Thursday, November 29, 2007

social networking utopias?

I still feel like life is too short for Facebook and Myspace. I get an email, I answer it. Someone sends me a message on Facebook, notification turns up in my email, I have to open facebook, open the inbox, and respond. My daughter has a myspace account. I can't see what's in it without being invited. Probably just as well.

One good thing about Facebook is the capacity to link up with people from your dim distant past that you have lost contact with. I've had one nice lunch and exchanged messages with some old friends, which is nice.

I've put the "ask a librarian utility" on my Facebook profile. I like the slogan - "Real People, Real Help, Real Fast!" I haven't actually been able to connect to anyone yet.

On the train this morning a forceful young woman was lecturing her younger male companion on the dangers of facebook. "People think we live in some utopia where you can put anything on your facebook and it won't impact on their professional life. Its bulls**T. There is no distinction between your professional and private life. And you need to put a better photo of yourself on ...."

She was articulating was one of the reasons why Facebook and myspace make me nervous - they have a sort of social private feel, but they are public spaces, and there is a very uneasy connection between the potential professional uses, the public visibility and the personal dimensions which the medium seems to encourage. Now with a blog you can make up a hokey nom de plume and just let rip. Much better.

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