Wednesday, July 01, 2009

And I'm the only one!


You remember that line from Winnie-the-Pooh, don't you? (By the way, what the fuck is a "pooh" anyway? Has anyone ever explained that? If you can enlighten me, please post a comment.)

"And the most wonderful thing about Tiggers is...I'm...the...only...ONE!"

I use this as a metaphor. (OK, stop laughing.)Seriously - I think Mr. RK and I are truly the only people in the world who aren't on Facebook.

Even the lady I order soap from - who lives in a small, semi-rural area - informed me, "We're now on Facebook!"

And for all of you lovely blog friends who have asked me to friend you...I'm not a hater! Nor am I anti-technology. I just don't do Facebook.

So here are my reasons - my own "top 10" list, if you will.

1. The people I like know where to find me.

2. I have no interest in "connecting" with anyone I went to high school with who is now pretending *not* to be a complete asshole.

3. I have no interest in connecting with anyone from high school, actually.

4. There are enough creepy lurking exes and wannabe exes who have googled me and e-mailed my former boss at my former job. One even posted on Craigslist looking for me and my mother-in-law saw it!! AND he posted from ALASKA. Hello! What were you hoping to accomplish? Cyber sex?

5. I don't want to bump into (no pun intended) anyone I used to date or sleep with.
'Cause chances are, if they say, "Hey, remember?" I'd reply, "I'd rather not," or, "No, because I accidentally blinked."

6. They've had security and phishing issues. Enough said.

7. My boss is on Facebook. Our volunteers are on Facebook. Again, enough said.

8. It does creepy big brother stuff. I didn't know until today (one of our volunteers told me) that if someone views your profile, not only do they record that and suggest that you "friend" that person - but they also suggest that person as a friend to everyone in your book. Eeech.

9. There are enough assholes posting pictures of the kids they have just popped out, or their wedding day.

10. Let's face it, I'd probably get kicked off for using the word "fuck" too much.

16 comments:

Aliceson said...

I'm with you. Facebook kind of creeps me out although I did break down and sign up a few months back. Now I kind of wish I didn't because I'm starting to come up with a bunch of a-holes I went to high school with and my mom's friends. Talk about weird. I also have a link to my blog on my facebook page and now I'm super paranoid about what I post, being careful not to offend any of my "friends."

You're better off in blogland!

LL Cool Joe said...

I'm not on facebook either. I don't twitter or chat on msn. I have no interest in any of it. My daughter does and when I look at her page and the crap that she and her friends, and older members of my family write to each other, I know why I avoid it.

U right babes? xxx

Fireblossom said...

My mother is 92. (I was a fashionably late baby). Last night she told me that she is on Facebook. I am not. Well, I suppose I am. I opened an account so that could play on line scrabble with a friend. When they got rid of scrabble, I went to delete my profile, and found that all you can do is make it "inactive."

Anonymous said...

Winnie the Pooh was named after a bear in a zoo. The bear was the mascot for a Canadian military force during the First World War. The soldiers named the bear Winnie because the group was from Winnipeg.
Winnipeg, Winnipoo, Winnie the Pooh. That's how it happened.

Scarlet said...

Damn, you make me want to deactivate my account! I did have one freaky incident where one guy wrote, "I'm Brooke's cousin. Wanna add me as a friend?" Well, it turns out he is my friend's cousin and I added him on just for giggles. Well, now he's sending messages to MY friends and telling them he and I are pals and asking them if they want to be his "friends." The whole thing creeped me out...so I haven't been on there as much.

Granny Annie said...

I agree with all your reasons not to be on facebook 100%. But, I am on facebook.......B-E-C-A-U-S-E my family hangs out on facebook. They don't comment on my blog so I can find out what they are up to by lurking in facebook cyber space. When you have grandchildren you will understand:)

Riot Kitty said...

FB: 92 and on facebook! I love it.

wigsf: Really? I have been curious about this since I was little, you know.

GA: I think it would be hard to have grandkids with no kids, but if my neutered, boy cats reproduce, then I'll consider it ;)

A, J, S: See? I knew I was onto something ;)

listen for azure said...

I did reconnect with some people I'd had trouble finding elsewhere so I won't trash it completely. But I don't like it that people can peruse my personal info without my permission - if someone "finds" me they can check out stuff I didn't know they could.

Please confirm that you received this (repost) so you'll still be my friend. I'm reading! I'm commenting! I REALLY AM!!!!

themom said...

I signed up on Facebook almost three years ago and no one was there. Now, everyone is on there. I have learned what to falsify in the personal info areas. I do lie being able to reconnect with those I thought were MIA. But I understand why you and many others would shy away from that social network site. It helped me reconnect with biological family members, which is the ultimate "upside."

Darth Weasel said...

It is a total time sucker. I ignore the stupid thing. Have not been on in months...and because of that missed, of all things, a wedding invitation. I wish I was kidding...

Riot Kitty said...

D: Someone announced a wedding on facebook? That is just the height of tacky.

JLee said...

I am with you on this one. Although I have given in to peer pressure a time or two, I always leave because of the list you posted! lol

Sidhe said...

LOL!

Of course, I make it a point, indeed, to ONLY friend people that I have slept with...

B said...

My partner joined to keep up with some friends who he'd otherwise never hear from - which I think is the whole point that this is insane. I've had a draft about being a super cranky early adopted in my own blog queue for months and never end up publishing it b/c that's how much I ultimately hate this crap - so much I don't even want to bother telling anyone anymore! And I just finished a grad program in tech and communication. They sure made a neo-Luddite out of me.

Anonymous said...

I'm not on facebook either. If I want people to know my business, and everything about me, I'll leave my house unlocked and post a sign saying that its open for all to enter and to take a possession or two if they would like. Essentially, that's what a facebook account is like for many people. These are probably the same people who let post that they are going to take vacation. The internet is not Mayberry. It's more like a scary women's prison where you should trust no one. Except for part about being shived. It's hard to shive someone online, I suppose.

BadTux said...

#10 is why I'm not on Facebook. That, and the fact that I'm a penguin.

- Badtux the Profane Penguin