The Truth About Social Networks
I’m going to let you in on a little secret. I really don’t get this social networking thing.
You see, I never started this gig with the intention of getting rich and famous. I’ve already had my share of public life in politics and the law and that was more than enough for me.
The truth is I just wanted to disappear and spend my time with my family. So blogging was a good fit allowing me to keep my soapbox as well as my privacy. It was a marriage made in heaven and besides, it beats the hell out of being a couch potato.
For me one of the biggest attractions about blogging was I could interact with the world whilst hiding behind my computer screen in my underwear.
(How’s this for a visual? No padding was used for this pic nor was it altered in any way – honest :).
But lately there’s been a trend to herd us all into the social networking trap. We have been brainwashed into believing that if we’re not on Twitter, Facebook or one of the gazillion social networks we’re not cool anymore.
We are told that we must join the rest of the sheep herd if we want to be followed otherwise we will left in the dust, or at least that’s the theory hype. (By the way, I don’t think it matters much to Google. Do you?)
Come on! Who’s kidding who here? Are we expected to believe Scoble when he boasts about having hundreds of Twits as friends? Does he really think they are his friends? If he does then I’ve got news for him.
Earth to Scoble…
I say bullocks to all this nonsense. Social networking is only a wet dream made up by geeks who couldn’t get a date in the real world if their life depended on it.
For example, whatever happened to the telephone? With cheap VoIP now available I can call anyone in the world for just pennies. I don’t need to create another website and muck around with code to connect. Crikey, even Darren Rowse admits he spends all day yakking on Skype.
Do I really need a Facebook page for someone to leave me a message? (Later dude). I thought that’s what voicemail was for.
Or better still why not put all your carriculum vitae on the net so they can use it to sell ads, and the search engines will slurp it up for your future employer (or wife) to read about your frivilous affairs. Cool!
NOT!
If I really feel the need to socialize can’t I just walk out my front door and go visit someone, join a club to work some fat off or hang out at the corner pub (and stumbleupon my way back home like Andy Capp does… but I digress).
It’s time for a reality check boys and girls. Let’s get real and wake up to the fact that the virtual world is exactly what it claims to be. The internet is great for information gathering but anything beyond that is wishful thinking and living in a fantasy.
How sociable are you… really? Please let me know because I’ve spent all day on this post and need to get a life.
* This post was recently updated.
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I’m kinda with you on this one, BB. I started out with MySpace because a lot of my actor friends thought it was a good place to be seen but, to be honest, it’s way too young for a 30 something like me. Facebook I use a lot because a whole bunch of my friends are on it and it’s actually quite fun to use. The fact you can’t customise it and include 90’s flashing gifs is a real bonus!
With regards Twitter, I think I’d rather gauge out my eyes with a spoon than use it. I just don’t see that it has any purpose.
StumbleUpon which you kinda referenced in your post is the best site of it’s type. It not only gives you access to some great sites you might have missed but it also gives you - the blogger - an opportunity to generate traffic. Last week I got 3 Stumbles which drove a lot of people to the site.
On a side note, I don’t suppose you happen to know any Linux server experts do you?
Whew! It’s good to know that I’m not the only cynic out there.
I agree about Stumbleupon being the best. I also prefer it over Digg. I was stumbled recently and it nearly choked the server.
BTW, you didn’t mention my pic (or should I say pecs :). I did it for you bro (albeit minus the face).
Are you looking to host your own linux server or use someone else’s?
Strangely enough I only just got the email to say you’d left a comment so didn’t realise this was in response to my post. I gotta ask the question, BB - Do you work out? hehehe
Anyway I’ll email you regarding Linux stuff rather than clog up your comments and take it off topic.
Apparently we were visiting each other’s site at the same time. Great minds and all that.
To answer your question, I recently purchased Abs Master. Does it show?
I agree wholeheartedly with this post. There are way too many social networks now. It’s overkill and a turnoff.
You da man (and a half). I had no idea blogging could build such muscles! Who needs networking when you look like THAT!
Thanks Tica. It’s so gratifying to see that all of my sweat equity has finally paid off.
Enjoy!
Mahalo for the cold shower…I was one of the sheeple trying to belong on the social networks. Guess I’ll just keeping hanging out with REAL friends! Heh Heh.
Social networks are pretentious and shallow, much like wine and cheese parties.
You can quote me on that.
Ah, I’m so happy someone finally said it! I can’t stand the stupid things and all it feels like is a popularity contest between tweens and twenty-somethings… it’s like a bad case of high school all over again.
And don’t even get me started on the junk these people throw on their personal pages. It’s all beyond me as to why it’s so popular. . .
Recently I signed up with Stumble Upon. Perhaps I should do more looking into it and become active. If it works and provides great connections, I’m game. If it’s another over-done popularity contest, I’m so going to fail.
Thanks for the great post!
I’m hearing great things about StumbleUpon for generating traffic. And if you should happen to stumble me I won’t object
Thanks for the comments Katy.
What I see about social networks is that they want you to read this and read that then comment here, comment there. If I did that, I would not have time for anything else. Been there, done that. Stumble is great! Just put it in. Thanks for the post.
One question..As I said, I just put Stumbleupon in. How do you find out when people Stumbleon your blog or website? I cannot find a way to see that stat. Thanks!
Check your stats jaz. That’s how I find out if I’ve been stumbled. If you don’t have stats for your blog yet then grab this freebie:
http://www.statcounter.com/
StatCounter is the best free package next to Analytics from Google which is a little more difficult to use:
http://www.google.com/analytics/
I would recommend putting both of these on your blog.
Thank you!! Did not have that.
I thought I was late for the party until I realized the comments were made to a post in the future !
I agree with the first commentator up there (too far to scroll up). I started once upon a time on Hi5 because all my friends were there. At the same time I signed up for MySpace to check what it was all about and found a few others.
Then every single one of them moved to Facebook and I was the last of their friends to sign-up !
With the issues surrounding Facebook, I have been careful from the very beginning about what gets posted on my news-feed and have kept third-party applications to a minimum.
I monitor Twitter mostly to get the scoops out of Arrington, LeMeur, Rubel and the other internet celebs out there. I know nobody cares about what I do but my Twitter updates are keeps my Facebook alive and let my friends know that I still exist.
Jaffer’s last blog post..Lister Block
“thought I was late for the party until I realized the comments were made to a post in the future!”
Ain’t the internet great? Time is irrelevant and all is not what it seems
Regarding finding friends, funny but I thought that was what 411 was for.
Blog Bloke reply on June 3rd, 2008 5:13 pm:
I don’t get spending all day on social network sites, either. I got a MySpace only because it was the only way to be able to email my nephew. He claims he keeps trying to add me as a friend, but I know that he doesn’t want to appear uncool by having his old Aunty on his friends list. My friends are limited to RL friends, internet friends I’ve known for years, and a few bands/singers I like, and only to keep up with them.
Stumbleupon, well, I when I get really bored but can’t tear myself away from the computer, I keep clicking the Stumble! button. That’s about all I use it for.
Kirsten’s last blog post..Encyclopedia of Me - C is for Child
I agree that StumbleUpon is at least useful but as for the rest of them, well…
Thanks for making me one of the bloggers who you keep in touch with Kirsten.
Blog Bloke reply on June 3rd, 2008 10:43 pm:
Twitter is about the only thing I use on a regular basis. I have a facebook and myspace accounts Ive pretty much abandoned.
Curtis’s last blog post..Sunny Flowers
I don’t bother with facebook and myspace either. Running a professional blog keeps me more than busy and at least it’s my own content and I’m in control. Some insist SNs can bring traffic to their blogs but that seems counterproductive to me. Spending time to develop your own blog will bring a greater return over the long haul. The ones who are promoting SNs are mostly self-serving and trying to develop a niche following of their own, selling ebooks, etc.
Blog Bloke reply on June 4th, 2008 8:43 pm:
Ya know, I have a rather lengthy disagreement comment in mind but I think I’ll make it a cross-linking post instead
Hey, if you’re gonna disagree, do it up right
Dennis Edell’s last blog post..Online Free Classifieds - Are They Worth It?
Bring it on
Blog Bloke reply on June 4th, 2008 8:41 pm:
Yaps, i agree with you. Social network will generating traffic for site ond more backlink to our site
download ketika cinta bertasbih’s last blog post..By: chodirin
For me, I only used a social site that benefit me. I don’t want be a user without thinking. A wii win situation for both party to me is a good social site. Sometime I was thinking who is having the last laugh. www.getnlinesuccess.com
Eliaski’s last blog post..How Internet Marketers Gain The Benefits Of Using Social Networking Site?
Hi Eliaski! What would be a good social site in your opinion?
Blog Bloke reply on June 5th, 2008 12:27 pm:
I understand where you are coming from. I don’t like social networks either! Sure, I have a Facebook account, but I’m not into it like most of my friend are.
What bothers me the most Tim is the lack of privacy and control over our content.
Blog Bloke reply on June 5th, 2008 12:28 pm:
I have to agree with you, I have the typical Digg badges on the top of my page and I dont mind if someone submits my page to stumbleupon, but I’m not planning on living off my blog to the point I desperately need traffic.
I’ll occasionally browse Digg at work when I’m bored or come home and stumble a little bit. But I don’t think I need to be part of every community out there, that’s for sure.
Troy’s last blog post..Why?!
As the blog platforms incorporate more social features into their core functionality I believe in time people will become disenchanted with the SNs and come back to their REAL blogs again. Speaking of Digg have you noticed lately how slow it is? I get so fed up waiting that I just end up closing the tab. Digg has become so bloated that I doubt if I will bother returning to the website again.
Blog Bloke reply on June 13th, 2008 4:50 pm:
Just found this post, so I feel even ‘later for the party’! But I did stumble it — hope you don’t mind. My review expressed amazement that so many networks can mention your blog and have comments that you may never even see! On MyBlogLog and others, people add you as contacts and never visit your blog.
SBAs last blog post…Adding A Menu Bar in Your Blogger Header
It’s beyond ridiculous. There’s so many out there now that I’ve lost count. You can Stumble me any time and thanks for the mention.
Blog Bloke reply on August 30th, 2008 2:03 pm:
Dec 30th, 2007 at 11:42 pm
[…] If you read the Bloke regularly you will know that I can be a little jaded when it comes to social network sites. But rather than repeat myself you can read all about it here. […]