I have been on Facebook for several years (long before it went "public") and don't have any new lessons to share so I thought I would talk instead about my love/hate relationship with it. I enjoy it when communicating with co-workers, friends (especially those who live overseas) and family members. I hate it when everyone I have ever met finds me and wants to suddenly be "friends", when Facebook tinkers with privacy settings or when people are inadvertently hurt by the actions of others on these sites. I have seen some of the greatest kindnesses on Facebook and some of the greatest ugliness on this site as well.
Because of the Facebook "friend" terminology I have noticed that social networking can lead to hurt feelings when people misunderstand the use of the work "friend" on places like Facebook or Twitter or simply have differing definitions of what the word friend means. An online "friendship" can develop into a real life friendship with time and a lot of work but many people seem to take to heart the word friend and are enormously hurt when someone "unfriends" them on a social site. Unfortunately, I don't have answers on how to manage friends and more importantly, acquaintances on these sites but I do caution you new 23 Things users to be aware of these issues and try to approach online friendships in a way that suits your personal friendship style.
Having said all that, I would love some new librarian friends so look for my Facebook badge on the sidebar of this blog.
1 comment:
If you don't know, as of today, Facebook will automatically replace your entire wardrobe with leisure suits and ascots like Mr. Furley on "Three's Company" used to wear. To change this option, go to Settings --> Fashion --> Era then UN-click the box that says "Mid-70's Polyester". Facebook kept this one quiet.
So true. Nice post.
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