Hear Yee! Hear Yee!
Hear is my announcement. GET A LIFE PEOPLE! Okay, maybe I shouldn’t shout it to you. But my problem is all the e-mails I get to join one Internet social site after another. Give me a break please.
I am having a real problem here understanding when all of you out there have time for such lollygagging. Me, I work 15 hours a week writing display information at a museum. I teach writing workshops each week, including Saturdays. I go to gradate school at night twice a week, with three thesis papers to write for one class and a quiz every week in the other one. I tutor two children twice a week. I write as a freelance writer so I am always looking for work and at this time I am finishing my third book to take to market. I also write for web sites like ehow.com and helium.com that brings me passive income. So you tell me, when would I have time to be on Facebook, MySpace, Twitter and any other social Internet web site. And I would like to ask you, when do you work?
I am not trying to be unsociable here, just wondering when and how do you make a living? As I said, I work. The other thing that bothers me is, do you ever talk face to face? As a believer in communication, I find it rather hard to see how anyone can say they communicate with many others when they spend more time on their computer instead of looking into the eyes, listening to the words out of the mouth, watching facial expressions and body movements, one on one. Without them to me, you miss out on more detail communication.
Yes, the social web sites are one way to network but it is not the only way. When you are out into the world, you meet, shake hands, hold conversations, monitor the body and can see whether or not the individual is for real. That is not what you can do on the Internet. Sure on places like You Tube, you can see the person but, they set it up for what they want you to see, not what is a natural reaction to words and movements. Remember it is acting.
Now maybe you can explain to me why it is necessary to join all of the web sites I mentioned before? Do you make any money on them? Do they get you hooked up with the right people to make money? If you are a writer, do you get writing jobs from them? I ask that question because most of the invites are from other writers. Anyway, if you got a good response to my question, feel free to comment. I really want to know. Convince me if you think you can.
I am having a real problem here understanding when all of you out there have time for such lollygagging. Me, I work 15 hours a week writing display information at a museum. I teach writing workshops each week, including Saturdays. I go to gradate school at night twice a week, with three thesis papers to write for one class and a quiz every week in the other one. I tutor two children twice a week. I write as a freelance writer so I am always looking for work and at this time I am finishing my third book to take to market. I also write for web sites like ehow.com and helium.com that brings me passive income. So you tell me, when would I have time to be on Facebook, MySpace, Twitter and any other social Internet web site. And I would like to ask you, when do you work?
I am not trying to be unsociable here, just wondering when and how do you make a living? As I said, I work. The other thing that bothers me is, do you ever talk face to face? As a believer in communication, I find it rather hard to see how anyone can say they communicate with many others when they spend more time on their computer instead of looking into the eyes, listening to the words out of the mouth, watching facial expressions and body movements, one on one. Without them to me, you miss out on more detail communication.
Yes, the social web sites are one way to network but it is not the only way. When you are out into the world, you meet, shake hands, hold conversations, monitor the body and can see whether or not the individual is for real. That is not what you can do on the Internet. Sure on places like You Tube, you can see the person but, they set it up for what they want you to see, not what is a natural reaction to words and movements. Remember it is acting.
Now maybe you can explain to me why it is necessary to join all of the web sites I mentioned before? Do you make any money on them? Do they get you hooked up with the right people to make money? If you are a writer, do you get writing jobs from them? I ask that question because most of the invites are from other writers. Anyway, if you got a good response to my question, feel free to comment. I really want to know. Convince me if you think you can.
Labels: facebook, myspace, social sites, twitter
posted by Sylvia McClain at 11:45 AM
5 Comments:
Let me start by saying I do not frequent the social sites. I am, at the present time, however, trying to get in touch with old classmates, so I occasionally visit one of those. I even write old-fashioned letters to people. I rarely receive a note or call back, unfortunately.
I agree with your point about face-to-face contact. Have you noticed how very few people socialize anymore? Maybe it's just me.
In our society, too many people are too busy. There is no time anymore for volunteer work or church or community activities. I understand making a living is a big priority for everyone and most people right now are very concerned for their jobs. It gets depressing if you ask me.
I am a musician and I need to work other jobs to make ends meet. However, I will never lose my desire to connect with people and try to make life a little better for everyone. I try to make someone laugh each day. Life is too short to be too busy to make life a little better for someone else.
Sylvia,
We certainly don't begrudge you a living. You've got to make money.
But, if I were you, I wouldn't criticize those with a little time on their hands quite so much. After all, those are the people who take your classes, make comments on your blog, and read your book.
Ok,
I got two responses. The first one (musician) I think knows what I was saying. But the second one I think missed my point. I have nothing against the Internet connections, I just don't have time for them. Also, I asked that you convince me why I should connect more that way during my busy schedule. I have nothing against others opinions but I wanted as they used to say on the old TV show Dragnet, "facts, just the facts" to convince me to Internet connect more often. Lastly, I ahve issues with those who leave no name for me to respond to. You know mine but I have no clue to who you are. That my friends is not communicating fairly. Unfair to the max! You are entitled to your opinions but I have a right to know who you are. Why? Because placing a comment means you beleive in your rights yet you are dening me mine. That is what people do that are not always sure what the comment would cause Yet, you brought it on anyway by not playing fair. That is exactly what I was talking about. No name, nocommunication. Now what you should do is got to LinkedIn.com and check me out here and all the others on the site. Real names. That's communicating. And to the musician, you should join that site because you can get work there by listing your services.
I recently posted a comment on twitter. Several strangers responded, wanting to be my friends. One of them already had over 8,000 friends. That seems to me a sad abuse of the word 'friend'. A friend is someone with whom you connect, perhaps over a meal and a bottle of wine, someone with whom you share experiences - mutual consolation through troubles, and celebrations of success. Friendship demands loyalty, good humour, and time for each other. Eight thousand friends? I don't think so! No one has that much time on their hands.
If you'd like to be a fan of my crime thrillers, fine. I'll happily correspond with you and you're welcome to contribute to discussions on my blog and join in my virtual book launch. But if you want to be my friend, I already have half a dozen close friends, and about two dozen good friends. I'm afraid I don't have time for any more. There are only so many evenings I can spend with my friends, and if I can't spend an evening in your company now and again, you are, at best, an acquaintance, someone I happen to know. We can never be friends.
Leigh,
You and I seem to be on the same page with this social networking thing. I agree with you about who is and who is not a true friend. Like you, I don't mix acquaintances with a friend. Yes, people are abusing the word friend(s) and I sadly regret that. Friendship is too important to me to abuse it. Personally, I think most are confusing business assoicates with friends. Because quiet as its kept, that is all everyone is jumping on board for anyway. To generate business.
Thank you for seeing where I was coming from.
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