Jesus and Playboy? Really?
August 15th, 2010 § Leave a Comment
These two recommended pages popped up together on my Facebook page a little while ago.
Is it just me or does Facebook’s recommendation engine needs some tweaking?
Culling The Herd
February 9th, 2010 § Leave a Comment
I’ve been having second thoughts about Facebook lately. Not that I necessarily think that there is anything wrong with it. I have begun to have reservations that my time spent fooling around with Facebook could be better spent writing.
I have to admit, I’ve considered Facebook sucide. However, I do have a few relatives and old friends who I have reconnected with on Facebook. If not for Facebook, we’d probably continue to ignore each other like we have done for all the years leading up to Facebook. Besides, how else will I know they got a new Farmville widget. (Just kidding, those Facebook “applications” have nearly driven me off Facebook a time or two.)
Instead, I’ve decided to take the less drastic approach and cull my “Friends” list on Facebook. In fact, I went from over 100 “Friends” and am now down to thirty something. I even went as far as deleting the Facebook app from my iPhone.
If you have suddenly found yourself unfriended by me, it’s nothing personal. I just don’t need the distraction. If we’re still on each other’s “Friends” list, don’t be surprised if I’m not on Facebook quite as much. Also, don’t get a big head about still being on my list. I could still pull the pin on the Facebook grenade and walk away.
Signal to Noise
August 30th, 2009 § Leave a Comment
Lately I have been having second thoughts about Facebook. Recently, one of my favorite authors, Donald Miller, posted on his blog about his consideration of deleting his Facebook account. His consideration involves not being able to keep up with all the posts, messages, etc. Since I am not a world famous author, I don’t have the problem of inbox overload. However, my problem is more insidious.
I am a pretty opinionated kind of guy. I have never been afraid of saying what I think, even to a fault. My Facebook account is set up to automatically pull posts from my blog to my Facebook Notes. Most of my posts deal with spirituality or technology but occasionally I have posted about something with political overtones such as healthcare reform. I also have been known to comment a lot on other’s posts.
I have a number of different groups of “friends” on Facebook. A bunch are from church, a bunch are relatives and a growing bunch are from work. Usually, when I post something political it usually leads to a good natured back and forth from some church friends who are of a different political bent. I love a good natured debate. I consider myself adult enough to be able to agree to disagree with people.
The problem is in the way Facebook operates. If I post something my friends can see it. If they reply, not only can my friends see their reply, but their friends can see it too. People who may not know me, but know my “friends”, then can see my posts as well. Who knows what they think about this back and forth. It seems like today we have lost the ability to “agree to disagree” with our political foes. Talk show entertainers and others have ramped up the vitriol to where politics are no longer about the art of compromise with regards to divergent viewpoints, but instead are a bombastic, all out, win or lose, “you’re either for us or against us” slugfest.
What do these friends of friends think about me when they see my opinions, especially when they see my other posts about faith? Does their disagreement with my politics cause them to disparage my comments on faith? I’m not really too worried about what they might think of me personally, but my faith is profoundly important. If my comments about politics and such cause them to diminish their opinion of the Gospel of Jesus Christ then I have failed miserably because I have become an impediment to Gospel.
In electronics there is a concept of rating electronic devices by measuring their “signal to noise” ratio. A better receiver, will pick up more of the desired signal and less of the undesirable background noise. Right now I am afraid my signal to noise ratio is poor in that more of the background noise is being picked up with less of the desired signal getting through.
I am not quite sure yet that I am going to delete my Facebook account. There are a lot of good things about Facebook. It’s important to share, even minor points in other’s lives. These are the things that make us “friends”. However, I am going consider how I use Facebook and try to make sure that my signal to noise ratio is good. Maybe this will cause me to post less often. Maybe this will cause me to change what I post. Whatever happens, I want it to be measured against what is really important. That there is a God that loves you. That there is an eternity after this life. That he choices you make now will affect your place in that eternity and that you should trust Jesus for that eternity.
Shalom,
Scott D
