Opinion - Blocking on Facebook
WEB EXCLUSIVE
I love Facebook. When I tell this to certain family members and ask them if they're on the popular social networking site, I inevitably see eyeballs rolling in their sockets.
I, in turn, throw them the "whatever" look followed by the infamous Fiona glare. (OK, I save the glare for my husband and kids when they're not doing as they're told, like tidying up their mess in the kitchen and living room after I just spent all morning dusting, vacuuming, wiping, washing, scrubbing and--my most loathsome activity--discovering dirty socks in, on or under the couch. Can you just put them in the laundry basket, already? Now, was that so hard?)
I spent a goodly amount of time on Facebook over the Christmas hols as I was at home with my little ones for the better part of two and a half weeks with little adult contact. Although I'm not isolated, I don't see my friends as much as I used to. That's life. Facebook keeps me up to date with my friends' lives here and abroad. I love seeing posted photos of my friends' children growing like weeds. Parents, especially parents of young children such as myself, love to share pics of their kids. Groan all you want.
My envy is greenest when friends and family post pictures of exotic vacations, but that's OK. I enjoy living vicariously through their foreign adventures. We're all voyeurs anyway, trolling through people's lives to see what they're doing--albeit with permission.
There are plenty of people--not all of whom are older--who have a vehement distaste for Facebook. I have a wonderful niece who literally does the dry heaves when the word is mentioned. But they might want to lighten up on the concept and accept the joy it brings to those who do like it.
Facebook brings together far-flung friends and family, like nephews and nieces I otherwise wouldn't know well because I'm not in regular contact with their parents. Basic email just doesn't cut it anymore. I love reading my nieces' posts about their latest university exploits. I like to know when something sad has happened, as with one niece, who left her East Coast home and headed deep inland for university this past fall to ease her debilitating migraines. Her excitement about returning home for the holidays was dampened when not long after disembarking in Halifax, the migraines returned due to the barometric pressure systems. She's a pretty cool chick--we're both massive Stargate fans--and I worry about her. If she's anything like me, she finds solace in the sympathetic comments she gets in return. Isn't that why we share our concerns so openly?
Facebook has also reconnected me with long lost pals, such as an Australian I knew in Japan where we were both teaching English. Contact ceased more than 10 years ago and I thought the worst. Then lo, a message from her a couple of months ago. It was like an early Christmas gift.
Facebook can be a funny thing, too, as in funny strange, not funny ha ha. What is the protocol when you don't want to be someone's friend? It's a conundrum newbies to the site encounter. One friend wanted to know if it was rude to ignore a friend request from someone she was in primary school with for one term in 1977. She couldn't remember a thing about this person who now describes herself as an evangelical Pentecostal Christian. "I am fearful of a conversion attempt," wrote my cheeky advice-seeking friend.
My advice? Ignore, if not block, said person. Why let strangers or people you're not fond of peer into your life.
Conversion attempt or not, for some people, Facebook may be all about numbers (more friends, fewer friendships you could say).
Facebook can also be exasperating. Some friends post multiple times a day. Unless you're Stephen Colbert hilarious, get a job already. Then again, I don't mind such activity with my closest friends. I feel like I'm there with them as they go for coffee on Main Street or take a walk in the rain. Then there are those who pen cryptic posts that leave Facebook voyeurs like me hanging. Such teases. If you've agreed we're friends, it's unfair not to share the gory details. This is no time to get all secretive.
A big downside to Facebook is the risk of people posting hideous photos of yourself they've taken. So far, my Facebook friends have been mostly kind. People, can you work on that? (Vanity, thy name is Fiona.)
One more thing, Facebook is also good column fodder when fresh from the holidays.
I, in turn, throw them the "whatever" look followed by the infamous Fiona glare. (OK, I save the glare for my husband and kids when they're not doing as they're told, like tidying up their mess in the kitchen and living room after I just spent all morning dusting, vacuuming, wiping, washing, scrubbing and--my most loathsome activity--discovering dirty socks in, on or under the couch. Can you just put them in the laundry basket, already? Now, was that so hard?)
I spent a goodly amount of time on Facebook over the Christmas hols as I was at home with my little ones for the better part of two and a half weeks with little adult contact. Although I'm not isolated, I don't see my friends as much as I used to. That's life. Facebook keeps me up to date with my friends' lives here and abroad. I love seeing posted photos of my friends' children growing like weeds. Parents, especially parents of young children such as myself, love to share pics of their kids. Groan all you want.
My envy is greenest when friends and family post pictures of exotic vacations, but that's OK. I enjoy living vicariously through their foreign adventures. We're all voyeurs anyway, trolling through people's lives to see what they're doing--albeit with permission.
There are plenty of people--not all of whom are older--who have a vehement distaste for Facebook. I have a wonderful niece who literally does the dry heaves when the word is mentioned. But they might want to lighten up on the concept and accept the joy it brings to those who do like it.
Facebook brings together far-flung friends and family, like nephews and nieces I otherwise wouldn't know well because I'm not in regular contact with their parents. Basic email just doesn't cut it anymore. I love reading my nieces' posts about their latest university exploits. I like to know when something sad has happened, as with one niece, who left her East Coast home and headed deep inland for university this past fall to ease her debilitating migraines. Her excitement about returning home for the holidays was dampened when not long after disembarking in Halifax, the migraines returned due to the barometric pressure systems. She's a pretty cool chick--we're both massive Stargate fans--and I worry about her. If she's anything like me, she finds solace in the sympathetic comments she gets in return. Isn't that why we share our concerns so openly?
Facebook has also reconnected me with long lost pals, such as an Australian I knew in Japan where we were both teaching English. Contact ceased more than 10 years ago and I thought the worst. Then lo, a message from her a couple of months ago. It was like an early Christmas gift.
Facebook can be a funny thing, too, as in funny strange, not funny ha ha. What is the protocol when you don't want to be someone's friend? It's a conundrum newbies to the site encounter. One friend wanted to know if it was rude to ignore a friend request from someone she was in primary school with for one term in 1977. She couldn't remember a thing about this person who now describes herself as an evangelical Pentecostal Christian. "I am fearful of a conversion attempt," wrote my cheeky advice-seeking friend.
My advice? Ignore, if not block, said person. Why let strangers or people you're not fond of peer into your life.
Conversion attempt or not, for some people, Facebook may be all about numbers (more friends, fewer friendships you could say).
Facebook can also be exasperating. Some friends post multiple times a day. Unless you're Stephen Colbert hilarious, get a job already. Then again, I don't mind such activity with my closest friends. I feel like I'm there with them as they go for coffee on Main Street or take a walk in the rain. Then there are those who pen cryptic posts that leave Facebook voyeurs like me hanging. Such teases. If you've agreed we're friends, it's unfair not to share the gory details. This is no time to get all secretive.
A big downside to Facebook is the risk of people posting hideous photos of yourself they've taken. So far, my Facebook friends have been mostly kind. People, can you work on that? (Vanity, thy name is Fiona.)
One more thing, Facebook is also good column fodder when fresh from the holidays.
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