Sunday, November 6, 2011

A Tale of Two Interfaces

I’m going to admit something. I just cannot bring myself to like Facebook. Sure, I use it to keep up with far-flung friends from the past and to check out pictures of everyone’s kids, but I don’t use it use it. I forget to check it regularly, and it bugs me that I can only go back so far before it tells me there are no older posts (only a week’s worth, really?). And don’t get me started on the games and ads and other mumbo jumbo that gets stuck between actual updates from people I care about. I understand that social media has become another, and highly prominent, means of promotion and advertisement, but it still bugs. In fact, although I love contests and coupons and all ways I might save a little moulah, I refuse to Like anything for the sake of Free. And there’s the issue of there is a LOT going on on Facebook. I mean, I wonder if anyone has accessed WOPR through Facebook (come on, somebody get that).

In my mind, most people are either Facebook folks or Twitter folks. Yes, of course, most of us do both, but come one, if you really think about it, don’t you favor one over the other? For me, it’s easily Twitter. Short, easy, to the point. Small bites I can keep up with. Can’t get too overwhelming with 140 character nuggets. And even if a Brand (Capital B) gets into my stream, I can breeze right past it.

I don’t know. When you boil it down, they’re a lot alike, and yet, I gravitate in one direction. Actually, that’s somewhat surprising, seeing as I am the most indecisive person in the known universe. Seriously, my preferences for Twitter and cereal for breakfast are about the only definitive things about me.

There’s no real end for this navel gazing, so I’ll just ask the question: are you Facebook folk or Twitter folks, and why?

4 comments:

  1. Definitely Twitter. I do like it better as a medium, but also prefer it because I'm mostly friends with blog people on Twitter, but high school/college people on FB. I don't have a lot in common with some of those people anymore.

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  2. I hate Facebook. Twitter is waaaay better. I spend probably 97% of my time on Twitter as opposed to Facebook.

    However, did you know that you can block all those stupid games on Facebook? When one shows up in your stream, click the little X or arrow or whatever and it will offer you the option of "Block all Farmville posts". I do that whenever any game of any kind shows up on Facebook and my life is seriously better because of it. I've almost completely gotten rid of all the games. I don't think I've seen a new one in months.

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  3. I use both, but I definitely prefer Twitter (and that's only after like 2 weeks on there.) I'm still pretty much required to update my Facebook (at least pictures) because that's where many, many of Brian's relatives stay caught up with us. And no, Brian can't be bothered with social media at all. Even though he has a Facebook account. And a Twitter account. And why won't these relatives just read my freaking blog for crying out loud?!

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  4. Facebook! I do both, but now I only go on twitter to read Dana and your posts. If you two switched over to Facebook, I could leave twitter behind for good. But sometimes it's the only way for me to get family news/gossip. And yes, I've blocked pretty much every single game on facebook.

    But now... have you not heard of Pinterest? It's my new obsession.

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