Facebook

I found a blog site that gives you something to write about and last week, it was Facebook. It actually has to do with privacy issues or something but I don't want to be that specific. And since I am wanting to do more with my blog than ramble on about my ever-exciting days, I thought I would run with it.

My niece Kalee actually got me to sign up for facebook about 3 years ago. I didn't really do much with it for another year because I was a "MySpacer" and Facebook did not have all the thrills and pretty colors or customization that MySpace had. Plus, I was a creature of habit and hate change like anyone else and the thought of logging in and trying to find my messages or friends was not very appealing.

However, after a while, I got bored with MySpace and started spending more time on Facebook. Once I got the hang of it, it was actually more fun than MySpace. I ended up finding many of my old classmates from Billings, old coworkers from Cox and meet many of the people at St Johns that I hear on the radio but have no idea what they look like. I got Bert to sign up and his friends and employees became mine and all of a sudden, I had hundreds of friends on my list. I was a facebook junkie for awhile, checking my facebook several times a day and commenting on everyone's status updates whether I really knew them that well or not (everyone likes comments right?) It put "social networking" in a whole new perspective for me and being at home a lot with two toddlers, it was my only form of adult communications on some weeks.

In the past year however, some downfalls have become apparent. I've found the more I know about some of these people, the less I like them. Some people I have ended up knowing WAY too much about when they "drunk update" their statuses and drop TMI on not only their own lives but the lives of the people who happen to piss them off that night. At first it reminded me of the soap operas I watched as a teen and just could not help but read. After awhile, those got annoying and I found it irritating that people share that much on their site.

Then I've been "defriended" a few times from people without warning or cause. Usually, I didn't even notice for awhile but then I would wonder how so and so was doing and try to view their page only to be told "you don't have permission to view, you must friend this person"...blah blah blah. WTH? Then I RE-realized I'm not in high school anymore so who cares....

And then there was that little issue of telling me what I could or could not post on my facebook, specifically at work. I DETEST censorship of any kind and always have. But, I played by the rules the best I could, even if a few hundred cryptic things were mentioned in passing. Since then, it is allowed to post pictures on your facebook of work as long as it's positive. That is definitely a step and appreciated from the powers above.

So while I was a facebook junkie to the inth degree a few years ago, it's losing its pow. I am about to go through and downscale my friends list. In truth, there are a handful of people I couldn't point out in a line if I saw them and then there are some that I just don't really like and friended them to be polite (that is so unlike me!) Then, I always wonder about those that just nose around my business and be nosy. And last but not least, my always favorite back stabbing clowns who stalk privately, looking for juicy status updates or comments from my friends so they can run around in their little circles and giggle behind cupped hands, taking things out of context and spreading their cattiness to others. Naw, don't need it nor want it.

Gosh, I just reread that and I come off as bitter. Don't really mean to, just stating some facts. I DO love a small part of facebook and that is that is does keep me updated on the friends I truly care about and allows me update family here and around the country on things going on. As for an outlet to gossip or create havoc, not my thing.

In conclusion, I will be one of those that never deletes their account but checking in all the time is a thing of the past.