A Month on Facebook...

I've been on Facebook for about a month if not to the day now and I thought some might like to know what the answer to that all burning question when someone tries something new, "So what do you think of it?". And given I don't "do" social media per say, I really didn't like FB or even the thought of joining really... but did join, I'll answer the question regarding my thoughts on Facebook now that I have joined and posted a bunch of posts and pics.

A first glance I liked the format as mentioned in my last post declaring I had now joined FB. I like the simplicity of making a post and uploading pics. Adding quick thoughts.

The "see edit history" in the post pull down menu is not something I noticed right away. Clicking it showed Facebook, for whatever reason, keeps a copy of the old version of posts for everyone to see. One for every time you edit.

Now... I edit my posts... A lot. I may change a word, correct spelling I didn't notice in the initial post, change wording, or even a paragraph. I do so and have done so in every post here on Blogger after I make my initial posting. So what I found at Facebook was 2,3,5, 10 copies showing every edit I made. And the only way to get rid of all the prior edits.. is to delete the post and repost it. Which I had to do... to almost every post I had made. Except one I think. lol.

I don't understand the reason Facebook keeps edits or feels people would want to view spell check changes or rewording of something someone has posted. I don't know why they would have and edit history period for everyone to view. I have no idea they have it set up this way. It makes no sense to me. But they do and I didn't like it. Okay, okay... I more than didn't like it. I think it stupid and though I've tried to justify a reason for someone's edit history on a post by others I can't think of one. It's just stupid in my view.

Which brought me to the second thing I didn't like. In reposting posts to clean up the edit history, and then having to repost the post, this threw off the dates of the posts. With Blogger I can pre-date a post or post date a post. You can't do that on Facebook. The date you post is the date its set to.

Since I was using it strictly for projects I had completed as I completed them over this past month and I would have liked to add some I had finished prior to the date I joined. Having the ability to set post date would've been nice. Especially for what I was posting. My projects are my off time and what I do. The extent of my social activity. Pretty sad huh? Be that as it may, keeping everything chronological was important, to me. It helps keep everything organized for me or for a viewer for that matter having the feature of being able to set a post date.

That said you can post a date in the post, which I did since the first post. It's a feature I like with Blogger that Facebook doesn't have is all. Not a deal breaker, it just is what it is. And I do get not having one necessarily, it's not a blog site or format, it's a social media format. And it makes it simple as such for posting.

Facebook is laid out as a social media platform or format and I did notice that aspect of it. I could see the draw to it as such. My mind isn't closed to such a thing, I'm just not personally into such a thing and never was.

I can see a group a friends or college students or even family using it to keep in touch. Hey we all went to dinner or a party, snap a pic, upload it everyone in your circle gets notified and a smile or two develop amongst you no matter where you are.

I can also see that format or originating ideal is all but lost. From what I saw and I knew going in to some degree, that original idea has been completely commercialized. The groups are Business groups or Selling groups or Box Stores. It's not what you think or I think of in the true sense of a "Social Media" site. It's not Friends and Family... it's I shop here and like this store. And I'm sure the owners of FB are thrilled and making all kinds of money due to the takeover of commercialism.

That said there are still individuals on FB... In fact a lot of people are on it. But I think I was reading if you want to be seen you have to pay or something... so posting without paying what ever it is your post is about, you're on the bottom of a 10 million member heap with commercial/paying members being on the top of the heap. That's not much in the way of a social media. That's commercial media. To me anyway.

Friends... Facebook has this thing of suggested people you might know or suggested friends. I forgot what they call it. At any rate, when you log in it suggests a list of "friends". The first few days it was pretty much just random people. Then it actually suggested someone I did know, but only through business. But the fact it did pick that person out of the millions that have joined FB kinda creeped me out a bit. Especially when it happened more than once.

So I wanted know... how did Facebook select those particular people of all the people that joined FB. I mean I could see suggesting people in the same town. Chances that you'll know someone depend on your real world social network. If you go out, party etc. How big or little of a social butterfly you are. Or in my case, are not.

I literally don't have a single friend. There's no one on this planet I can call a friend. Not a true friend, a real friend. Nobody asks me to come over, or go out. Or have dinner. Or do... anything for that matter. Such is life... my whole life, as I would inevitably find out to date.

That's not to say I'm not friendly, neighborly or don't talk to people. I do. But they're what I consider, and I'm sure they do even more than I, acquaintances. Even then, my acquaintances are limited.

So for FB to select people I actually have met or know now and no one I had known my entire life other than these people... as stated, kinda creeped me out.

I realized I had used my cell to sign up and an email sent from FB cleared up the mystery. FB sent me an email saying to use their app and by using it it would scan my contacts, etc and I'd find more "friends" on Facebook. Which I did not do by the way. But Okay, so now I get it... either when I make a post with my smartphone FB is scanning my contacts or these people, which would have my number on a their cell phone as I have made calls to them. And that's how they connected the dots so to speak.

At any rate - after a month I have no friends on Facebook. I haven't made any friend requests and I haven't received any.

I also haven't received any likes on my pictures... or posts.

I haven't gotten any comments on my posts but I take it that's because I don't have any friends since I set it that only friends could comment... I think I did anyway.

As a result, I have no clue if anyone has seen anything I've posted because... apparently you have to pay or be a commercial account to see if you've had any views. So much for social media. Which if you look on the right side of this blog. There's a visitor counter. I put it there just to have it for myself and viewers to see. In fact, Blogger has added a view's counter thing I can see as admin of this blog. which shows me views per post. I don't pay for it. It's just there. And a nice feature. It lets me know whether or not I'm posting in vain. Or hey, this subject matter is of interest to those stumbling on or actually reading my blog posts as I post them.

Finding me on Facebook is another thing.

You can find me via Facebook search if your logged in. But if your not, good luck. And Google search hasn't pick it up either which actually surprised me. As anything I've posted in the past or sites I've started were picked up as fast as 6hrs. (Edit: with_in an hour of this post you can now find me on FB without logging in. But not via Google search)

Speaking Google search's... in my last post I mentioned Google sent me a warning about this blog and my robot text file and almost instantly pulled me this blog from the Google search engine. The same day I joined FB in fact. And I stated there was nothing wrong with my Robot txt file and I wasn't changing it. And I didn't. A week later... this blog is back in the search listing.

Not as high but it's back. And it's to be noted, only Google pulled it. I checked other search engines. Bing, Yahoo, Dog Pile, etc, etc, all still had it listed.

Also within a week I received a warning about this blog being mobile friendly due to the text being un readable. The text being too small. When I first set up this blog and having created several high dynamic websites, I learned a little trick on text to make it dependent on screen size and resolution. This blog is set up the same. That way no matter the screen size the font, borders etc, all change accordingly. It kinda works like it's on a percentages thing, This blog has a side bar with things unique to it's display or how I want the viewer to see it. Auto play music which as of reciently seems to not want to play, I don't know why but anyway. You can view the blog via mobile, one just has to zoom. But otay, i'll give on that one. It is a pain, so I changed it to a generic blogger mobile template. In viewing this blog you now miss out on what others see. and navigation is pretty much nil. There's no menu, quick links music etc etc. But you can  easily read the posts.

Another issue all of a sudden is it's not using my html code for font, color, size which is my default for the blog once I post, which makes it a real pain to type or edit anything. Which may be part of the mobile viewing issue. In essence, I'm typing on a white background in light grey currently which is damn hard to see.

All in all though, this blog as a design was and is very different. That's why I like it. You don't see any like it. I used very forward thinking coding. But, browsers change, Blogger has made changes, and I'll have to take a gander at the code or perhaps just re-upload to refresh it to kill all issues. Hopefully not, as many times with web creation, you wait and things correct themselves as log as your code is correct.

Okay back on topic...

So do I keep posting on Facebook? To be perfectly honest, I don't know...

I don't know if I should, I can't tell if any ones even looking at my posts or my pics...??

Though I might not accept a friend request I thought I would get a ton of them... I was on it for about a week years back I got a ton of bullshit friend requests. And I didn't post anything. Just started the account and I got a ton. All BS but still. This time... not one.

There are things I like about it. Which actually had me thinking a couple weeks ago and again recently. Since I like the format of quick posts. Just logging my little projects I work on and saying a few words about it. I could create a second blog in the same style.

I really want to swing this blog back to being strictly for the arts. 3D Modeling, Photography, maybe some artwork via other media. You know, the arts. Whenever I get back into actually doing something in the arts that is.

Everything that I'm posting on Facebook is restoration stuff. The question I'm mulling over is, do I combine the restoration stuff with this blog... which is way off course from my original intent. Or do I create one dedicated to the restoration stuff.

And if so, what do I do with Facebook?

Maybe just limit my words and pics to a sentence or two and a single pic..? It's an idea. One I had while typing.

That is the cross road I'm at.

And my take on Facebook after a month of posting on it. I'm not for it, I'm not against it... I really don't know what to think of it.

Would I join Facebook again knowing what I know now? I don't think so.

For me up to this point, it's like typing into the air in an isolation chamber.

At least on blogger...Even if you don't say anything, I see you looking at me. Oh yeah I do.

Which sometimes is enough of incentive to keep posting. Not always.. but sometimes that's all you need. To know someone recognized you exist.

Till next time,

Keep rendering, Keep Creating

Stay Happy!!

Cheers...