Approaching Social Network Overload
Fresh when it gets here from
Julie Barrett
Sunday, February 8, 2009
If I get one more invite to add a stupid Facebook application, I may explode. And it won't be pretty.
Oh, I don't know. Perhaps I don't have the temperament to sit and do the social networking thing all day long. Perhaps I'm an idiot who wants to present a professional image on Facebook and other social networking sites. Perhaps (and this is most possible) I'm an old fuddy duddy. But damn, how many times do I have to poke, shove, give good karma to or throw margaritas at people I barely know to be a good person?
I enjoy the networking aspect of several of the social networking site I've joined. I've met good people and learned wonderful things. I've broadened my horizons. I haven't made money, but I've learned things that may help me make money.
Here's the problem, and I admit part of my quasi-Southern upbringing comes into this. I don't want to be rude. If you give good karma, I'd like to give it back. But it got to the point where I was installing God knows how many applications from only He knows where to accomplish what I could do better by commenting on a blog entry or sending a "hi, how are you?" e-mail. The latter two I consider to be much more personal.
Every time I turn around, someone has pinched, poked or waved at me, asked me to join a group or support a cause I may or may not believe in. I wonder, is there an expectation of same in return? Am I being rude when I click the ignore button?
The problem is, I hate to miss out on a valuable invitation (I did accept one group invitation this evening), but the noise is doing me in. I really hate to come across as mean, so I'm searching for a balance.
Social networking is fun, but when it starts to encroach on getting real work done, then something has to be done.
I'm still looking for an answer.
Tags: Technology, Life
Filed under: Technology Life
Comments are closed
Karen Funk Blocher said:
The new comment form refused to clear for me. Ah, well.
I pick and choose on Facebook apps. I stopped responding to snowballs, I refuse to deal with drinks, I ignore the virtual pets and card games, and I don't like the nicest person award for a few reasons, including that it wants the user to nominate "at least 20" people. We can't all be the nicest - it's annoying.
The ones I do use are mostly games with a charity angle (except for Dragon Wars) or fan groups. The apps that have you send plants and fish and candy and such to friends are charity things, and you can select from a list of only people who already use the app of you so choose. That seems preferable to imposing on other people with no interest in the thing. There are even people who started on an app but clearly stopped, and I try not to send to them either. Common courtesy!
Date: 2/8/2009 10:19:32 PM
Date: 2/8/2009 10:19:32 PM
Julie said:
I'm getting ready to look at the textbox thing. It's stopping me from adding journal posts as well. Not good.
One thing I didn't mention last night that has me mystified is the sudden spread of Facebook fan pages. I've had more requests to join, and have pretty much ignored them. I've had some that came framed practically as a demand, and that's an instant turn-off for me.
Date: 2/9/2009 10:07:21 AM
Date: 2/9/2009 10:07:21 AM
Karen Funk Blocher said:
The new comment form refused to clear for me. Ah, well.
I pick and choose on Facebook apps. I stopped responding to snowballs, I refuse to deal with drinks, I ignore the virtual pets and card games, and I don't like the nicest person award for a few reasons, including that it wants the user to nominate "at least 20" people. We can't all be the nicest - it's annoying.
The ones I do use are mostly games with a charity angle (except for Dragon Wars) or fan groups. The apps that have you send plants and fish and candy and such to friends are charity things, and you can select from a list of only people who already use the app of you so choose. That seems preferable to imposing on other people with no interest in the thing. There are even people who started on an app but clearly stopped, and I try not to send to them either. Common courtesy!
Date: 2/8/2009 10:19:32 PM
Date: 2/8/2009 10:19:32 PM
Julie said:
I'm getting ready to look at the textbox thing. It's stopping me from adding journal posts as well. Not good.
One thing I didn't mention last night that has me mystified is the sudden spread of Facebook fan pages. I've had more requests to join, and have pretty much ignored them. I've had some that came framed practically as a demand, and that's an instant turn-off for me.
Date: 2/9/2009 10:07:21 AM
Date: 2/9/2009 10:07:21 AM
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