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I've been on facebook for a little over a month now. I'm still not quite certain how I feel about it as a social networking tool, but here are some of my thoughts/observations. I'd be interested in how -- if you're also on facebook -- they dovetail with your impressions...
Facebook isn't about depth. Rather, it encourages 'surface' interaction, along the lines of "Stephen is putting on his left sock now." While such things can occasionally be interesting to know, facebook seems to be the shallow end of the pool of communication. With FB, I can say "I believe this..." but with LJ I can give you the rationale for my belief and the data that support it. With FB, I can shout "This really pisses me off..." but with LJ I can go on a long rant with bells and whistles and 8x10 glossy pictures; I can explore the issue in depth and demonstrate to everyone just how much of an idiot I am (and they can happily point out to me the errors of my point of view).
That's not to say that every time I use LJ, I write an extensive and well-considered essay for an entry (though of course all of my posts are well-considered and brilliant). I don't. Sometimes my post is just the equivalent of "I'm putting on my left sock now." But if I want to go further (and I often do), the structure of LJ encourages that. FB feels to me like I'm walking down a hall and saying "Hey, how ya doin'?" to a bunch of people I know as I pass them. LJ feels more like a one-to-one conversation with a group of friends who want to talk about the subject de jour.
On the other hand, FB encourages connection to other people more than LJ. In fact, FB is downright belligerent about trying to hook you up with people. Through FB, I've reconnected with a few people with whom I'd lost touch over the years, and now I have some idea of where they are and what they've been doing -- because we occasionally pass in the hall and exchange a few words.
For those who are all about images and media other than words, FB has it all over LJ for displaying and sharing photos and video, etc....
FB is also far more aggressive about 'sharing' information on your profile with various apps and tools -- and that worries me. I also wonder how much it shares with organization and people without telling me. Of course, that's also a concern with LJ...
Perhaps it's also a case of "different tools, different uses." Maybe FB is a screwdriver and LJ is a hammer and though you need them both if you're making a bridge to connect to other people online, they're not really used for the same purpose and you want both in your toolbox. I feel more comfortable here on LJ, but perhaps that's only because I'm more used to its quirks and interactions.
What do you think?
Facebook isn't about depth. Rather, it encourages 'surface' interaction, along the lines of "Stephen is putting on his left sock now." While such things can occasionally be interesting to know, facebook seems to be the shallow end of the pool of communication. With FB, I can say "I believe this..." but with LJ I can give you the rationale for my belief and the data that support it. With FB, I can shout "This really pisses me off..." but with LJ I can go on a long rant with bells and whistles and 8x10 glossy pictures; I can explore the issue in depth and demonstrate to everyone just how much of an idiot I am (and they can happily point out to me the errors of my point of view).
That's not to say that every time I use LJ, I write an extensive and well-considered essay for an entry (though of course all of my posts are well-considered and brilliant). I don't. Sometimes my post is just the equivalent of "I'm putting on my left sock now." But if I want to go further (and I often do), the structure of LJ encourages that. FB feels to me like I'm walking down a hall and saying "Hey, how ya doin'?" to a bunch of people I know as I pass them. LJ feels more like a one-to-one conversation with a group of friends who want to talk about the subject de jour.
On the other hand, FB encourages connection to other people more than LJ. In fact, FB is downright belligerent about trying to hook you up with people. Through FB, I've reconnected with a few people with whom I'd lost touch over the years, and now I have some idea of where they are and what they've been doing -- because we occasionally pass in the hall and exchange a few words.
For those who are all about images and media other than words, FB has it all over LJ for displaying and sharing photos and video, etc....
FB is also far more aggressive about 'sharing' information on your profile with various apps and tools -- and that worries me. I also wonder how much it shares with organization and people without telling me. Of course, that's also a concern with LJ...
Perhaps it's also a case of "different tools, different uses." Maybe FB is a screwdriver and LJ is a hammer and though you need them both if you're making a bridge to connect to other people online, they're not really used for the same purpose and you want both in your toolbox. I feel more comfortable here on LJ, but perhaps that's only because I'm more used to its quirks and interactions.
What do you think?
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I suspect (without any data) that most LJ'ers would find some interest in FB, but that the reverse would generally not be true. I've noticed that many of my LJ friends list has been showing up on FB even in the month and a half since I've been there, but that no one I know who was only a FB friend has come over to LJ...