I’m curious. How many of you spend time on sites such as Facebook, MySpace, Linked In, Twitter, etc.?
I haven’t gone there. Blogging and reading blogs and commenting and replying to comments is often too much for me to keep up with, especially if I want to continue knitting and reading books and working out and… Well, you understand. The last thing I need at the moment is more on-line interaction.
Ravelry is as far as my “social networking” goes. And really, I don’t use Ravelry for social purposes. I use it as a knitting resource. I’m a member of a handful of groups, but I have found that the forums are, at best, a time suck. At worst, they devolve into snotty or self-righteous bickering, such as a frosty exchange I just encountered over the proper use of a word. “I didn’t mean it personally” is right up there with “no offense, but…” on the list of how not to begin a sentence.
I’d rather spare myself that sort of nonsense and seek out face to face interactions with friends I don’t spend enough time with. Having said that, I know that many people have found the more popular sites to be a great way to reconnect with friends from the past.
Even so, I’ve stayed away. What about you? What is your experience with social networking sites? Do you participate in more than one? What are the upsides/downsides?
Please take the poll, and then discuss…
30 Comments
February 18, 2009 at 6:29 am
You know I’ve been invited by a couple of friends to join Facebook. I really want to stay connected to them (they live pretty far away), but I don’t need another time-suck either. I can understand the draw, though. For those unable to get out much (caregivers, the disabled, elderly), it is probably a terrific boon for them. Timely post, ma’am;-)
February 18, 2009 at 6:31 am
I wouldn’t say I love it, but I’m on facebook – it’s a nice way to stay in touch with relatives and friends I haven’t seen in awhile. I try and stay away from all the goofy stuff and just use it as a way for me to check in.
And I agree about Rav. I found myself getting sucked into the groups and had to pull away. The irony of losing time for knitting because I was talking about knitting (mostly) was too much. Now it’s mostly a message board and fabulous research tool.
February 18, 2009 at 6:55 am
I’m on Facebook. I’ve been on for about a year but only started really using it just after Christmas. It is a time suck. A massive time suck. It wouldn’t be so bad if I could quit playing Mafia Wars.
I’d say I spend an hour or two on there every day. Much of that is on work breaks and over lunch, but it’s definitely creeping into other times. I haven’t let it interfere with crafting or reading yet but something had to give to make time for it and the give came from blogging.
So no, I don’t love it. I’m hoping the “thrill” of it will die down soon and my time will go back to normal.
February 18, 2009 at 7:53 am
I am on Facebook, too, but don’t really love it. I have friends all over the world that I traveled with 20 years ago, and we keep in touch that way. I also have local friends that I am ‘friends’ with, but I don’t go to Facebook more than 2-3 times a week. I just am not that interested in another disconnected way to keep in touch with local folks, ya know?
February 18, 2009 at 8:47 am
My husband has a facebook account which made my girls and I chuckle. The cool thing is he did hear from some old high school friends. That would be cool, but I’m not sure how good I would be a keeping up with it.
I’m not too social on Ravelry either. I do make occasional comments in groups, but use it mostly as a resource.
February 18, 2009 at 9:09 am
I started a facebook account a few weeks ago to keep up with friends who’d moved away. It seems… meh. I haven’t logged on in a week and people have to remind me to do so. I don’t love it.
February 18, 2009 at 9:26 am
No Facebook or MySpace for me, I stick with blogging sporadically and to a private forum I’m on with about ten other friends.
I use Ravelry for the patterns, so I can see project worked in multiple yarns, but I rarely post in the forums.
February 18, 2009 at 10:17 am
I spend waaaay too much time just on Ravelry and reading blogs as it is. (And I don’t participate much in the socializing stuff on Ravelry.)
The last thing I need is another Internet time suck.
February 18, 2009 at 10:53 am
I’m on Twitter and Facebook. I like them both. They were overwhelming at first, but then someone told me to think of them as a very large party. Would I try to talk to every single person all night long? No. So I breeze through a few times a day, see what’s happening, but don’t tie myself to it endlessly. It’s been a good way to promote my book and my book blog too. Oh, and Facebook is a great way to keep track of birthdays. I love that feature.
February 18, 2009 at 11:00 am
I joined one of the social sights but I remain private and use it to read news sources (like NPR) rather than network. Is it sad that I don’t care to reunite with people from my past? It’s hard enough to keep up with good friends and I’d rather that be face to face. Email is a big enough time suck, imo. Ravelry is great as a resource and I participate on the fringes of the groups…it’s enough, more than enough.
February 18, 2009 at 11:09 am
I have a board with some Mommy friends (we live all over but have all met IRL) and recently joined Facebook. I pop in a few times a day. I have gotten in touch with a friend from HS and one from college. Ravelry is just for knitting resources-I do read the knitty coffeeshop board a couple of times a week.
February 18, 2009 at 11:26 am
I joined Facebook a month or two ago and use it to keep up with two groups, one a bunch of internet friends from a now-defunct bbs that we all posted to for nearly 10 years, and far-flung family. I spend probably <1/2 hour/week on FB. Knitblogs are my favorite. I use Ravelry like you do, primarily as a yarn/pattern/knitting resource.
February 18, 2009 at 11:45 am
Blogs and Ravelry are hard enough to keep up with – so far I’ve avoided getting into any of the others.
February 18, 2009 at 12:08 pm
The last few weeks are probably not the best test; however, I’ve found FB to be more of a place to semi-connect with far-flung family and blogless friends. The games can be a timesink, but also provide some braincell exercise if you choose word games. I’m using twitter more as a news service. Both FB and twitter take up an hour or two a week. Blog-reading takes up many more hours and posting, when I do, takes up a few more. Ravelry is a loved pattern/yarn/record-keeping resource for me. I rarely post on a forum, though I will read a few for technical info. I can’t take the gossip forums…too negative.
February 18, 2009 at 12:24 pm
I’m so addicted to Twitter that my blog has gone by the wayside. I have a great network of people in my areas of work and interest. Plus, I learn something new every day. A pet peeve, though-I don’t get locking/protecting the Twitter updates. It defeats the whole purpose and becomes a 140 version of email.
I also like Facebook. It’s cheaper than going to a class reunion! You can see where people are and move on or interact.
February 18, 2009 at 1:53 pm
I should have read this before emailing Margene this morning. *L*
I tried Plurk, but couldn’t handle it. I don’t have enough time or energy for that sort of thing. Ravelry is great for researching patterns, designers and yarn, but is a train wreck when it comes to social interaction. If I wanted to deal with needy weird people, I’d take my mother to lunch.
FaceBook and all that doesn’t interest me because the past is past and I don’t want to go back. Ya know? I was invisible in high school and I want to keep it that way.
Good topic, sweetie.
xo
February 18, 2009 at 2:08 pm
What Cookie said.
My elder son has recently gone on Facebook – it seems to be a good place for a teenager but I can’t imagine that much sharing with my far flungs or my past. I have enough trouble posting to the blog and staying connected.
February 18, 2009 at 3:23 pm
I barely have time to blog, I do not need the distractions of Facebook, Twitter, or MySpace. I am in ravelry, but more for the resources than the chatter, everything takes so much time it affects knitting time.
February 18, 2009 at 3:59 pm
Facebook is fun for one thing only, for me. Quick grabs of communication with people during the week when I don’t have the energy for more. I love to know what someone is cooking for dinner, what movie they saw, if they’re in a good or bad mood. It’s a bit of light fun. The rest of FB, with all the games and stuff, I ignore that. Just wanna know what my friends are doing.
Same with twitter although I don’t go there as much.
Ravelry is a tool, for inspiration and organisation. The forums I do as an extra if I have the inclination but they are mostly too big. I just want to read announcements like where there are sales etc.
Myspace – i went there once. Was overwhelmed by the noise and clutter and never went back.
February 18, 2009 at 4:31 pm
I *adore* Facebook and since becoming active w/ it, all my other online stuff has gone by the wayside (Ravelry, email lists, blogging…).
If you join, friend me
February 18, 2009 at 5:58 pm
I feel much the same way as Cookie. I got a Facebook account last year, and have mostly neglected it, but I open it up once a month or so. My SIL is the only person who has ever friended me, so obviously no one from my past is particularly interested… and more than likely the feeling is mutual. I looked for names of friends I’d lost touch with a few times, but they either weren’t there or had inactive looking accounts – which suggests that I tend to make friends with non-Facebook-ish people, so… why bother? The whole “I just had toast for breakfast, ROFLMAO, squee!!!!!” just doesn’t come naturally, anyway – y’know? Blogging works for me.
February 18, 2009 at 6:17 pm
I have some of those various accounts, but I don’t have time for the drama llama antics.
Happy Wednesday Nora! xoxo
February 18, 2009 at 6:27 pm
Oh mercy, no. Apparently I can’t even find the time to post to my blog, I have absolutely no desire for any of those other places. Ravelry… although I have joined a few groups and I read some of the posts I really haven’t gotten into them that much. I really do live in a cave and I like it. Reading and commenting on blogs, email, cruising through Ravelry is enough time suck for me.
Great post, Nora… great comments too!
February 18, 2009 at 6:37 pm
In a word, no.
I suppose I do some of that on Ravelry, though, to be honest; I have a couple groups, one where I feel at home, and one I moderate. Otherwise, I don’t cruise Rav forums now that I have my forums organized and can hone in on the ones that interest me without constantly seeing the Big 6.
But no FaceBookMySpaceTwitterPlurkWhatevah. No time nor inclination.
February 18, 2009 at 6:43 pm
I use LinkedIn and Plaxo for business. I just joined Facebook a month ago because a client suggested it. Like Ravelry, I find the first week or so a complete time suck and then I taper off. I like both Ravelry and Facebook a lot–have connected with four old friends through Facebook. I check it occasionally during the day. Ravelry is more of a resource for me now…..especially after getting my stash up on it….horrors at how much I really have to knit.
February 19, 2009 at 2:07 am
How timely, Nora.
I do not see enough benefit, or feel enough interest to give over my limited time and energy over to a social networking site. I do have some privacy concerns, too, but try to be sensible about it all. Sites such as twitter and plurk seem too high-intensity, high-maintenance, and tedious for me. Then again, I do not live a very exciting life.
February 19, 2009 at 4:05 pm
I’m on Facebook but I don’t do much with it. Blogs are way better!
February 19, 2009 at 5:16 pm
I’m LinkedIn and Ravelry’d, in theory, but I don’t spend any time on either. I’ve used Ravelry less than a handful of times, to download patterns, and could see using it as a resource for pattern suggestions for some of the obscure amounts and types of yarn that have accumulated in my stash in the past umpteen years, but I have no interest in the forums at all. As for all the others, um, no thanks. I can barely keep up with my fav blogs and e-mail and still leave time to blog on my own site. Plus there are those whole “working” and “having a life” things that take up a bit of time.
February 22, 2009 at 9:50 pm
I am on facebook and I have to say, I love it. Having worked in several different fields, and been to a few different schools, it has been a real treasure to reconnect with people that I once thought I would never lose touch with. I do avoid all the senseless applications, but use the chat function quite a bit.
I only use rav for pattern/yarn support etc. I don’t go in the forum unless I have a specific question about something and I can usually find the answer with the search function instead of having to post. So user friendly, that Ravelry.
I am also on a private message/chat board with a bunch of other moms that had a child in August of 2006. Lovely group of women that I wouldn’t trade for anything.
February 24, 2009 at 8:43 pm
I couldn’t understand Plurk, but I find Twitter fun–I like the 140 character limitation. I’m on FB, but I’m taking a break from it as it is a time suck. It did put me back in touch with a few people from high school with whom I never should have lost touch, and that’s the main reason I like it. I just went to my 22nd class reunion (we’ve never had any) b/c people found each other there and put it together. It was fun…but, I don’t want it to take up so much of my time.