I have been thinking for quite a while now how popular Facebook is and seems to have taken over from blogs, to a certain extent.
I have had my FB account for quite a few years but never really used it a lot apart from when my sister was in Europe and for looking at family photos of in laws in other states.
I have found recently though, I have been spending a little time on it most nights to catch up on Groups I am in. I have joined a few closed Groups. These are Groups you ask to join, you don't just 'like' the page. The groups are closed to those who haven't asked to join. The first time I did this was to join a Ban Live Export Group. There are quite a lot of huge public groups for this too.
I have found these groups a wonderful way to connect with like minded people. A few of my groups are animal welfare groups and two of them are Lupus groups. One Lupus group is a public one you can 'like' and it has nearly 4000 members and the other is a newer closed group starting up for mums with Lupus. There are many Lupus groups but I thought two was enough to join.
I find these a great source of support and information. You can post something and either immediately or it may be the next day you will have several comments/answers/suggestions.
It's for this reason I have decided to close down my Lupus blog. I started that to primarily journal what I was going through. Also to write about new research etc. But after a few months I found it so limiting. I felt I was talking to myself and not connecting with other Luppies!
Through FB it is an amazing group of total strangers who are totally there for each other. Even if you don't want to comment or ask anything, just reading it all you relate to it and learn.
It's definitely a virtual support group. This suits me really well as I wouldn't do well in a real life support group. For one thing, I don't often feel well enough to get to one.
I am now also in a mixed media artist group too (Thanks Cathy for the invite). Artists from all over the world talking and sharing work with each other. It's crazy wonderful stuff. There are groups for everything.
But even without groups, so many peeps seem to blog on FB because it's so instant, you can post photos too just like a blog. It's great if you have a shop, instantly getting your stuff out there. You can live chat if you want to. It's all straight away. Which is great.
Blogs will always be here I think but they seem to have taken a back seat to FB. I often (if I am having an extra unwell day) still visit my fave blogs to keep up with what bloggy friends are up to, but it can take a lot of energy to comment on lots of blogs in a day, so I don't comment as much as I used to. I tend to lurk. There are sooooooo many gorgeous and inspiring blogs now that we all want to drop in on and that takes a lot of time. There is only so much Internet time we can have in a day. (although it is great through the night if you can't sleep)
So far, I am glad I haven't chosen to Twitter because quite frankly I just couldn't keep up with it all, but then I remember saying that once about Facebook. I sometimes wonder lately about keeping my blog. I can't sew as much as I used to so I don't have that to share very often. So I guess most of what I share is my artwork and musings about stuff. I'm sure I will keep it though, just lost the mojo at the moment.
photo source Pinterest my Blythe Pin board
Another part of blogging I have enjoyed is the photography. Trying to take good photos and to improve on them all the time. I still do this but now spend a lot of time on Pinterest. I find it so inspiring and gorgeous and love I can put any photo I love on the Internet into a pin board for my inspiration and joy at anytime. So now we have to add Pinterest into the mix of Internet time. Of course I still love Flickr. There is a great sense of community on Flickr.I love to spend time on YouTube too watching artists at work, and I am part of a few online mixed media groups/courses so this takes up Internet time too.
I wonder where it is all headed........what will be next, what could possibly out do Facebook........
5 comments:
As a blogger and facebooker i have had similar thoughts. The thing about blogs is their permanence. If I stopped bloging today, in a few years my tutorials and downloads etc would still be there for people. I like the idea that there is a blog-legacy left behind by blogs, that i just don't see in facebook. I think facebook is now and immediate and a wonderful tool for communication...but yes how do we fit it all in ?
Google+ of course!
I had to come over and read your social media post. Especially because you mentioned it in your comment and that I TOTALLY related to everything you said in your comment. Well said, Linda!
I love my blog. It's 'my place'. I don't FB much, but I recently started a page for the blog and I was amazed at the interactivity over there. I guess it's all a bit faster than the quiet world of blogging that I love so much.
Twitter and I don't get along so well either. Too much, in your face, I get nervous and I'm gone.
Thanks for commenting today. x
I love this post Linda. It really got me thinking, as your blog often does. I even wrote a post in response to it.
Interesting post. I haven't blogged in a while- time and mental energy seem to be lacking. Then again, I like the relative anonymity. Most people I'm friends with on fb I know in real life or at least have a long history of contact online. I'd prefer to keep it that way for privacy. I joined fb to keep in touch with distant friends because let's face it, nobody writes these days.
Now there's Google+ which is attractive in terms of privacy but it's another distraction and takes time away from Real Life. Decisions, decisions.
You certainly have a point. I've been keeping up with Facebook (and now Pinterest too), but have let the blog go somewhat. I wonder about how much of my life I should make public, especially when my children have no say in what I post, yet.
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