Tuesday, August 25, 2009

CNN's article on FB

The CNN website featured an article on FB users. It is very interesting, since I'm an avid user. I must log on to FB at least once a day, to check on my virtual farms and to discover God's daily message to me. I did the accompanying quiz and found out that I'm a popular user with interesting updates :)

I love updating my status with little sharings on my life(which aren't too personal and don't incite a bombardment of comments) or interesting sayings/truths. It is a form of sharing and exchanging lifestyles as well as thoughts. At the same time, it is strange to see status updates that have to do with the activities done in private. Has the delight in sharing gone beyond reasonable boundaries? There is actually a website that allows lame status updates from FB to be posted there. It is for the sake of humour and the origins of the updates are kept anonymous, but I don't intend to mock my acquaintances with such updates.

I have some thoughts on the annoying types of users as mentioned in the article, even though I am aware that some readers may be offended. There are some status updates that are too private but there are some others that are merely tools to gain attention from others on oneself. Some people use the chance to boast about the people in their lives. It is repulsive instead of interesting. I do have a blog as well but I've labelled it as my website. Thus, people can choose to visit it or not. They are not thrown with repetitive notifications that I have one.

Some people really do have many friends and that is their perogative. I have a self-made rule of not adding people I don't personally know to my list, even if we have mutual friends. I don't wish to add people just to boost my friend list. Some people add me to their list but don't contact me after that. I don't see the point in even adding me in the first place. I am just added to boost their list. I would rather be ignored.

Bad English irritates me. It is an occupational hazard. Hence I get extremely annoyed when comments on my status updates are riddled with excruciatingly horrid grammar mistakes to the extent that I don't comprehend at all what the gist of the comments is about. It worsens things when there is a blatant misinterpretation of my status updates and this misinterpretation continues despite hints.

A spam of comments and gift applications also turn me off, especially when it is from the same person. Sometimes I resort to ignoring them when I am notified. If I feel like it, I check only the first and last comments. It gets tedious accepting every gift and replying to every comment. This applies to quizzes or group invitations too. It gets annoying when I've clearly done the quiz and the results have been posted on my profile.

Perhaps I may be seen as a crank; someone who complains about things observed, in the status updates. It is my way of getting pent-up feelings out at that moment. I may also be seen as an obscurist, but it is deliberate to be seen as this. I do practise crypticism when the updates are referring to certain people on FB. I am only direct when my patience has crossed the line.

It is a real fear that certain indecent photos of oneself may be posted on FB by others, but I have nothing to hide. I am aware that potential employers browse FB. I'm not omitting any negative truths about myself though. My conscience is really clear.

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