Thing 21. Beyond MySpace: Other Social Networks

View my page on 23 Things on a Stick

Now that's a nice looking Ning badge up there...shows I'm right on top of things for this particular assignment, doesn't it??

But don't go snooping at my personal Ning page because in truth it really stinks! Don't want to put much effort into building one and don't want to hang out there longer than necessary...Honesty being my only policy, I have to admit straight away I don't like these social network sites very much...either Ning or Gather, or any of the others...they all kind of annoy me...and I am still trying to understand why???

The best I can come up with right now is that all these sites while supposedly being social and such, seem kind of alienating to me...again, a feeling of virtual disconnects, bunches of people I've never met, living in places I know nothing about, and listing random sets of descriptive interests, most of which are not that interesting...so why would this make me feel closer or particularly social to them??? Don't get mad...nothing personal...but that's it!! Nothing personal...just an overwhelming hodge-podge of cyber people trying to impress...with faky pictures or selected real ones in poses.

Here's one funny thing I did notice...the most passionate and involved comments made by outsiders, the ones most realistic and interesting, came from people who spotted a real friend or colleague they already knew in real life...and they showed their excitement seeing them on the net!! Sort of like seeing your friend on TV...

I guess there is an underlying sadness in these social villages that can't be made up by video clips and listing of favorite books...at least that's how I saw it..ALL people putting on happy faces and their best foot forward,(reminds me of work), but you know there has to be more to these icons and bare-bone representations that computer web sites still haven't figured out how to communicate...

Okay, I might want to pop in here once in awhile to ask a particular question, or get a book suggestion,for example... but living here seems like the most unsocial existence of all...these places have a limited repotoire for socialbility in any meaningful way that I can detect, admittingly during a short examination...maybe if I stayed for awhile and tried to get a back and forth conversation going with an interesting icon thing...my icon and their icon might hit it off..but I'd rather be over at an establishmet like "Cheers" where everyone knows your name (and can really buy you a beer...).