Perils of the Interwebs, or, why I still love LJ

[aeditimi]

Alright, so I'm venturing out in greater circles of (non anonymous) virtual communications, and I have to say I find a lot of these other interfaces to be less than stellar

Comments

[plasticity]

the nice thing about facebook is that everyone's on it, so it achieves a sort of critical mass that makes it worthwhile having. once you're on it, it's not like LJ where it's a stop every day to check in - but it's like a wonderfully personal address book for me.

related, a friend just sent me this youtube video which dramatizes all the things I do hate about facebook, though. it's hilarious.

I'm with you, though. I'll stick to reading my flist.

[finding_helena]

We had a lecture yesterday on how to keep yourself looking professional and keep yourself safe on facebook and myspace. I have no interest in either but I think I might get facebook just 'cause all my classmates are on it... some people get way too into it though. I think I'm an old fart too. I like LJ and I'm sticking to it.

[aeditimi]

Now see that's interesting to me because that's what I'm trying to do: cultivate a web presence as a professional. Do you remember any salient tips (in retrospect, it might not have been good to input my high school, thereby keeping me more closely associated with people from college and grad school rather than everyone I ever knew. I could always have found the three high school buddies I care about one by one)?

[finding_helena]

Well, it was mostly basic stuff along the lines of, don't post your address and phone number and class schedule because then you're practically inviting people to stalk you and/or burgle your home when you're out, and don't post your full date of birth because that's bait to identity thieves, and don't post stuff that makes you look like an adolescent idiot--i.e. that your favorite hobby is playing beer pong or that you're looking for "random play" (i.e. sex with random people). Oh, and don't link to your blog if your blog contains stuff that's going to make you look like an idiot. And don't post pictures of yourself rolling a joint or drinking underage. And so forth. I assume you do none of this stuff. It wasn't much about cultivating a presence as what to avoid when cultivating a presence.

[anonymous]

Quickly, because the portion of the internet that I control is ready to blow up at any second

[anonymous]

Also, as for embedding google reader into a blog, security of the feeds can probably be circumnavigated, but it would be messy and ugly.

Friends page is an SN-style construct peculiar to LJ. It's less appropriate for a purely blogging world, where the blogroll/sidebar is the pretty, public list and feed readers let you keep tabs on the stuff you don't necessarily want to broadcast that you're reading. Such as a pastor who doesn't want to broadcast to her congregation the idea that she reads rated Remus/Sirius fanfiction. :o)

[aeditimi]

Hey, with some people in my church, that last bit may make me that much cooler! But I know what you mean.

[aeditimi]

that's a helpful addition to what I know about it so far. Thanks.

[tradredav]

Okay, so the thing with Facebook is you want to ignore most of the stuff. If you just automatically accept every application invitation that comes your way, your profile will be way beyond cluttered in no time; if you get too annoyed with having to click the ignore button for all of them, don't even bother. Just ignore them for real

[aeditimi]

Good suggestions. Thanks! Group discussion boards. Ooh, i could get lost for days!

[aeditimi]

(currently my only cheezburger-themed icon)

I love Ceiling Cat; definitely part of my theological worldview!

I forgot to mention the icons. No one else seems to have them, and I definitelt love them to bits!

Yeah, I generally think that communication should make life easier, not harder and more full of Things To Do.

[aeditimi]

and thanks on that last part, too.