I don’t know what possessed me (oh by the way, “possessed” is the proper term), but a couple of weeks ago I joined Facebook. What was I thinking? Since then I have been getting a steady stream of invitations from fellow Facebookers. People I went to high school with, people I used to work with (and that covers a lot of places) and even a 20-something woman who lives locally with whom I share the same last name. (Don’t get any crazy ideas; no she is not some long-lost daughter.)
OK, I joined because I was curious about all the hub-bub surrounding Facebook. In our business, we have been hearing a lot about “social networking” and how it is changing how companies do business and get the word out about what they do. So I’ve dipped my foot in Facebook’s pool, Geez, I may have even submerged past the ankles, but I’ve got to stop now.
Why? Because I have work to do. Work that pays the bills, work that keeps our house and lives running, work being the parent of an active elementary schooler. I’m convinced: Facebook and Twitter are the twin terrors of time-suck. There’s some truth in saying, “Hey, get to work and stop twittering your life away!” There’s a reason it’s called Twitter; it’s a take-off on the ol’ “why do you think they call it dope?” Yes, you are twittering your life away.
It’s bad enough that I am relatively obsessed with my iPhone, at least I use that for business that is beneficial. Writing on someone’s wall on Facebook or dropping my latest locale in 140 characters or less on Twitter seems so incredibly self-indulgent at a time in history when I can’t imagine that our society has ever been more self-indulgent. Quite frankly, I don’t care if you’ve just gone from Starbucks to the grocery store. I just read a few days ago about a professional basketball player who used Twitter while in the locker room at halftime to report to his followers that his coach was mad at the team’s first-half play. A look at the scoreboard could tell you that. Shouldn’t the player be focused internally—or listening to his coach—instead of being distracted with Twitter?
My commitment to myself is that I will not spend/waste time on Facebook during traditional business hours. I owe that to myself and our company. Frankly, most of what I read on Facebook is meaningless and highly trivial. Sure, I enjoy seeing some pictures of friends and hearing if they have been somewhere notable. I may even look with one eye if someone mentions a book they liked or a play or movie they saw. You know how people tend to say “too much information,” when people reveal more than they should? Well, when it comes to Facebook and Twitter, they really mean “too little information” and no one cares. C’mon, leave yourself with some mystique. Wouldn’t you be more productive doing something/anything else?
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