This is sort of my Throwback Thursday post, but I’ve decided to make this an annual thing. Two years ago I started the Facebook National No Re-Post Day and, in spite of my much smaller number of readers at the time, the idea caught on and was shared across the interwebs. Like the Groundhog, it’s time for it’s annual appearance. Read the rest and share.
Just last weekend I noticed it. I looked at my Facebook page and I thought, Facebook is broken. This isn’t the Facebook I signed up for. When I joined Facebook I wanted to talk to people. I wanted to share with family and friends. I wanted to know how many kids you have and if they made honor roll. Is junior in the school play or did Susie make the soccer team. I wanted to see your vacation pictures. I wanted to know what everyone else is doing this weekend or if you saw that movie and liked it.
What I did learn when I looked at my Facebook last week was that Alan likes Tough Mudder. I also found out from Joni’s your-ecard that sometimes she takes baths because it’s harder to drink wine in the shower. I also learned from Facebook that there are a lot of kooky pictures in favor of gun ownership. I discovered that Larry is really good at Candy Crush. Apparently Samantha has a gambling problem because she goes to the Facebook casino almost every day. I also had no idea Michael was a farmer that needed me to buy him a pig. Apparently George Takei has a lot more friends than I do. Whether I wanted to know or not, I now know that three of my friends like Dick’s…. Sporting Goods. Occasionally you may even see stuff about a friend being an indie author and posting the link to his blog all the time.
Facebook used to be the social network. We would actually post things about our lives and comment on or ask questions about the pictures and stories our friends and family posted. Now when I visit Facebook all I seem to see is an endless string of re-posts and advertisements my friends have signed up for. I’m as guilty as anyone. Some days I want to join in the Facebook fun but I don’t have anything new going on in my life so I’ll gladly borrow a bit of brilliance from Sulu or an e-card and re-post it on my wall hoping to get a laugh or a like.
In my title I suggested that we fix Facebook, if only for a day. My idea is the Facebook National No Re-Post Day on Facebook. It will be a day when we as the citizens of Facebook get back to our roots. Let’s take one day, on a weekend, when we do most of our online communicating, and spend the day not re-posting or liking ads but sharing on Facebook. Let’s post pictures of ourselves and our kids. Let’s talk about memories of high school. Let’s tell everyone where we’re going on vacation. Maybe we could even share our mood using words instead of a emoticons. This year the date is this Saturday March 21st as Facebook National No Re-Post Day.
Irony of all ironies though, if we’re going to make this work we’re going to have to re-post this a lot. Enough to get a viral thing going in two days. I will personally take responsibility to post this to George Takei, because if he’s on board it’s a done deal. I need all of you to do the rest. Below this hit the Facebook Share button and encourage your friends. If you’re on WordPress hit the re-blog button. If you’re on Twitter please re-tweet. Follow me on Facebook or follow my blog for reminders for the big day. You could even start a Facebook event and invite all your friends as I did the last two years. With a few clicks we can all take back Facebook this Saturday March 21st. (Yeah, I’m completely serious. Let’s do this)
Reblogged this on babysteps22 and commented:
JOIN US AND SAY NO TO CANDY CRUSH REQUESTS..which isn’t the main point here, but still!
LOL, you are too funny!
I’m all for it, but I have to say, everyone wants a different experience. Some people put absolutely nothing personal on theirs. I’ve seen people complain about vacation photos (like someone asked them to click through 200 pics!) Then there are the people who are like, “Don’t you have a life outside of your cats/kids/job/gym?” Some people hate selfies. Some people don’t want to know that your kid made the honor roll, or that you got promoted, or that you bought a new house, or any of that, because you’re just bragging. Some people don’t think deaths should be announced on FB because it brings others down.
if you like people who post original content on FB we’d get on fine. But I’m relatively certain half of the people on FB are there to complain about it, lol!
*shares this post to FB*
LOL thanks Jolene!
Much rather have pics of my kids up and boast
Then waste my time with stupid reposts!
Fortunately, I have friends who keep us up on what’s happening in their lives and post pictures and funny cartoons, along with some political comments. The ones that annoy me are the unsolicited ads that I have to bump off periodically. I’ll reblog this, though. Onward and upward!
Reblogged this on The English Professor at Large and commented:
If you feel the way Phil Factor does, join the rally!
Aww…thanks for the reblog Patricia!
My answer has been to almost never BE on Facebook. I don’t quite get how so many people I don’t know wound up my “friends.” So yeah, I post links to my blog, the occasional picture and a bit of commentary on life. I don’t re-post — usually — though if something is really funny or particularly relevant, I do it anyway, even though it’s against my principles. But mostly, I don’t post anything directly. Just blog links. Because you are right. It stopped being “social” a couple of years ago.
Thanks Marilyn! I completely agree with you!
The real question here is if facebook makes us better people through it’s slightly strange ways. In my opinion, people misuse facebook – it’s not a here’s-what-im-doing-every-second-of-my-day system, it’s a way to meet people from other communities around the world who we would never normally interact with. but that’s just my opionion
I agree. Social media can be a wonderful thing if it truly is social and not just an advertisement for ourselves.
Phil – I agree passionately with every word you said.
… but if I posted this to my FB wall, I would seriously alienate many family and friends I care deeply about.
I’ve decided I have to take the bad with the good.
Sorry about my prolific use of emoticons 😉
LOL, you are too funny!
Join the Society for Prevention of Internet Narcissism. No money involved, only a commitment to use FB to post even unsavory episodes of our lives!
Here are two posts which elaborates this concept:
https://ashokbhatia.wordpress.com/2014/08/04/mirror-mirror-on-the-wall-who-is-the-smartest-of-them-all
https://ashokbhatia.wordpress.com/2014/12/08/bertie-social-media-and-blogging-blues
Sorry for the typo – ‘posts which elaborate this concept’.
I’m still laughing at ‘Nobody likes this’! I want that one.
I don’t use FB except to message my kids when I can’t get them on the phone because, apparently, they spend all day chatting on FB. I can always be sure to reach them there.
I wouldn’t use FB to share my life because I’m pretty private about most things and don’t think the world needs/wants to know my business but the messnger facility is great.
I do use it for following politics and for linking to my blog though.
So I guess I do use it! Wtf! OK, already, I’m reposting. This does kinda count as politics, doesn’t it, communication and all that? 😉