Twitter and Facebook Thoughts

[Options]

Thanks for my first chuckle of the day, while drinking my morning cuppa! Nothing like a good non-judgemental statement to start the day. Hey - if anyone wants to be mediocre, don't let me stop them

Let me state that differently. People who perform at a high level in any aspect of their lives think different things and do different things than the majority of people.

Your money is your time is your life. Like all things in life, how you spend any of these is a choice.

 

[Gotadimple]

After using one of Options' posts for a bit of a chuckle, I guess I should make a good faith contribution to the thread. I think all social media has it's uses, and it depends how they are used.

Up until a couple of weeks ago, I was using Facebook mainly to interact with people who I know or have known personally. There were a few people in there who I have not met, but with whom I share common interests, but the overwhelming majority are folk who I actually know "in real life". With a few exceptions, they all have largely the same political views and outlook on the world. Not sure how I pulled that off, but it has helped to make FB a harmonious place for me. However, with all the current political divisiveness both in the US and abroad, even the folk who have similar views to me have been bugging me with their regular political rants.

I solved this problem by putting all those friends who like to post political comments in the acquaintances bucket. There is a post count there of my acquaintances, but I don't have to see their comments (or worse the comments of the friends/friends of friends) in my news feed.

I don't use FB for much - mostly for corresponding in closed groups where the conversation generally stays on topic.

Rita

 

[aja8888]

I wonder if these now popular social media businesses will all eventually go the way of My Space, which was a lot of fun until it became more of a job than a tool.

 

[Tailgate]

I use FB so I can be a smart ass and post stuff that makes me smile

 

[Major Tom]

Let me state that differently. People who perform at a high level in any aspect of their lives think different things and do different things than the majority of people.

Agreed. I was just drawing some humor from the wording in your earlier post.

I wonder if these now popular social media businesses will all eventually go the way of My Space, which was a lot of fun until it became more of a job than a tool.

MySpace certainly did have it's heyday, until News Corp bought it and ran it into the ground. It was particularly popular with musicians, who found it a good way to promote their music. At several times throughout the last few years, I have wondered if FB has finally jumped the shark. All of my musings seem to have been premature, though one would think it has to begin to decline at some point.

 

[dixonge]

Facebook is all about proximity/relationship. People you've actually met (usually), family, classmates, etc. This means that on any given topic you will have nothing in common with half or more of them. The vast majority of my family/friends do not share my views on religion or politics or finance/retirement. And it would be rude to unfriend family!

Twitter, OTOH, tends to be more about shared interests. I can follow people who share my views on religion or politics or finance/retirement and we can have meaningful conversations, or at least share items of interest and/or education.

So FB for family pics and lighthearted things, Twitter for more serious things. IMHO...

 

[Lakedog]

No facebook or twitter for me. This forum and a couple of others are plenty for someone more into outdoor/physical activities (than internet time).

 

[audreyh1]

Facebook is all about proximity/relationship. People you've actually met (usually), family, classmates, etc. This means that on any given topic you will have nothing in common with half or more of them. The vast majority of my family/friends do not share my views on religion or politics or finance/retirement. And it would be rude to unfriend family!

Twitter, OTOH, tends to be more about shared interests. I can follow people who share my views on religion or politics or finance/retirement and we can have meaningful conversations, or at least share items of interest and/or education.

So FB for family pics and lighthearted things, Twitter for more serious things. IMHO...

Facebook does shared interests well. That's what Facebook groups are for. That's what we use most.

 

[COcheesehead]

I use Twitter for all my news. They serve up links as well as the short messages so you see stories as they break in full form. I follow CNN, BBC and other news outlets. I also follow wineries I like, travel blogs I learn from and athletes that I enjoy. I rarely post anything.
FB is just to keep up with friends and old friends. I was able to reconnect with all my old neighborhood buddies. For that alone, I think it is valuable.

 

[HFWR]

Hey - if anyone wants to be mediocre, don't let me stop them

The bell curve made/makes me look smarter than I am...

 

[kcowan]

Being a Canuck, I have been amazed at how emotional my Democrat friends have become in recent days on social media. No one changes their mind based on social media (or the Internet). Yet it seems to be their main outlet...

 

[COcheesehead]

Being a Canuck, I have been amazed at how emotional my Democrat friends have become in recent days on social media. No one changes their mind based on social media (or the Internet). Yet it seems to be their main outlet...

Democrats talk. Conservatives are pretty quiet. At least on my FB feed. Not sure what that means.

 

[Katiek]

I use twitter a lot, but mainly to follow athletes in sports that I follow. They often have interesting "back stage" pictures and it's a good way to get updates on events I'm attending.

I'll also follow news sources that aren't as likely to show up on the major news shows, or to get local events in towns from certain towns/schools. One local magazine has good updates on community events.

There are some feeds that regularly have beautiful pictures of the national parks or animals, or other things that brighten my day.

I rarely use it to post anything (other than some thanks or questions), but I find it a good way to gather a lot of disparate information quickly.

 

[HFWR]

Democrats talk. Conservatives are pretty quiet. At least on my FB feed. Not sure what that means.

I find that neither will stfu...

I suppose if there were serious discussions, involving research, data, carefully crafted arguments, etc., I might be interested. Nonsensical spew, not so much.

 

[target2019]

For my wiring, twitter works much better. As I find folks who post funny and meaningful things, I follow. It's a diversion from all the serious stuff. Facebook is a substitute for TV, and consumes too much time, so I avoid it. Once a month I check in and see what pictures close family have posted.

 

[Sunset]

For some reason, my FB friends (mainly relatives, but not all) love seeing what other people are eating and drinking. I get more likes for posting a photo of a cheesecake I just baked, or a pitcher of sangria, than for almost anything except a selfie (people love those, too).

People also seem to love weather announcements. I have relatives who are drama queens about the weather - there is always some Terrible Storm threatening their houses - and the funny thing is, they are just as interested in my weather.

Amethyst

I gave up on FB pretty quickly as so many folks post such drivel or are so excited by the most boring stuff, or they use it to try to impress everyone that they took a vacation somewhere and are perfect.

The other issue is often anything posted is a simple broadcast to the world, not something they are telling you specifically that they think you would like to know, often I'm not interested.

I do have many FB accounts, which just goes to show if you get friended by someone, it may really be stranger danger.. Which is another reason I don't like it.

 

[Bobw235]

I've been on FB for several years. Use it now as a means to keep up with my far flung family, but I don't post much anymore. I also use it to keep up communication with some former colleagues, taking advantage of their instant messaging app. Most recently I've used FB more for some photography-oriented groups related to some software I am now using (Aurora HDR and MacPhun Creative Kit). I have privacy set so that only friends can see my posts.

I don't use Twitter other than to follow posts by some journalists and to keep up with breaking news once in a while. A few years ago when we were overseas, the Boston Marathon bombing took place just below my office. Twitter was a good way to quickly get a sense of what was going on when there was so much chaos in the immediate aftermath.

 

[EastWest Gal]

The oboe player in one of my bands saw a Facebook post about a new teaching position at my son's high school. She shared it with me and I with DS. If he had bothered to open Facebook he would have seen it the day before. So, if he gets the job (1%) chance probably, he can definitely credit FB. I don't get Twitter, and have not bothered with the others.


Sent from my iPhone using Early Retirement Forum

 

[ExFlyBoy5]

Well, I have cut ties with Facebook. It's a long, drawn out story...but bottom line, most of the stuff posted on there was bumming me out. No good news, all political, arguments...just very little that added anything to my life. When I looked at my friends list (104 total), I counted how many that I would truly miss if I never talked to them again. The total? Eight. Yep, that's right...just eight. So, last week, I posted a "I'm out" message with my email and left it up for 24 hours. Then...deleted the account. I didn't deactivate it. I deleted it.

I will admit the first couple of days were a bit of a challenge...what were my "friends" saying about X and Y? What was I missing out on? What if something BIG happened? Then, I thought back over the last couple of months about something that might be deemed BIG NEWS! on Facebook....there were NONE. The realization of how unhealthy that line of thinking is to me was a painful slap to my face. So, I am now Facebook free and already feel better about. Oh yes, I got three whole emails from "friends" who wanted to stay in touch. Three. Either I don't have many friends or those that I am closest to, I already have actual relationships with and Facebook was pretty useless in that sense.

 

[Major Tom]

I think the mistake some people make when evaluating the worth of online "friends" to them, is thinking that these interactions are supposed, in any way, to somehow replace (even partially) real relationships. They don't, although they can augment them, in a similar way to that in which the telephone does.

 

[Major Tom]

No good news, all political, arguments...just very little that added anything to my life.

I had a similar experience. Towards the end of my FB odyssey, I was even getting annoyed by the political posts from people who had almost exactly the same outlook and views as me!

 

[eytonxav]

I find that neither will stfu...

Thats true and exactly how each party plays to their base and is a good means to solicit campaign contributions.

 

[MRG]

I had a similar experience. Towards the end of my FB odyssey, I was even getting annoyed by the political posts from people who had almost exactly the same outlook and views as me!

Exactly, I recently unfollowed several groups that I did enjoy. They exercise no control over what is posted and it got stupid listening to 30 off topic rants daily.