Hardly a week goes by lately that I don't receive an inbox message asking me to "confirm friendship" or to "link up" or the other wide variety of verbage that the wide world of social networking sites employ. I admit to having a Linked In profile, as I personally found that particular site extremely professional and polished.
I can't say that has brought me any new business, however. Craigs List has done much better for me there.
Classmates, Facebook, My Space, Linked In--is there a huge difference between all of these sites? Do people actually list themselves absolutely everywhere and spend grotesquely wasteful amounts of time uploading photos, filling out click-and-select menus to answer questions about everything from their political affiliation to whether they prefer Folger's or Starbucks, and skimming all the names of their high school graduating class to see if their ex is listed and what s/he is doing --or, even better, if pictures are posted?
Not that I am at all guilty of any or all of the above...
Is the purpose of these sites, at least for the professional, over-30 set of us out here, simply that of a facilitator: to not allow us to feel so alone in what has become a distant and impersonal world? So many of us move away from our roots to follow an education or a paycheck, the luckier ones perhaps to pursue a dream. When our loved ones (namely our elders, but also our siblings or friends' family members) leave us, or word arrives that a classmate or former teacher has died, does this strike a mortality chord deep within us at this age, when we have matured past the immortality and idealism of our youth, and create in us an almost desperate need to reconnect with those ties that were so key in creating who we are today?
Do you participate in the online social networking scene (not talking matchmaking or dating here)?
For what purpose?
Have you felt fulfilled in your quest?
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I joined Facebook for a week, found an old high shcool buddy and emailed, but realized that aside from that I had zero interet in belonging. Blogging and emailing take up all the internet time I want to give.
ResponderEliminarAnd by the way, congratulations! I have an award for you over at my place!
Lolli put up a myspace page for me but I never used it and took it down. I kept getting 'I want to be your friend' messages from rather strange people.
ResponderEliminarOf course we won't even mention those dorky IM sites.
Guilty,
ResponderEliminarI have both Myspace and Facebook. The Myspace page, I rarely log into. But Facebook, I have a big group of friends back east, and they are all on Facebook. I really like it, it's pretty private depending on your settings. I'm able to keep in contact with this group of people, as well as some other friends. So yes, I have Facebook, and use it quite often, myspace, not very much.
Interesting. In a desperate attempt to do anything to launch my business last year, one tutoring site required all members to have a Facebook page. I have since ended my affiliation with that site, as my business took off in its own direction. But apparently the page remained.
ResponderEliminarI, too, enjoy hearing from old high school friends. That has happened a lot through Linked In for me as well.
Ah, yes. The IM sites that never allow cross-system connectivity. Aren't they fun, Brad? (hee hee)
It does appear, OC, that you can 'privatize' your Facebook page just as you say. I suppose it comes down to who in your life has what and where you create the most connections?
Be well, all.