No Facebook addiction here.
People all over the world are joining the never ending party on Facebook and finding lots of things to like about the FB interface, and the relative ease of staying connected with friends and family. Facebook is great for interacting with people, plus adding your photographs, videos, music, etc.
People who camp out on Facebook will probably never create a site of their own as a result, unless there’s a new and pressing personal or business need. And what passes for their Internet presence will be locked away behind logins, obscured to the general public (unavailable anyone who isn’t already a “friend”), and lost forever. That’s right, your whole Facebook account is like an unlisted number. You only give it out to friends and family. But the whole point of the Internet is being able to be found by anyone in one mouse click. Not ten or twenty or thousands. Or lucky enough to be invited to be your Facebook friend.
FB is fun to tinker with. But I have stopped adding media (music, videos, pics, etc.) to my Facebook page because it defeats the purpose of having a personal web site. I’ve also turned off the bothersome email notifications about new posts on my Facebook wall. The groups feature is good though…
This site is my wall, and a lot more. It’s been live since 1998. There’s tons of [me]dia stuff here, and more all the time. I’ve been careful to keep my stuff in a single place so that it amounts to more than a splattering of repartee, one liners and witty rejoinders and media posted across a bunch of web sites. Sure I have a Facebook profile. It points here.
Real friends actually visit here, and some even leave comments, etc. Other friends don’t take the time to do either. Fair enough.
Strong stuff. But it’s how I view the world and my place in it, especially the Internet world. Why add stuff to a social network controlled by someone else? In this case, a ballooning new Internet corporation that continues getting bigger and bigger because they have a firm grip on your eyeballs and those of all your friends? Isn’t this comparable to bringing your living room furniture, pajamas, a bottle of wine, and wall art to a nightclub and letting every friend and their friends sit on it, drink it or view it? What if you could invite your friends and family to your home on the Internet, i.e., your own web site?
I’m not about to say things on Facebook that require more than a sentence or two, infrequently. That’s what my personal site is for. I have much more to say to you and the rest of the wired world. I offer technical services too, descriptions of which would look kinda klunky on my Facebook profile. There’s more context to work with on this site.
Almost nobody I’ve friended on Facebook has a web site. A few musicians have sites, but the rest of them, nah. Too much trouble, not enough reason, independent streak isn’t strong enough, who knows the real reason why. Cost? It’s free to build a site. Reason? You do have more to say and share than one liners don’t you?
Real friends take the time to appreciate who their friends are, for who they are, and where they are. I’m just a click away. Not just because it’s cute to be found present and witty on some social network where every other friend can digest what’s being said as well. I will never get to know a lot of my Friends’ Friends. Not sure I want to, truth be told.
I hope you don’t take any of this personally. Or let me say that I hope you do take it personally and strike out on your own with an Internet presence that captures who you really are instead of a caricature served up by a corporation. Just because it’s free doesn’t mean it’s good for you. If you build a site, I’ll be a frequent visitor. Why? Because I like you and respect your opinions and value the time spent savoring who you are.
Real friendships are good for one’s health. Shallow friendships are like junk food consumed on the run. Real friends take the time to drop by every now and then for a dose of the real me.
