Great. Here we go again. It's 11:15 pm and I'm supposed to be in bed but I had a random thought while brushing my teeth.
Most people who know me would probably consider me a tech-savvy/nerdy guy. While I don't know how to program anything, nor do I speak Klingon, Elvish, or any other fiction-based language, I enjoy keeping tabs on what's going on in the world of tech and participating in my own, limited way. Yes, I probably know enough about Star Wars to be considered a complete geek to the average person. Sure, I've had more cell phones in the last seven years than most people will have in their entire lives. So you'd think that I of all people, I would have a MySpace and/or Facebook account. After all, it's how hundreds of millions of my peers function online and off.
But I don't. And that's on purpose. (I shared my feelings about social networks here.)
Up until now.
Here's the thought I had while I was brushing my teeth: why don't I create a Facebook account to tell people I'm not using Facebook.
Weird, I know. But bear with me.
One reason I don't like sites like Facebook is, if I understand it correctly, people login to Facebook and leave me a public message. I then get an e-mail telling me that I have a public message, so I login to Facebook to see what it is. OR YOU COULD E-MAIL ME. (This is similar to the problem I have with Basecamp, but I'll save that for another time.)
So instead of corresponding with people through Facebook, why not use Facebook to tell people the channels I do use to communicate? I picture an empty page with nothing but links to my Twitter feed, this blog, and maybe an e-mail address.
Despite this minty epiphany, I have my reservations:
1. I'm really stubborn about certain things, and getting a Facebook account is one of them. Even if I don't use it, the fact that I have one wouldn't settle well with me. I kind of enjoy not doing certain things everyone else is doing. I know it sounds a bit backward, but it's true. It's why I've never had a Coke and it's why I'm perfectly happy hating potato chips and french fries, thank you very much.
2. My real name and personal information would be linked to this site. Now, most of you know me and I don't think it would take a rocket scientist to probably find out everything about me online. While I've been contemplating dropping The Other Drummer moniker and just using my full name as the title of the blog (and the URL), I haven't decided to make the jump yet.
What are your thoughts on the subject(s)? Two polls have been posted in the upper-right corner. Have at it. Or, if you feel like waxing poetic, leave some prose in the comments.
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Facebook. Useless. Yes I have an account that I started a long time ago because everyone was all hyped up about it. I don't understand it. I rarely use it and when I do I usually leave the message that "Facebook &^%$" Don't bother. But if you do add me as a friend. BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAA
ReplyDeleteOn something completely unrelated, I just noticed you are severely off pace to match the same number of blogs you posted last year! Time to step your game up a little! =)
ReplyDeleteThanks for the comments.
ReplyDelete@Michael - I just noticed the same thing last night. I guess having a kid and launching two other sites will do that to you. :)
Hi David, it's Brett.
ReplyDeleteI don't care what you do with Facebook. You are an idiot for not liking french fries. People on Facebook don't mingle with your kind.
Thanks.
When I joined facebook, it was like a cyber highschool reunion. Tons of people that I barely remembered from school wanted to be my "friend" and I thought it was kinda strange. I guess it's worth the couple of hours of amusement to read up on your old classmates and what they're doing now.
ReplyDeleteHey, if I can get a cell phone, you can get a Facebook page!
ReplyDeleteYou can make your Facebook profile private so that only invited friends can see it. You can change your settings so as to not receive an absurd number of notifications regarding what everyone is doing online. Do those two things, and Facebook is pretty cool. C'mon Dave, it's the newest incarnation of the Conduit!
-Rob
I usually think you're really cool (and in general I still do), but not joining Facebook just for the sake of not joining Facebook is lame and inefficient.
ReplyDeleteIt's like old people who refuse to use the Internet. Or refusing to use electricity. Just because it's new-fangled technology doesn't mean it's just one more thing, or that it's bad. Why use papyrus after TP is developed?
I feel pretty passionately about this, actually. I feel the same way about people who refuse to get cellphones, except that that's even worse. Who are you that you're so important that I have to contact you at special times when you're standing by a landline, or go look up your information (which I'm supposed to just save somewhere in case I need it someday)?
Here's an idea: forget Facebook, forget cellphones--get pidgeons instead. Maybe we can make this even more inefficient.
Thanks everyone for the comments.
ReplyDelete@emily. Thanks for (sometimes) thinking I'm cool. I'm actually quite flattered.
In response to your comment, perhaps I wasn't clear in explaining the reason I haven't joined Facebook.
Originally, I wasn't trying to buck a trend - it was because I didn't see the point. It seemed like a less-efficient way to communicate (and still does).
As far as I'm concerned, the only thing I can see Facebook bringing to the table is functioning as a directory of people I haven't seen in a decade or more. Otherwise, it doesn't provide any new functionality.
Cell phones provided new functionality. E-mail provided new functionality. Twitter provided new functionality. Carrier pigeons provided new functionality. Facebook? Nothing comes to mind.
In addition to those reasons, now I'm at the point where I'm a bit of an anomaly for not having one and I kind of like that - but that wasn't why I didn't sign up originally. Just as the reason I haven't had a Coke wasn't to go counter-culture, but because I don't like carbonation. I do, however, like seeing the looks on people's faces when I tell them I've never had one. :)
So the only reason I'm considering using it is to use the one thing I see as a benefit: allowing people I've lost track of to get in touch with me.
You are so stubborn Dave! And leaving cheeky comments on my blog about David Archuleta. I should uninvite you on Saturday.
ReplyDeleteI actually think you ARE resisting Facebook just for the sake of being different. There are functions such as picture sharing, keeping in touch (like you mentioned above) like a directory of people. Did you brainwash Amy into not wanting one too?
@raelynn Yes, resisting getting a Facebook account for the sake of being different is a reason why I don't want to now, but now why I haven't up to this point.
ReplyDeletePicture sharing? Keeping in touch? Those aren't exactly unique features to Facebook.
Okay.
ReplyDeleteBut another thing is, instead of going to 15 sites, you can do all that stuff in one place.
Instead of having to use flickr and snapwhatever and kodak's thing, yahoo this and pictures here, and everywhere wanting me to register, to check pictures I go one place. And people don't have to tell me that they're adding them, or send me emails to invite me or whatever. It shows that they're there. All in one place. For everyone I know.
Keeping in touch? I don't have to keep track of email addresses for people I don't email often. If someone changes their email address, they update it on Facebook, and I don't have to change my addressbook or anything. Because when I look on their page, it's there.
Same thing with other contact details.
If I just want to say hi, I don't have to call randomly and not know when I'm bothering people, or text and not know if they take texts. I don't have to send a whole email. I can just leave a note on their wall. And then that's all it is. And sometimes I call people, or email, if I want to.
I understand, like, on some sites it's just one extra step. We use WebCT for school, and it totally is. Or when I get Friendster? or something emails at my other email address, I'm supposed to go actually open my account to see what the person said. And that's just one extra step. So I never do it. With Facebook, though, it shows you the message in the email. So I usually read it in my email, and if I want to reply I'll go into Facebook.
And finding old friends is kinda fun, too.
Yeah...what Emily said.
ReplyDeleteOne word: Google.
ReplyDeleteLike Facebook, Google can do everything you said from one login but also allows me to communicate with people outside their ecosystem - the person I want to share pictures with/email doesn't have to have a Gmail account.
Exactly. With Google and Facebook you won't need anything else.
ReplyDeleteFacebook isn't supposed to replace Google.
I thought of something else that Facebook effectively replaces:
Twitter. I never really could get into using that, because if I want to microblog, I can update my status on Facebook. Then everyone I want to can still see it, and they don't have to check Twitter separately, or have accounts there to reply, etc.
Also, with Google, there's no particularly inherent networking aspect of it. They have a groups thing, or sort of profiles, but they're not really comparable to Facebook (and I don't think they're meant to be..).