiz on FB and I am smarter, brighter, prettier, more fascinating than 97.4 percent of the population and I should be married to Kevin Costner and Ashley Judd will play ME when my story hits the big screen") ... I have tried MOST OF THE TIME to keep my posts ... somehow relevant. To something or someone.

But lately, I've found myself COMMENTING on too many people's posts - I mean, do they really care if I "like" what they posted? It's doubtful the moon will rise or the sun will set based on how many of us, REALLY, "like" what they said. Isn't it?

And so I hope to STOP making irrelevant comments; I intend to STOP getting sucked into far too many conversations about topics I just don't need to get into; and I plan to more carefully "manage" my friends and what they can see / who can see what -- in general.

So if I have pissed anyone off, or offended anyone, or made anyone cry, or sad, or angry, or jealous, or WHATEVER negative emotion / reaction I might have "inspired" in you ...

I am hereby apologizing.

Those with whom I share a REAL shared interest with -- you know who you are -- and you will know that when I do "like" something, or when I do "comment", it's going to be because ... I've taken the time to think about it. Just for that extra moment.

Because in the end, IT'S ALL ABOUT A MEANS TO RELATE TO ONE ANOTHER. Anyone who doesn't "get" that is just ... missing something ... maybe a sensitivity gene, I don't know. If they're questioning my interest in Facebook, or any other social / business networking tool (LinkedIn, all those ...) -- then what are they really trying to say to me? That I just "don't matter" to others? Ouch.

Because whether or not we are (biologically) related is not the point. I have friends I would elect to be related to by blood -- given the choice -- in a butterfly's heartbeat.

So if you're still on the proverbial fence, still wondering if YOU should enter the realm of Facebook, just think about the possibilities -- so long as you manage your privacy settings, and you consider carefully what you "put out there" -- you could get back in touch with that high school sweetheart, or your best friend through junior high, or a former college professor who was your MOST INCREDIBLE MENTOR of all time -- there IS possibility in the world of all this high-tech RELATING TO ONE ANOTHER stuff.

With thoughts of all staying CONNECTED without somehow annoying each other to bits ...

-- Davielle