Lake Atitlan, Panajachel, Guatemala

Saturday, October 23, 2010

In Which I Decide to Keep the Other Blog And Get Off Facebook

More social media angst. Are you sick of me and this topic yet? Thanks for everyone who chimed in about my other blog. And my issue about Stats, time crunch, and whether or not to combine my blogs yadayadayada.

Truthfully, I love that other blog. It's a quiet oasis where I can just post about what's on my mind and what's going on in my life-- writing from life-- that's what it is, and it gives me yet another outlet for writing for fun, not profit. So I'm keeping it.

But something has to give, and it's Facebook. I've never felt real comfortable there. It's too much a mish mash of everything and everybody and half the time I feel exposed and like my privacy is being invaded. Weird, huh? I apologize to all those who have friended me and who I've enjoyed talking to over there. But it just wasn't a good fit for me, so I deactivated my account.

And on that topic, another quote from my funny son, who is now at Marine Boot Camp and I bet he's not laughing now LOL. When I asked him awhile back why he didn't friend me on Facebook, he said, "Mom, I live in the same house with you."

So here I am, still in love with blogging, and I'm over there at From the Shadows to the Page. And I'm on twitter @KarenGowen. And of course Goodreads. Plus my email is on the sidebar.

Goodbye Facebook. Something had to give, and it was you. For me, you were an experiment that never really worked.

43 comments:

  1. Decision made - excellent! I'm with you on Facebook. Months ago I deactivated my account then started up again when a friend pleaded with me. It can be a real time-waster.

    Funny son sounds like a wise son.

    I've recently joined Goodreads but haven't got the widget on my blog sidebar yet.

    Good wishes.

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  2. Great choice! I was hoping you would keep the other blog. I read your reply to my comments on a previous post (thanks for that!) but it's interesting to hear the reasoning behind your decision and what the axe came down on instead.

    Facebook comes a poor last in my online world, as well. I'm much happier and more at home on Twitter, I guess because I feel less self conscious about my updates there. They seem more fleeting on Twitter, so if they're dumb ones it's not so important! I do find FB useful for keeping up with local writing and spoken word events and far-flung friends though, so I'm not sure I'm ready to ditch it completely.

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  3. I love my Facebook account -- it's how I really stay in touch with my family and online friends. I don't know if I could give it up. What I *did* give up were the games there. OH man what a time suck!

    But I'm glad you mad the choice you made and that you're happy with it. :-)

    Kath, funny thing - I hate Twitter. I find it to be an amazing time suck with no permanent results. Funny how different people are, huh?

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  4. I tried Facebook and Twitter, neither lasted long for me.

    I just stick with two blogs and am now breaking from that...temporarily...resting.

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  5. am still hooked on all of them *sigh* but u are right its better to do a few things right than have your fingers in lots of pies and not get any right.

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  6. Bye bye facebook!!I never got the hang of it myself! :-)

    I'm just so glad you kept your other lovely quiet peaceful blog! Yay!

    Take care
    x

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  7. Yay! Let's start a 'We Dumped Facebook' club. I've tried it twice and each time wondered what the point was. Good decision. Blog or Facebook? Always Facebook, surely. No competition.

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  8. That's why I've never set up a Facebook page in the first place.

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  9. Alex, I never thought I would then got sucked in. It didn't do anything for me, and made me feel uncomfortable to mix worlds like that. And I couldn't bear to set up all the separate pages for my books, for my family, for my writing friends, for my next door neighbors who wanted to friend me.

    Fran, I would totally join that club! If someone designs a button I would gladly put it on my blog. On both my blogs.

    Old Kitty, thanks for supporting little quiet blog. I always look forward to your comments.

    Joanna, That's what I thought! And thank you for following From the Shadows to the Page.

    Gail, At least I tried it. I always said I never would. Twitter I actually am beginning to like. And thank you for taking the time to visit and comment here when you are on a break :)

    Marianne, It's great that we have the option of picking and choosing what best meets our needs online. I'm warming to Twitter quite a bit. And so far able to limit time there while still getting results.

    Kath, I get what you mean about twitter being less public. I like that about it too.

    Christine, Deactivation is a good solution. I can start it up again when my sisters post family photos of the latest wedding, save the photos, and get right back off.

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  10. I have a Facebook account but I don't use it much. Just to post tidbits I found interesting. I never post anything personal. Nothing about my family or pictures of them. I'm really protective of them.

    CD

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  11. I'll miss you on FB, but I know what you mean. Facebook doesn't bother me too much, but I don't want a Twitter account. I've accepted the fact I'm not going to have one and it's not excluding me in any real way. I do have a Goodreads about. People friend me, which is fine. But I haven't done much with it yet. I have no time!

    I think you posted on your 2nd blog yesterday, but I didn't have time to go over. I will now. Though it's just a stalling tactic. I don't want to clean or grade.

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  12. Yay! I'm so glad that you're keeping your other blog! I was hoping that you would, since I find it so interesting. Good choice! :)

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  13. You could do what my other facebook author friends have done, and start a group facebook for your writing/books. That way you can keep more personal things on your main facebook.

    As for blogging, I'm always amalgamating then separating. Now I've found equalibrium by creating a blog for different topics. I've got some public blogs and some personal/hidden ones.

    So I'm on facebook, blogger and twitter. That's it. Any more social networking sites and I think my head would explode.

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  14. The only thing Facebook does for me is let me know what others might be doing. Or where my kids are. I only look once a day so it doesn't really take much time. For me, finding old school acquaintances isn't a compelling reason to be active.
    Blogging is a whole other world. Much more satisfying and positive.

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  15. I never had a facebook but I much and be on inkpop than update my status to the world.
    --Lindsey

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  16. You're invited to read about the magic.

    www.themagiciansseries.blogspot.com
    Hope to see you there and please help me spread the word.
    --Lindsey

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  17. Sometimes we have to decide what's best for us, and if giving up one thing helped you out than I applaud you for taking that leap of faith!!! One day I too might be able to let go... today I'll continue the suffocation.

    So are you still going to blog here or is your new blog the linked one?

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  18. I think this a very wise choice. I'm there but not there. Glad you are happy blogging though, that I would miss :)
    Jules @ Trying To Get Over The Rainbow

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  19. sounds like you made a decision you're happy with. I have a facebook account but I rarely go there. Most times I just post my blogposts to my facebook page if I think anyone will be interested.

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  20. You gotta do what you gotta do! If FB didn't work for you, well, at least you tried it, right?

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  21. I've never joined FaceBook. There are already so many things and too little time. I don't need another one! Good for you :)

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  22. I have FB, but rarely post and have little time to read other posts. Mostly it for keeping in touch with friends/family. Cheaper than calling.

    I like seeing you here Karen. FB is not as personal as a blog.

    .......dhole

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  23. Clarissa, I thought I could keep it private but it's too much of a struggle.

    Jen, This remains my more active blog, where I post about writing, editing and publishing issues. The other one is where I "write from life." My life that is LOL.

    Marguerite, I'm glad you find it interesting! Maybe I'll do some things over there to attract a broader audience. But then again, probably not....

    Theresa, Hooray for blogs! How else would we procrastinate otherwise, esp if we aren't on facebook?

    Jemi, Oh good, another one to post the button. Now we just need to design it.

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  24. Personally, if I were to make that choice I would opt to get out of Twitter. FB has been kind to me and I sold quite a few books there.

    Stephen Tremp

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  25. I don't do Facebook or Twitter - but I love blogging (even though I spend way too much time on it).

    X

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  26. I think you made the right choice. It always seems like there's a problem with accounts being accessed by third-parties or some such nonsense.

    Of course, the real reason I'm not on FB: my parents are. Both of them. Yeah...no.

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  27. I think you made the right choice too. I'm currently not on FB yet, and am still very undecided as to whether I'll make the jump.

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  28. WritingNut, I'm glad I at least tried it. Now I know.

    JEFritz, LOL enough said. My sisters are all there, plus my mom, long lost cousins, neighbors who attend church with me-- it all just became kind of an open forum and a public place.

    Suzanne, which reminds me I don't think I've been to visit your blog for awhile....I'll have to stop on by.

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  29. Thanks for stopping by my blog! :)

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  30. Facebook gives me indigestion sometimes. I think you made the right decision.

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  31. Wow, you are a busy woman! Good for you for allowing yourself to simplify without feeling guilty. :)

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  32. I'm with you on the FB thing, I joined but only go on if I've finished with reading blogs and not ready for bed!
    Thanks for visiting me, maybe you'll get the chutney made now you're off FB. Or maybe give it a miss for this year- it's hard to get everything done.
    Giveaway over at my place-a form of thanks for those gifts I've gotten!

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  33. I do Facebook, as someone said, to keep in touch with friends and family. There are many of them who are looking forward to my book's publication. I tried Twitter and can't handle it.

    To each his own, as everyone here has pointed out. Good for you for deciding what works best for you!!

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  34. I also deactivated my FB acct awhile back. Just not for me. A year ago I tried Twitter and, no, just no. It's all just too much, too much.

    Well, I'm so proud. Arrrrrugah! Did you know this is a USMC household? Yep, hub's retired (but has a second career), but once a Marine always a Marine. If your son's at Parris Island, this is the best time of the year to be there, weather-wise. The other stuff doesn't change much.

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  35. Kittie, No I didn't know it was a USMC household although I know from your posts that your husband is career military. I have another blogger friend, Pat Tillet, who was a Marine so I am loving this. It's all new to me. My son's in San Diego.

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  36. Good for you with making a decision! I personally love facebook because it gives me a convenient way to keep in touch with my friends (and family) all over the world without having to keep ten million email addresses on file. But, I know it's not everyone's cup of tea. My husband can't stand it! :)

    Hope your life is more peaceful from now on! (And, for the record, my sister said the same thing to my mom about facebook and it really hurt my mom's feelings. Now that my sis's moved into her own apartment, though, I think she has deigned to friend my mom. lol!)

    Amy

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  37. I look at FB in a whole different way. I have it so people can contact me. I've connected with many folks from my past. The only thing I EVER post on FB are links to my blog posts.
    I bet I spend no more than 10 minutes a week on FB. Anyway, see you at your other page!

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  38. Seems like a good choice to me. I have a Facebook account, but rarely use it. The site is too full of adverts, too confusing and, all too often, too unavailable.

    I used to automatically echo my blog posts to Facebook as a sort of lazy way of keeping it up to date, but people just said "huh?" so I stopped.

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  39. That's a shame about the facebook page because you can use it as a way to draw audience to your blog. If I were you'd I'd set up an artist 'page'. You have to set up a profile to go with it, but you don't really have to use the profile if you have the page. Just use it to update your author page and network your blog with it so that when you blog, your blog automatically posts on FB. It's easy and hardly any work. I was speaking to the publisher of Lucky Press the other day and she said that her marketing guru said that twitter is on its way out and the FB is the way to go. Anyway, think about it :o) PS: I wrote something on my blog today I'd love to get your imput on!!!

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  40. I love Facebook, but it is definitely a different kind of thing, and i think you did a wise assessment, so I've glad you've settled on what works for you... and as i am linked into those OTHER networks... I will cope. *wink*

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  41. Oh Karen, I will miss you on Facebook!

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  42. Facebook has definitely lost its shinyness for me. Plus, I'm completely annoyed by their privacy issues. I hang out a lot on Twitter though.

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  43. Karen I just found you - better late than never? What a fantastic Blog and I agree with you about Facebook, but it's the only way some of my young family members communicate? I found Twitter mortifying; only lasted under two weeks... You are so inspiring - I'm off to read lots more of your stuff...
    Best wishes from the hills of southern France
    Jane

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