What is up with these facebook people?

re: What is up with these facebook people?

Toby Getsch — Thu, 27 Mar 2008 05:21:51 GMT

Holy get me out of my lazy boy, home sick for the afternoon, reading blogs on my mobile phone, to write this reply on the desktop in the home office... Batman!

Heather, this past weekend I started reading Anthony Bourdain, Kitchen Confidential. The writing style, as much as the content has captured my verbatious (not a word but it will be eventually, by the time I'm done writing my books) intrigue that so enraptures my own thought process. (OK, that hurt to write. Hope my wit and cheeky retort flies in as appreciative!)

I only accept real friends onto Facebook. I also only accept real business associates on LinkedIn. That means my network is around 75 to 100 on each. That's REAL. Recruiters need bigger networks. But, unless you've helped me get a job, or I know you personally, I'm ignoring your invite. So, kudos to your expression of "get real" that so many more people need to hear!

(It is scary what can happen when you put yourself out there. I mean, there is getting Lived - errrr Googled that reveals lots.)

BTW, your writing keeps getting better.

~Toby

re: What is up with these facebook people?

MN Headhunter — Thu, 27 Mar 2008 07:27:39 GMT

Holy crap!!! You mean I could have been picking up chicks on Facebook?

Are there ladies who like to get picked up on Facebook? I mean, that say yes?

And if so, what do you think of those ladies who get picked up?

When I got my profile some of the college kids I advise were a little weirded out. I was never proactive about being friends, figured if they wanted, to great.

Then some of the young ladies started being friends and the guys were like that is weird. Funny, now they are all sharing their Spring Break pics which has me a little weirded out. That is way more information than I need to know. Can’t wait to meet their parents at graduation.

Twitter, I started using it over the weekend. More to further build relationships with people. I like knowing when people are coming and going, what they are up to. What they had for lunch, eh, I can do without.

Wow, I must be chatty this late evening.

So, umm, do you know any ladies on Facebook in the Minneapolis area I can ask out?

(waiting for what may be your an all time top ten response from you)

re: What is up with these facebook people?

Kerry — Thu, 27 Mar 2008 17:35:22 GMT

Amen sister!

Points 2 and 3 agree 100%! I want to say to these people please do not send me another beer! And these are my coworkers!

Point 1 - I also agree - but I am guilty. I can't get the value of twitter - I am trying hard but still can't get it! I signed up after taking a web 2.0 webinar where the speaker said it was a "must" and have yet to see the value. I barely have enough time to get through my day with all that I have going on - do I really have time to twitter my precious few left over minutes? I keep thinking there is some hidden value that I have yet to discover...

great post - what about doing a post on the Linkedin recommendation requests from people you don't even know! What is up with that?

re: What is up with these facebook people?

Wine-Oh — Thu, 27 Mar 2008 18:19:17 GMT

I'm anti twitter. Do I need to know the thought bubble over your head? No! Find it annoying. Although I find it funny that I made someone's twitter the other day. A co worker who is pregnant, always takes issue with what I order for lunch or if I eat potato chips. Anyway I got extra crunchy loud ones this time and she twittered "Listening someone crunch really loud... Need Earphones." I am tempted to either leave a pair on her desk, or bring in a big gulp slurpie and drink loudly and see if I get twittered again. :)

re: What is up with these facebook people?

HeatherLeigh — Thu, 27 Mar 2008 19:15:37 GMT

Toby - glad I was able to motivate you and hope you feel better. I'm not sure if muy rant was brewing or percolating but it had to come out, you know? I love Anthony Bourdain, own the book but have yet to read it. I'll have to make that a priority. And I guess being out there is scary. You get used to it after a while. Thanks for the compliment about the writing.

MS Headhunter - well you could have been trying. Do I imagine people are successful at it? Not so much. I don't know anyone that has or would ever say yes. Geez, people...just go out to a bar or get on a dating service. My facebook peeps tend to be adults but I can imagine that the spring break stuff would freak you out. Yikes! You know it happens but do you really need to see it? No! ANd unfrotunately, you are the only person I "know" in Minneapolis. :)

Kerry - let me know if you figure out the value of Twitter. I'm wracked my brain and I just can't get there. In the meantime, it just totally bugs me.

Wine-Oh, you make a good point about the bubble. I think about it from the standpoint of transparency. Do people *really* want to know the thought bubble over my head. I'm pretty sure that I can tell you that they do not. So all that twitter junk is all fluffy "hre I am, hre's what I am doing, care about me!'. Ugh. Ans I hate to say it but your co-worker....does she really care that much? Please.

re: What is up with these facebook people?

Wine-Oh — Thu, 27 Mar 2008 19:21:25 GMT

She fits into the Twitter world with her "its all about me" stuff. Especially now that shes pregnant, its more about her. I see her twitter about other co workers, traffic, etc... So if I eat chips loudly and it interferes with her life, tough. We sit in a huge open cube farm and share the same air. While I dont aim to anger anyone with my chip eating habits, its part of the deal of working in an open space.

Sorry I just dont want to know whats going on in someone's thought bubble. Keep it to yourselves peeps!

re: What is up with these facebook people?

HeatherLeigh — Thu, 27 Mar 2008 20:36:03 GMT

And best of luck with that charming co-worker. Maybe her S/O will twitter about all the annoying noise she makes when she has her baby.

re: What is up with these facebook people?

mattfras — Thu, 27 Mar 2008 22:58:40 GMT

I'm still trying to get Twitter myself. Here's a blog post from a fellow 'softie that may help:

http://www.hanselman.com/blog/TwitterTheUselessfulnessOfMicroblogging.aspx

re: What is up with these facebook people?

HeatherLeigh — Fri, 28 Mar 2008 05:51:33 GMT

OK, interesting. That does give the perspective of the Twitterer. I guess the underlying assumption is that they are among a community of other Twitterers. I guess what I want are 2 things:

1) limited exposure - facebook friendship does not imply a need to know EVERYTHING one is doing. I think that there's an understanding of a certain type of communication that will take place on FB. Twitter is TMI for facebook.

2) Scott must be seeing different tweets (is that right? Tweets? Did I just say that?) than I am. Seriously, I am seeing breakfast menus. I think that the availability of the medium and the understanding that it's quick and frequent gives people the feeling that they need to come up with something asap. Ooh, my orange juice has pulp. Must tweet.

The more I have thought about this, the more I think that this has to do with the reward system on the interwebs. The rewards for putting content out there are engagement, agreement, links, recognition. Someone thinks you said something witty and your ego goes zing. Twittering is the one-hitter version (oh please, I went to college in LA). You love the rush of the engagement from what you write online, you can't help but go for the quick hits. Junkies :)

re: What is up with these facebook people?

Kerry — Sat, 29 Mar 2008 00:03:00 GMT

Heather - did you see this?

http://www.commoncraft.com/Twitter

re: What is up with these facebook people?

HeatherLeigh — Sat, 29 Mar 2008 01:38:16 GMT

Thanks for the link Kerry. That's a good explanation. They kind of lose me with the immeediate premise that people really care what you are doing all the time. And I still wish they would keep it off facebooks. It's just boring.

re: What is up with these facebook people?

Darren — Sun, 30 Mar 2008 10:49:57 GMT

I like to refer to Twitter as an ego distillery:

http://www.socialmediaready.com/2007/12/28/what-the-heck-is-twitter-besides-an-ego-distillery/

re: What is up with these facebook people?

Michael Henreckson — Tue, 01 Apr 2008 04:41:29 GMT

I think some Facebook users are lost. The site they were actually trying to find is MySpace. :P

re: What is up with these facebook people?

HeatherLeigh — Tue, 01 Apr 2008 22:51:34 GMT

Darren - good link and exactly how I feel. Could be something or maybe not. i kind of like the technologuy that is intended to solve a problem instead of one where the notion of how to use it evolves. Still, there *could* be some value there but I choose to let other people with more time on their haqnds figure that out. As it is, updating my status regularly is about as egotistical as I care to get on facebook.

Michael - agreed. I like to experiment and set up a myspace page (not much to see there...move along) and I just don't love the functionality. Don't plan on spending any time there.

re: What is up with these facebook people?

cat burns — Thu, 03 Apr 2008 02:05:41 GMT

My facebook rants...

#4+

The UI? some times it just does NOT make sense. I head in one direction and then, well, it's taken me else where. It doesn't gel very well.

#5+

The constant invitations - what are they really inviting me to do? Reality is they (FB) wants me Spam my facebook "friends" ????

re: What is up with these facebook people?

drew olanoff — Fri, 04 Apr 2008 17:38:45 GMT

You just laid the smacketh down.

Subscribed.

re: What is up with these facebook people?

HeatherLeigh — Fri, 04 Apr 2008 17:48:16 GMT

Cat - yeah, those bug me too

drew - and it felt good!