Wednesday, April 15, 2009

Who's up for a poll...?

I've been resisting the Facebook craze for a while now, mostly because without internet there didn't seem to be any point in bothering with it. Now that I have internet, I'm not sure what to do... I like the idea of keeping in touch with my friends better, and especially of seeing the pictures that they post. But I really hate the idea of having to befriend the people from high school who I never really cared about much and still don't care about. I know, I know-- I can always ignore them or whatever. But that seems a bit harsh, don't you think? I don't actively dislike them, I'm just completely indifferent to them. But I certainly wouldn't want to hurt anyone's feelings.

Having said that, I'll be the first to admit that if none of them tried to "friend" me, I'd be totally offended. And I hate myself for feeling that way. Maybe it's for that reason alone that I'm afraid to join? Hmmm... Chomp on that for a moment, Freud!

Anyway, it's been on my mind. And then this morning, I was reading the Weekly Standard and there was this whole long rant about how stupid and boring facebook is, complete with an example about the guy's wife, Alana (!!!), who was a complete facebook junkie and then suddenly quit because the thrill was gone and she realized it was a big waste of time. What are the odds? It was spooky. But, on the same day, I also got two emails from friends telling me I should join. Who's opinion do I go with? I'm stuck!

So that's why I put up the nifty little survey. Feel free to express your opinion (or just put it in a comment, or send me an email, I don't care how you do it!). And if you don't care enough to respond at all, then that's completely understandable, too!

10 comments:

Kylee said...

I resisted joining Facebook for awhile, but I finally caved. It is fun to see everyone's pictures, but I really like being able to keep track of friends from the mission, from college, etc. I am definitely not a facebook junkie, though!

Laresa said...

You can set up so many lists and filters so you only see information on people you particularly care about. That's what I do and it certainly saves my from being annoyed by some-over-excited-lapdog cousins, for example.

Rachael said...

On a plus side of facebook, it's the easiest way to get in touch with a certain sister of ours! And you then have another way of staying in touch with me, too. :)

Jen Evans said...

I like facebook - yes half of my 'friends' I only faintly remember, or care about, but I get to keep up with people I wouldn't get to otherwise, plus I get to harass my siblings on the interwebs. PS- my dad is on facebook. Weeeiiirrddd.

Erin said...

It can be a waste of time, so I rarely go on. But it is a good lazy way to stay in contact with people you aren't close enough with to periodically email or call (in other words, it's a good way to snoop on people). If you join, don't feel bad about ignoring friend requests and every other type of request you'll be plagued with. I never accept anything that will require me to add an application, which means I ignore all those flowers and what-nots that friends send me.

And if you decide you want to delete your account there's a facebook group called "How to permanently delete your facebook account" that has a link to help you do that. Supposedly Facebook's made that easier by now, but I think it's good to know about the group just in case.

delilas said...

I have been wondering the same thing. I'm a blog junkie as it is, so I don't want one more thing to waste my time but.....everyone is doing it! Lame excuse. I have decided that for now I am not going to do it. I have too much to do already and my past life of friends will still be there IF I ever decide to do it. My humble opinion!:)

Anonymous said...

I think facebook can be a huge waste of time...if you allow it to...but it also is fun to check in on your friends and see what they are doing.

Liza Jane said...

Join! True, I'm friends with a lot of people who I wasn't ever good friends with so I just don't communicate with them much on Facebook. However, I've gotten connected with so many people I hadn't talked to in so long - it's fabulous!

Unknown said...

Alanna,

I am interested in what you decide. I have friends on facebook also who keep sending me invitations to view their photos. But I am afraid of anything that makes me divulge private info' like my birthday. How do we know the identity thieves aren't out there waiting to snatch up my facts??? On the other hand I too hear rave reviews about it. So I will be interested to hear which way you jump.

Anne said...

Just do it. You can spend as much or as little time as you want with it. I do agree though, it's a lot more exciting at the beginning and then you sort of get over it, but I still think it's worth doing. :)