Facebook and Twitter - What, Why, Who, When, How

[NOV]

[tscii]
THE Wall Street Journal just sent out a warning to staff about the dangers of joining social networks on the Internet.
I wish someone had given me that warning a year ago. That was when a friend urged me to sign up for Facebook so I could swap messages with him.

I said: "But I can already swap messages with you. You sit next to me."

He said: "Ah, but you can use Facebook to tell me what books, movies and music you like."

I told him: "But you already know what books, movies and music I like."

He rolled his eyes, a good way to escape from a difficult question. Eve should have used it in Eden. Pilate could have used it in Jerusalem. I told my friend that social networks were a fad for brainless, idle, decadent people who wanted to waste their lives swapping trivia.

He replied: "You say that like it's a bad thing."

But there was no fighting it. Most of my friends would rather be tortured to death by vicious underground terrorist groups like Al Qaeda or the US Republican Party than be one minute late signing up for the latest craze.

So we signed up as Facebook friends. The next day a friend of his joined our little group, and then a friend of his friend, and then a friend of his friend's friend.

The following week, a small child at a school where I had given a talk asked to be added to my friend list. Who could refuse? He was so sweet. So I clicked yes. BIG mistake.

He promptly told the rest of his class. The next day nine of his friends joined the list. You can't say yes to one kid and no to the rest. So I gulped down my misgivings and clicked yes to all of them. The following day 18 more people from the school signed up to my list.

This was getting out of hand, so I hid from my computer for a couple of weeks, doing my work on exercise books in a café. This was also a mistake. When I logged on again, two weeks later, I had 82 people waiting in a queue to be signed up.

Several of them had bitter comments on their pages, such as "Why hasn't he approved my application? Am I not good enough?" (That was from someone who was insulted at having been kept waiting six hours.)

After apologetically approving the 82 people waiting, I found that I had unlocked the floodgates. The last time I looked, about a week ago, I had 756 "friends" on my list, mostly strangers, many of whom write in languages I don't understand: Chinese, Tagalog, Teenager and Pokemon.

I got out a calculator and worked out that at the current rate of growth, my Facebook friends list will encompass everyone in Asia in seven and half months, and the entire population of the world less than five months after that, INCLUDING newborn babies, who will sign up on their way from the womb to the receiving blanket.

How exclusive is a social group which has every person in the world as a member? No need to answer. Just roll your eyes.

http://www.thestandard.com.hk/news_d...d_str=20090518

[groucho070]

Where was that piece from, NOV?

Why oblige all the time? Its an exclusive network, and you keep it to bare minimum.

I was reluctant first, but my brother who was using it, came back to me saying that there was this whole bunch of old schoolmates whom he managed to contact. In fact, thanks to Facebook we are having a reunion this weekend.

It has its good points and bad points I guess. Innum Tweeter-than touch pannala. Maybe when I get back to journalism, it might be useful.

[P_R]

whom write in languages I don't understand: Chinese, Tagalog, Teenager and Pokemon.

Friend: dei nee orkut,facebook-la ellAm illaiyA dA
Me: illai
Friend : ('paththAmpasili')... yEn dA ange namma pazhaya school, college paanga niRaiya pEr irukkAnga.... pOna vaaram kooda xyz en profile-ai paaththuttu ping paNNiyirundhaan..... 5 varusham irukkum avanai paaththu... we connected back
Me: adhu naala dhaan

[NOV]

Where was that piece from, NOV?

got it thru mail Rakesh, no credits

I've got both orkut (totally familiar) and facebook (just started). 99% of my network are from Hub


PR, I take it you owe your friends large sums of money.

[groucho070]

Ivaru ennamoo panni irukkaaru.

By the way, I did a search and found the original. Despite disagreeing, I thought it was well written, funny too:

http://www.thestandard.com.hk/news_d...d_str=20090518

[NOV]

Thanks Rakesh, have added the source to the first post.

[app_engine]

எங்க கன்சல்டிங் கம்பெனியிலிருந்தே facebook'ல சேர வச்சாங்க (அவங்களுக்கு ஒரு group இருக்கு).

மோசமொண்ணுமில்ல, அப்பப்போ பழைய டீம் மேட்ஸ் யாராச்சும் add பண்ண சொல்லுவாங்க, accept பண்ணுவேன். வேற activity ஒண்ணும் கிடையாது...பேருக்கு...

(எங்க ஆத்துக்காரும் கச்சேரிக்குப்போறார் மாதிரி)

[Nerd]

I use both orkut and facebook but not for social networking purpose!

Orkut - communities. Some of them are like the hub but most of them are like rediff boards. Nalla timepass. I rarely post.

Facebook - Applications.

[ajithfederer]

whom write in languages I don't understand: Chinese, Tagalog, Teenager and Pokemon.

Friend: dei nee orkut,facebook-la ellAm illaiyA dA
Me: illai
Friend : ('paththAmpasili')... yEn dA ange namma pazhaya school, college paanga niRaiya pEr irukkAnga.... pOna vaaram kooda xyz en profile-ai paaththuttu ping paNNiyirundhaan..... 5 varusham irukkum avanai paaththu... we connected back
Me: adhu naala dhaan

[Raikkonen]

registered on twitter on the weekend.. the first update i got was

"Mr.Kennedy has been released from WWE"



talk about luck.. sigh.. i hate twitter.