THE DEATH OF FACEBOOK

The great thing about being a fiction writer is playing God. And a special delight is killing off characters. There are those characters you really don’t want to off, but for the sake of the story, it must be done. Then you have the real bastards you can’t wait to kill.

For me, that was Facebook. Yes, I killed my Facebook account. After two years, I realized it served no beneficial purpose for my personal or my business life. Yeah, it was great to keep up with family, but considering, that’s more personally done with a phone call or an email. And depending how personal it is, really, would I want it shared on Facebook? I’m sure you’re not at all surprised how personal some people get on Facebook.

Then there’s the other end. You know, really, no offense, but I don’t care what you’ve made for dinner or that your kid got an A on his science project; and I don’t want to see the funny cat You Tube video. I originally created an account for conversation with family and friends. I realized all too quickly there’s no such thing as an intelligent conversation on Facebook.

 I tried the turnaround; tried to market business on Facebook. Not a great success. I personally don’t think anyone gives a rat’s ass about your business on Facebook unless you’re giving something away. No, that’s not a testament of resentment for not creating a great Facebook business page. That’s a testament to the number of friends I lack. No biggie. I’m not trying to sell my business to my friends.

So I killed it. I killed Facebook. No remorse. In fact, it feels great not to have the pressure of posting something fascinating. It takes away the anguish of not wanting to post my photos (didn’t care for Facebook’s terms and conditions regarding photos). The biggest benefit – I’m getting a lot more work done.

Now, all of this doesn’t mean I’ve given up social networking. I’ve just moved on. I still hang around LinkedIn. That, too, has its advantages and disadvantages. I’m there, I keep up, but I’m not playing the collector’s game. If I have something to post, I post it. If I meet someone I’d really like to connect with, I connect.

The other place I’ve been hanging out is Google+. There’s been a lot of flack regarding Google+ and Facebook. Sure, Google+ doesn’t have the same following as Facebook, but it sure has a lot of interesting people. I like the idea that I can connect with people who are sharing relevant information without having to make a request. I like the fact that a lot of photographers and creatives hang out on Google+. I like the circles concept. Yeah, I know, Facebook did something to appear more like the circles, but I didn’t want to get into it. Google+ seems more user friendly. And honestly, I don’t care how many people have me in their circles; no pressure to post if I have nothing to say. I feel like Google+ will become a good SEO tactic (and a quick reminder, I know nothing about SEO and search criteria). I think, in the long run, it may be a better connection to potential clients.

Yeah, I killed Facebook. If for no other reason, for the sake of the story.