Facebook: Yes; Others: No

This is the promised follow-up to my August 2 post Toward A Minimalist Guide To Social Networking. I told you I would consider your comments and come up a social networking plan that fits into my simple, deliberate life.

And here’s my plan: Facebook: yes; others, no.

Does this plan fit well into your simple, deliberate life?

Follow Me On Facebook

I mentioned in the previous post that I don’t really promote my Facebook account here on So Much More Life. I don’t suggest that you follow me, and I don’t provide any content on Facebook worth reading. I also don’t have a separate fan page for this blog, just my personal account.

Here’s the thing, though: I enjoy the way I use Facebook, and I’d enjoy seeing Facebook updates and comments from those of you that I know only through this blog. I’d like you to be part of my Facebook experience, so I’m suggesting something amazingly radical and cutting-edgy for a minimalist: Follow me on Facebook.

I hope I’ll see you there.

Here’s how I use Facebook:

  • To follow local theatres, bands, organizations and interesting voices that I want to hear
  • To follow a few writing services, bloggers and others I that I either enjoy or that benefit my chosen plans
  • To keep a pinky finger on the pulse of my hometown, a place I long ago abandoned — and actually plan to abandon again. (I’ve been removing old high school acquaintances and others with whom I have nothing in common.)
  • To very rarely share interesting links and comments, something I hope to do more often
  • To announce my new posts on So Much More Life

And that’s about all. I don’t often say much, but I’m trying to change that. And I don’t often comment on other people’s posts, but I’m trying to do more of that. I listen in, contribute a little and announce my new blog posts. That’s it.

To avoid many of the ads, I usually use the mobile version of the site (m.facebook.com) even on my home computer. My $25 MetroPCS not-so-smartphone can also handle this version just fine.

My goal is to be more interactive on Facebook and to develop stronger relationships of all types with the people who follow me there. So go ahead, follow me there.

Everything Else Fails

On that previous post, very few of you commented that you find social networking a completely postive part of your life. Only Jenny from Ex-Consumer commented glowingly on the way both Facebook and Twitter have benefited here. Others had reservations of some sort or a general disdain for social networking and it’s false camaraderie (not a word I type very often).

Some of you have developed and strengthened relationships with other bloggers on Twitter, but I develop relationships with bloggers when you comment here or when I comment on your blogs. Sometimes, we even communicate through something as old-fashioned as email.

That said, I have a couple hundred Twitter followers, and you can find me on Twitter (@gipplaster) if you want to see announcements of my new posts and of new posts by some of my favorite bloggers.

I still can’t find a use for LinkedIn, RoundedUp, LedBelow or any other supposed social networking sites. Can you?

Facebook is fun and useful. These others fail to add anything to my life.

So Then…

So then, I hope you’ll follow me on Facebook and comment on this and other posts here on So Much More Life. Those are my primary means of communication. Of course, you’re always welcome to email me too.

Would anyone like to try to convince me to join them on another platform? What about Google+? Could it change everything? I look forward to your comments — as always.

10 comments

  1. I’m starting to use Facebook more too, but mostly as an adjunct technology to promote the content on the blog.

    I think that a blog (or a company website) should always really be the “home base”, with social media hanging on the side supporting it.

    Sounds like that’s what you’re doing – you might want to revisit this in six months and give your opinions about how it’s working for you. 🙂

    1. Yes, I do think the blog should be the base of interaction with a blogging community. That just makes sense, and it doesn’t make sense to send people away from your blog to places like Facebook or Twitter to comment, as some bloggers are doing.

      Facebook can be fun. Whether it’s really useful is another matter that I haven’t figured out.

      Gip

  2. Do you plan to revisit this topic in a few months or so, and let us know how your decision panned out? Personally I have no use for virtual walled gardens like Facebook, but if your goal is to be sociable, or even to keep up with bands and events (um, don’t they have “real” web sites?) and are careful with your privacy settings and whatnot, I suppose the worst that could happen is you’ll waste some time — and that isn’t always a bad thing.

    1. Actually, a lot of bands don’t have regular sites anymore, and those that do often have some biographical info and then a link to Facebook for all the current info. And bands still use MySpace too.

      I don’t say anything on Facebook that I’d mind the whole world seeing. I treat it the same as my blog: If I say it, it’s intended for everyone.

      Really, my current approach to Facebook is mostly continuing what I’ve been doing. I’m sure the topic will come up again.

      Gip

  3. Google + is where it’s going to be for topics like photography and music. For writers, I’m not yet sure. I hate Facebook and only use it to keep track of a very few old friends and local events. Twitter can be useful to give heads up to followers about a new post or to share a fun link. I haven’t spent enough time learning to use any of these things effectively for myself, but both my son and my husband are killing on Google + .

    1. It’s interesting that I’m getting interested in Facebook just as it is possibly taking a back burner to Google+. I don’t know enough about that to comment further, though. I get a lot of useful local information from Facebook, but I’m not even sure it’s valuable to me a promotional tool. Still, I’m willing to explore.

      Gip

    1. I haven’t even tried Google+ yet, but I can’t imagine joining anytime soon. If it replaces Facebook as the most useful place to be, then I might MOVE my networking over there, but I can’t see myself taking the effort to do both.
      Gip

  5. Gip- I just found your site through a comment on another blog. And what took me so long?!

    As for social networking, I’m currently exploring its impact on my life. I’m fore-going FB for the whole month of October. I often feel that I’m creating virtual friendships over in-person ones. I also often find I feel much more empty the more virtual friendships I have because it seems to negatively correlate with the real-life relationships I have. I’m trying out Twitter & Google+. Thus far, I’m not a fan and dearly miss FB (I was easily an addict). I’ll let you know how the latter two fare at the end of the month 🙂

    1. It’s nice to meet you, Megyn. I’m glad we have found each other.

      I really can’t find much use for Twitter, and I haven’t even tried Google+ yet. I get very limited benefit from Facebook, but it’s enough to be worth doing. I would like to expand my real-life relationships. I seem to have very few of those these days, and that’s something I’m actively starting to work on. For me, I think that is something completely separate from Facebook, although Facebook does sometimes help me communicate with people I know in person.

      I look forward to hearing more from you. I hope you can comment here frequently.

      Gip

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