I’m annoyed that Facebook status updates and Twitter tweets have become the new blogging. It’s no surprise I feel that way, since I’m a blogging old-timer. But I think Homer put it best (see his entry from March 5 — I can’t link to the actual post): “I wish people would return to blogging and telling stories rather than telling me that they ‘hate their job’ or ‘have a meeting to go to’ or ‘I’m going to the gym.'”
Granted, some people can elegantly tell a story in one short sentence, and some people can blog for paragraphs about inane topics. (Guilty.) But sometimes status updates and tweets are little more interesting than this.
Of course, I’m only *partly* annoyed, because I myself write Facebook status updates sometimes. I just find it hard to encapsulate most of my thoughts in 140 characters or less.
I haven’t hopped onto the Twitter bandwagon, though — even though I kind of want to because, hell, it seems cool. Everyone’s doing it! The thing I hate about Twitter is when people write “private” tweets to other people. You can tell a tweet is directed at a particular person because the writer uses the @ sign. For example, “@johndoe: I totally agree, that was hilarious.” It’s like showing other people how cool you are by publicly having exclusive conversations with someone else. If you’re going to have a private conversation with someone, have a private conversation.
The same goes for people who write private messages on other someone else’s Facebook Wall. Maybe they don’t realize that everyone can see your Wall. But we can. When you write, “Hey, it’s been a long time! How have you been?” on someone’s Wall, everyone can see it.
I feel a little bit like Andy Rooney. You little whippersnappers with your Facebook and your tweets. Back in my day, we had to write blog posts about walking eight miles uphill in a snowstorm to get to school…
Tweets bore the crap out of me.
Guilty! But I’m hoping to slowly recalibrate my tweet vs. blog balance. Recently I used to think, if I take the time to write a blog post, is it worth it for the handful of people that will actually get around to reading it (vs. the immediacy/delivery of Twitter/Facebook)? (And I need to diminish the delusional notion that every blog post I write has to be a finely crafted mini-essay anyway.) But then, I realized one power of Twitter/Facebook: I can then put out a status that I’ve just blogged! Sigh. ;-)
I’ll tell the kids to get off your lawn for ya, LOL.
P.S. I don’t necessarily think of those Twitter @ replies as completely exclusive conversations. Part of the reason I make those comments publicly is I fully welcome any third party to jump in and say, I love caramel frapuccinos too! Then again, maybe I’m in the minority.
In any case, I see your points. I’m just getting defensive. [“Avenue Q” Rod voice] I’m not getting defensive! ;-)
Yeah, I’m not on Twitter or any social networking site. I don’t have a group of friends who are hanging on my every word, dying to know what I’m doing at the moment. ;-( But I can see the advantage of Twitter if you really have something interesting to say or a lot of friends!
For example, one of the theatre bloggers I read regularly posts twice a week. In between, she’ll post a very brief, smartly written tweet on some piece of theatre news that’s always interesting to read.
It took me long enough to get onto Facebook, and that was only after a lot of pleading from a friend of mine. I have deliberately avoided any contact with Twitter for the simple reason that the very concept is absurd. I think it was in a “This Modern World” cartoon that the future of blogging, based on this trend, would be us just sending one-word phrases describing our mood to each other.
I don’t expect many people to read my blog. I gave up on that hope a long time ago. But I’d rather express my ideas fully and well in a post that a few people will see as opposed to limiting myself to tweets.
I’m in my late 30’s and have been doing this PC thing since my teens, but I guess I’m one to just pick up the phone and talk to someone that I want to have an in-depth conversation with. OK, I’m on Facebook and also have a Myspace page for the band I’m in, but the Tweets are lame. It’s good to reconnected with some old friends and exchange some personal messages via Facebook’s email, but does everyone need to know that I’m getting dressed for work? I think we’ve all lost the art of good conversation.