This really cracks me up: My teenage daughter is horrified by my presence on MySpace, facebook and twitter. Truth be told, I can't handle MySpace. There's too much clutter trying to customize your page to be "cool". Facebook is better, they pretty much do all the configuration for you. All you have to do is update your status every 60 minutes (to keep up with the teenagers) and act like you have something worthwhile to say. Unfortunately, it degenerates into a "diary" entry ("I'm trying to decide what to wear today...") and I just don't get a lot of inspiring insight there.
Twitter, however, seems to be my ticket. I can follow just about whomever I want, based on their interests. The tools that are beginning to surround twitter are right up my alley. I can post a blog entry that allows me to invest a little more thought than "What am I going to wear today?" I can post something that is a "considered" entry and immediately have it update my twitter page. Not only that, I can have my twitter page update my facebook page. I can say what I want to say and, hopefully, provoke a thought or two from my "followers" on twitter.
To me, having a website forum demands a higher calling. You might have an audience of 1 (One, Uno, Eins, etc.), but in my mind, you're still trying to make a difference in people's lives. You might want to impact them in a way that inspires them to be better than what they are. That's my goal.
I'm not satisfied with talking to people at the local sports bar. I'm not satisfied with putting a provocative thought on a MySpace page. I'm not inspired by the status updates I see on facebook. I think I have a point of view that deserves to be "heard" and I need a forum to express that. Twitter seems to do that for me.
I really don't care if my teenage daughter thinks I'm a "loser" and that I'm invading her privacy by reading her facebook updates. She has only to wait for about twenty years before her kids think she's a loser. I just hope I'm around long enough to talk to her about that. I might have some insight!
Sunday, March 15, 2009
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Don't worry, Ernie. You will notice that the older she gets, the smarter you get.
ReplyDeleteDoes your teenage daughter know how to set profile restrictions on Facebook? While you may be hesitant to teach her, lest she block you from viewing things too, it's worth considering.
ReplyDeleteI don't think it would be wise for a daughter to restrict her father's access to her Facebook page, although if she does have a public profile her privacy concerns are more than a bit ironic.
ReplyDeleteBrian
www.bentzensblog.com