TRANSFER COMPLETE / She’s right, y’know
typed for your pleasure on 13 July 2008, at 4.28 pmSdtrk: ‘L’escargot’ by Michael Nyman
PRAISE “BOB”. Remember all those comments from the first iteration of ‘Shouting etc etc’ that were previously gathering dust on HaloScan? They are now completely transferred. Every last one of them. By hand, I might remind you. Shi-chan’s double-excited, as I told her that when I was done with all that transfer silliness, that I would get back to resurrecting ‘Kitten with a Whip!‘ *exhales* O boy.
But for now, go enjoy the past!
Being a fan of Montreal’s finest sons and daughters, the Dears, I periodically read vocalist and keyboardist Natalia Yanchak’s blog, bizarrely titled ‘Natalia Yanchak’s Blog‘, wherein she details life with lead vocalist and hubby Murray, being a mum, trying to stay environmentally aware, recording fumfuh, etc. Recently, she posted an entry that resonated very strongly with me:
Facebook Killed My Blog…
…not that it’s completely dead or anything. But the amount of laptop time I permit myself per day is limited, and with the addition of Facebook to my online routine, there’s just less time for blogging. I mean, this blog should be enough of a window into my life: does it really need to be supplemented with a half-assed Facebook profile?
the rest of the article is here
Obviously, you can just as easily replace any instances of the word ‘Facebook’ with ‘Myspace’, as they’re entirely interchangeable. Both are essentially glorified profiles, for the purposes of networking and negligible announcements. For someone such as myself who already has a blog, keeping up with a social networking site is just one more silly thing I have to look after. Were it not for some tosser in Australia, I wouldn’t have a Myspace at all.
I do have a Facebook profile (and no, I’m not linking it here; if you’re clever though, you’ll know what name to look under) that I’ve mucked about with maybe five or six times, as frankly, I find the interface to be even more baffling than Myspace, which is a feat I wouldn’t have thought possible. What are these ‘gifts’ they keep referring to? There’s a wall that you can write on? Human G knows Human L, who knows Humans T, KK, and 42? What is this, Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon??
The one thing I hate most about Facebook is that unless you friend someone… fuck. Let me stop that right now. Unless you add someone as a friend, you can’t have any access to info about them. I realise that for people merely seeking to beef up the number of ‘friends’ they have, that’s no big deal, but personally, I want to know something about you before I accept you into my life. Does that not make any sense to anyone else??
I realise that I’m making myself sound like a cranky geriatric, but I dunno, I like writing, as opposed to merely commenting in bulk. Again, Myspace and Facebook are profiles, and as such, they don’t exactly engender writing at length, and listing the shitty bands that you like doesn’t count.
So basically, I’m drawing a line under it: I’m not accepting adds or wasting time with either Myspace or Facebook anymore. I’m not deleting mine or Sidore’s — you can thank that enterprising Australian for that — we’re just no longer maintaining them. Should someone send me a message, I’ll simply ask they Email me. Remember Emails, and how fun they were? But yeah, I’m curtailing keeping up with them cos frankly, if curious types really want to know about me or the Missus, they should be rooting through ‘Shouting etc etc’, rather than some facile social networking site
Random similar posts, for more timewasting:
300,000 hits?? You must be joking on September 18th, 2009
Bullet: Dodged (after a fashion) on April 28th, 2008
July 13th, 2008 at 5.21 pm
I hate Facebook. I got one, well, because everyone else had one and kept bugging me about it. It’s confusing and a pain in the padded ass to navigate.
I do however, love MySpace. I’ve had one since ’04 and actually met my boyfriend on there. I keep in touch with everyone through MySpace. I frequently blog on there as well as my WordPress.
Hooray for your comments! You’re very dedicated. now you better get on with the Missus’ page before she gets miffed.
July 13th, 2008 at 5.25 pm
The concept of “friends list” on many social sites (LJ, Facebook, MySpace) changes the meaning of “friend” in all honesty. Thatts why I had to change the name of my journal friends list to “People that I know” or “People Who Share Interests” because it just seemed silly. Yeah, Im not into collecting friends on these networks either.
PS: Did you email me that information? Not seen much mail in my inbox recently but I have been so busy to even check it. Hope you are well.
July 13th, 2008 at 6.44 pm
I love facebook
well loves a strong word
I like it, Its a good way for me to keep in touch with people about lectrues as I normally forget when thay are so its easyer for me.
Urm, other then that it sucks ^^
Ooh I ahve sa new gravatar
and its cute ^^
Hyde
X
July 15th, 2008 at 12.40 pm
Laura –
When I did take leave of my senses and log into Facebook, I didn’t know what I was looking at half the time. The other half, I was annoyed, as to view such-and-such timewaster, it wanted me to install some ridiculous application, which is utterly pointless in my eyes. The last person I added sent me a Pokemon. I mean, I like a good Pikachu like anyone else, but virtual gifts elicit a shrug from me. If I can’t touch it, it’s not really a gift.
Myspace wasn’t as needlessly ornate, but when I broke down and made one, I wanted to treat it as a portal — people would see it, read the blurb directing them to ‘Shouting etc etc’, and promptly go there. But people seemed to simply focus on my Myspace profile, which is not what I wanted to happen.
I need to do what SafeT did, and simply ‘lose’ my password…
Kat –
You are 110% right. ‘Acquaintance’ is also a better term than ‘friend’ in this instance. How many chronic Myspacers really know the people on their friends lists? How many of these people would they invite round to their homes? It’s impossible to have meaningful ‘relationships’ with that many people. There were a couple of people I met through Myspace that I decided to pursue in a chat programme context — and we’re speaking about maybe a tenth of the people on my friends list — but even then, it’s bloody hard to keep up with them, as I only have so many hours in my day.
‘Collecting friends’. Gotta catch ’em all! 😐
Hyde-chan –
Well, if you’re using it for lectures and to play catch-up, that kinda makes sense, as your Facebook plays a specific role, as opposed to Internet Friend Accumulation Machine. But then, I would assume that most of the people on your Facebook are people you knew before you set up your Facebook?
And your new Gravatar is indeed cute! But I liked your other one better (the one with you in front of Hyde Park station’s sign).
…are you holding a bottle of lotion up to your ear? That’s not how it works, babe.
July 17th, 2008 at 6.56 am
Greetings D.C. and the irrepressable Sidore-chan! I don’t know if that’s a word but I like it!) (and it’s nearly 4AM to pls excyuse tipose)…
Excellent post and I agree with it very much, as it’s been my experience as well. Friend collectors for status seekers (unless as in Hyde-chan’s case a networking of true associates) and all to enable the Phenomenon of Social Networking in the 21st Century to self-perpetuate itself so more people can write boring promotions for their so-called “sites”.
My brother coaxed me into Facebooking (dunno if that’s a word/verb yet but rest assured that it will be), and I took the insane #@$%^& amount of time to make a page. And he never responded to my “hey I’m done so now when do we get to the back-and-forthing fun of it all?” post. Or wallpaper- grafitti- scrawl whatever they call it. So I feel summat like a dick, leaving my post there with nary a reply. Hell, I can’t even remember if it’s on my wall his wall or even if it’s called a wall.
Anyway. I guess it served a purpose of another kind when I got a Facebook email from someone I used to play Asheron’s Call with (an online MMORPG) in 1997. I went to his Facebook page and lo and behold I saw my ex-girlfriend’s face on his profile! (She used to play with us, and I met her in-world; you wouldn’t believe how romantic it really was!)
So anyway, we’re back in touch but as she’s always busy running sround the country and rarely uses her Facebook, it all seems kind of… wasteful, I guess. And I can barely keep my Blog alive let alone interesting LOL
So, The BlogSite is the Thing. And it is enough. But Facebook and Myspace might be good Tools in order to bring others to the place of your focus, and that, I must say, has to be a good thing. It is in “Shouting & etc’s” case 🙂
Regards 2 U 2
PBS and The Girls
July 18th, 2008 at 11.33 am
For the longest time I despised facebook’s interface. What were all these gifts, and applications, and why do I need a dozen email messages? Lame lame lame!
Then I figured out how to shut all that stuff off, and I only add people I actually know a share regular correspondence with. I don’t accept any applications, and I like the way I can let a tighter, vetted group view my profile, as opposed to Myspace. My Myspace “friends” include a lot of bands, and people I added when I was drunk and single who had a cute profile picture.
That all said, we could all benefit from more blogging, more letter writing, and more getting together with friends.
September 19th, 2008 at 8.59 pm
HI davecat, how are things? its still dreary in the UK, please tell me what you are up to x
December 3rd, 2008 at 7.36 pm
Hey Señor Gato —
Hope all is well… I always use your myspace account as a portal to this page. It’s all I have in the world. I hope you still respect me. :-]
Davey
March 2nd, 2009 at 5.43 pm
Facebook!! Ugh! I am still trying to understand that site! It frustrates me to no end! You know what is odd, though? My brother who is ten years my senior understands it more! I am on MySpace, too. That’s how I found this site. I was hoping to add you, but I will chat with you and Sidore-chan here or Twitter.
Much love to you both!
October 1st, 2009 at 12.45 pm
I think part of the reason that you cant see someone’s profile unless you friend them is because of a privacy setting. Although I do not use my biological name on any social networking site, I have found myself compelled to make my Facebook info private to non-friends.
This is not to be snobby or elitist, but because I want to close out a system I dont agree with — that employers decide its within the confines of privacy to look up a potential employee on facebook before hiring them. Honestly, I could just about spit at the very notion that my employment (or continued employment) is judged by what I do on MY OWN TIME.
That said, I dont blame you for finding Facebook a repugnant social networking. Im really looking forward to Blackbox Republic and see if that has promise. I miss Tribe.net dearly.
Kat
PS: Let me know if you would like a seperate skin for Kitten With A Whip. Sidore having to wait this long, I wouldnt be surprised if she wanted a template too. 🙂