Friday, November 20, 2009

To see ourselves as others see us

Yesterday Cliff and I went to visit my cousin and his wife in Cameron, Missouri. Cliff needed a missing piece for his Oliver 1855, and my cousin is a master craftsman in manufacturing things like that from scrap metal, since he's restored many old classic cars in his time. Cliff was beside himself when he saw what Gerald had created for him. He had called junk yards all over the country trying to find the piece, to no avail, and here it was in his hands needing nothing more than paint.
While the guys were in the shop talking tractors, Dee and I fiddled around on her computer; she's fairly new at this Internet thing, and asked me several questions, including some I couldn't answer.
I found out she had not discovered the wonders of Youtube and explained how you can find almost any performer, living or dead, and watch clips of them. I told her Cliff hunts up clips of Oliver tractors plowing and pulling, and she asked me to type in "1955 Mercury". We found plenty of those, and she said, "Oh, Gerald is going to like this!"
She wanted me to help her figure out something on Facebook, and this is where I had an eye-opening experience: Her Facebook page was filled up with ME!
When I type something into Facebook, on this end it doesn't look like I'm saying so much more than anyone else, because I have over two hundred "friends" there; so my remarks are just a drop in the bucket, mixed in with all those.
But Dee only has a few close friends and several relatives, most of whom don't have a lot to say on Facebook. So what I saw on her computer screen was page after page after page of ME. She kept assuring me that was fine, of course, that it didn't bother her.
I have a new resolution: Type no more than two statements per day into Facebook. I'm not counting the applications that show on people's pages, because they can block those; I showed Dee how to do that, too. But I shall try not to be so verbose from now on. If I were Dee, I'd have blocked me long ago.
I'll do my blabbing right here from now on.

*OK, I think I'm still going to be all over Dee's page. Even if she blocks apps like Swagbucks and drawings for Macs and Walmart gift cards. Because when I do a blog entry (at least three times a day, it seems) it shows there; when I write on someone's wall, it shows up.
My Facebook friends are doomed to an overload of ME, unless they totally block me. That can be done, you know.

10 comments:

  1. I try not to write too much myself on FB but then the game apps pile up. I've been thinking about making 'lists': work folks, on-line friends, family & friends and then attempting to 'allow' only certain entries go to each list. But then I think ... oh what the heck, it's Face Book.

    But to see yourself as others do ... is a very good thought.

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  2. Such good advice this morning. It is good for our everyday living as well as the internet.

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  3. Oh, Donna...I know what you're saying! I do try to keep mine to a minimum, too. I had two 'Friends' who must've posted 100 -- I kid you not!!! -- entries a day on Facebook. One was/is constantly moaning about never having enough time...well, if she'd leave FB, Twitter, and texting alone she'd probably save herself 5 hours per day, HA! That's another reason I kept quitting FB there for a while - tho I think I'm here to stay now. Anyway, I removed them. I felt guilty doing it, but with my on/off relationship with FB I haven't accumulated hundreds of friends like some have so the pages are full of all kinds of interesting stuff to read...and not-so-interesting, if truth be told. Still, hardly anyone wants to email anymore. So, outside of my blog and some of my 'marathon' comments like THIS one...I try to be She-Of-Few-Words on FB, outside of comments to friends. Now...aren't you glad you brought this up?! Have yerself a grand day, missy...and I love YouTube, too, when I find the time. I can get lost on there for hours...

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  4. Glad that your cousin could make Cliff a part for his tractor. Bet Dee was glad to find out about Utube. I have never checked into FB. To much sitting already at this computer. Helen

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  5. I have the same problem with a couple of friends. I don't visit facebook much because, all I see is farm games, and gambling games! It's from the same two people all of the time! I just haven't figured out how to block people, which I really don't want to do. I have to read on forever to see if there is an actual message from someone. Sorry for the long post...I'm just so happy that someone else is experiencing this too!! Blessings

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  6. YOU are one of the ones that I always read, and I would never get tired of seeing you pop up anywhere, here on Facebook, or wherever. :) XOXO

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  7. I've looked in on facebook two maybe three times even and am so sorrily intimidated I leave without so much as a minor accomplishment. Well, maybe even finding face book can be called minor?

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  8. No one could ever have an overload of YOU.

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  9. Well, you don't dominate my facebook. But then I have mine set back the old way where only status updates load on the main page. So you are more just sprinkled throughout. ;o)

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  10. Don't sweat it Donna. People can read or not read if they want just like blog entries. ;-)

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