I received a warning from FB recently that they were taking away my privilege of requesting new friends, because they'd received several notifications from people I'd friended who did not know me. Sheesh! They even made me x a box that I understood the reason for this FB Jail sentence. HA! They don't know that I am adept at making friends, and did it for over 50 years with no help from them!
Social Networking can be like a black hole, sucking the life from your real life. It's meant to be a tool to help us connect with others of like minds and interests, but can easily turn into an addiction, a time-eating monster, or in the case of my FB timeout, a silly micro manager.
I have been blogging for over three years, FB'ing for two and Twittering for one, but I still don't have solid answers to the SN dilemma.
Do you?
Obviously, my answers to the ?s in your first paragraph is "NO"!
ReplyDeleteI do have fairly strict personal parameters which I refer to from time to time to be sure I'm not straying too far from the purposes I entered the various SN for in the first place.
For instance, my twitter & pinterest accounts serve primarily as files - for quotes & pictures respectively.
Blogging is for ministry, creative stimulus, and friendship...
Facebook for quick communication and keeping in touch with relatives and friends from all the eras of my (long) life.
It helps me keep a handle on my time to remember WHY I do WHAT I do.
I do love the Tshirt! I find myself mostly overwhelmed. We're supposed to do so much social networking, and I don't see a lot of results from a lot of it. But I am new and learning, so I will eventually figure out where the best investment of time is. Any tips from you? I set up a twitter account but have never touched it, for instance. Dito Google Plus.
ReplyDeleteNo, I don't. If I figure it out, I'll let you know! :) They can be great tools, but I get frustrated with the amount of time they can require. It feels sometimes, too, as if there are so many things vying for your attention in this respect. A healthy balance, I think, is required, and I am not quite there yet. :)
ReplyDeleteHappy weekend!
No answer here either Jeanette. I don't FB much which is prob a good thing, but blogging can easily turn into a time-eater.
ReplyDeleteI try to make it fun. If reading and writing becomes a grind, I take a break and don't feel bad about it.
No answers, just lots of discernment, occasional breaks and prayer.
ReplyDeleteDoesn't it always come back to that?
~ Wendy
Jill: My only tip is to pray and ask the Holy Spirit to lead you. He may take you in a different direction than "they" say you should go. And you may discover a new way of connecting with people that no one has thought of yet!
ReplyDeleteI agree with SD, if it loses it's fun, I can't get into it. Twitter is not so much fun for me; FB and blogging are. But everyone is different.
No answers here. I'll put up bail to get you out of fb jail.
ReplyDeleteSeriously though, I do break on occasion. That seems to help.
I love blogging, but it takes TONS of time. Facebook is okay and has brought people to my blog. Twitter: I'm on it, but find it totally boring.
ReplyDeleteJeanette:
ReplyDeleteI have no answers for you on this issue. I have 'friends' on FB who seem to be on it just for the games they play. I don't go there a lot because of the time it takes.
I enjoy writing my blog and reading the other ones.
I haven't ventured to Twitter land. I don't quite grasp the concept.
I have no answers either. I enjoy the connections I've made on FB,and that is where I interact most often. I've let Twitter sag pitifully. It's good for sharing links, but not much else. I enjoy blogging and reading blogs, when I have time.
ReplyDeleteJeanette,
ReplyDeleteNope, no answer here to the whole SN dilemma. I use Twitter and Pinterest, and the latter has a tendency to suck me in! I'll get on there just to take a look and see what's new...and before I know it, an hour has passed. An hour of me looking at other peoples' dreams and "pinning" my own-an hour that I could have been out there LIVING my dreams and working towards my ideals! Getting inspired is one thing. Using that as an excuse to sit and neglect real life is another (I'm totally reprimanding myself here). One of these days I will find the balance.
By the way, thanks for the follow on my blog, and your kind words in your comment.
Have a good one,
Becky
I still enjoy blogging and sometimes I enjoy Facebook. Usually people ask me to be friends. Often, I don't know them. I'm sure that your case is different. Hope you get it figured out.
ReplyDeleteIt was fun seeing your pretty face when I opened up my Facebook recently.
Wow, Nancy, you just made my day--thanks!
ReplyDeleteJeanette,
ReplyDeleteOh yes, I hear you on this dilemma. My hubby reminded me the other day that only about 10% of the world's population is on the internet. That put things in perspective for me. I don't have to feel like I'm missing out on something if I take a break.
Thanks for your honesty as always.
Melanie
Constant struggle for me, as you and I have talked about before. I have a love/hate relationship with most of it. It's just so hard to be balanced!! That's why it's so good to have friends like you and others in the blogosphere to help me find that balance!
ReplyDeleteI feel for you-I got a time out from FB once, too. Embarrassing!
Jeanette,
ReplyDeleteI just sent you a friend request on FB. :-) Love this t-shirt image, btw.
As for blogging, I love it and have met some of the wittiest and most supportive people through that medium.
As for FB'ing, it can be fun, and awkward and a time-eater. Sometimes you learn things about people you wish you could un-learn. I try to keep FB'ing light and use cyber manners to the best of my ability on other people's pages.
As for Twitter, I don't do it or go on it. (Shrug.)
Looking forward to our FB friendship!