The
following essay was produced as part of my 2013 effort for the
November National Novel Writing Month effort. As such, please
understand that while I did give it a quick review, it has not
gone through the same proofreading and editing I normally try
to give all of the material posted on this site.
I
always make some mistakes. There are errors to be found throughout
this web site, and many exist despite dozens of attempts to correct
problems. That said, ask that you approach this material in the
spirit intended – a basic thought, slightly worked out and very
informally researched, delivered in the hopes of writing more
than 50,000 words by the end of November.
Thank
you.
~ ~
~ ~ ~
Within
minutes… no, make that seconds… she had reclaimed my
profile picture, asked about a shot she wanted for her cover photo
of both of us, and was on her way making some initial friend requests.
Within hours, she had raced past ninety friends and was cruising
to one hundred and beyond. I wasn’t logging in for her again,
so I have no clue what requests, messages, or other surprises
awaited her next visit.
All
I know is that the day had arrived.
Yes.
Terry
had begun using her Facebook account.
The
fact that Terry actually has a Facebook account isn’t new or exciting
news. Unknown to many… and never really used… she’s actually had
one for some time. A couple of years in fact. Funny story that…
For
a long time, I avoided Facebook. I was having enough problems
keeping my nose pointed in the direction of my homework without
the distraction of social networking. My Space… then Facebook…
then Twitter… I would occasionally look at them, shake my head
often when I didn’t get how they worked, and then move on to other
projects. (I never did figure out My Space. I suppose that doesn’t
matter now.)
Then
opportunity came knocking.
I
had been introduced to some fantastic people through Legends
in Concert. This led to that led to --
along with some incredible friendships and wonderful experiences
-- a request to use some of my pictures. One or two ended up on
their main web site. Several were placed on their Facebook page.
As
some of you know there are places on Facebook where, in order
to view a photograph, you need to have an active account and be
logged in.
I
wanted to see some of my pictures getting posted.
So…
I created an account.
And
I logged in.
The
thing is, even with it running and somewhat active, I never really
used the account in those early days. I sent out no friend requests.
I told no one I had signed up. And a decision not to use pictures
-- meaning my Facebook profile was a shot of Molly and Gus --
had this strange result. Many people later told me that even when
they did come across my profile, the picture of the dogs and not
some image of me created an uncertainty for them. No picture…
no location… they weren’t going to take a chance on sending a
request to the wrong person.
All
was quiet.
Then
it happened… knowing our dogs and having the information from
Terry that I did in fact have an account… a friend did find me,
and sent a friend request along. I stepped through the door, accepted
the invitation, and moved into the world of social networking
and added my first friend.
There
was no stopping me after that. And I suppose we’ve all gone through
similar waves as we got started.
The
“people you may know” feature actually did occasionally bring
about some names of people I knew. And I clicked to send out friend
requests.
Connecting
with a few people led to exchanges of messages and e-mails and
texts, often with suggestions to look for this person or that
person that both of us knew.
Some
people found me… and some people I found… and through one method
or another, there I was, on Facebook.
Initially
I made it a point not to post any pictures of family, friends,
or myself. (No obvious selfie for me as a profile option.) I figured
the dogs would be great… and maybe some stuff I found every so
often. And I would be willing to share items that others had shared.
Really
basic stuff.
No
pictures of people though. No funny admissions about family, friends
or work that might get misunderstood, misinterpreted, or in some
way become a glossy photograph with circles and arrows to be used
as evidence against me.
The
thing is, I also began adding some additional pages. I wanted
something for my main web site. I wanted something for my published
writing. I added a page for ComplemenTerry Designs. I
developed some material focusing on our puppies (and their friends).
And eventually even Local Friends for Local Business had a page.
Ah…
but even when they tell you that you can view a page as so-and-so
or just-like-setting-such-and-such, I wanted to see what those
pages really looked like. The reality is very easy to understand…
nothing works quite like truly seeing it from a different perspective.
Step outside and look back in. No bells or whistles or side-bar
reminders of what settings are in place.
I
talked to Terry… and she gave me the green light to begin a Facebook
page for her. There was a big consideration though. See, if I
truly wanted to see things as a blind and unbiased perspective,
that meant keeping things as clean as possible for her account.
No identifying marks… no friend connections… and so on.
And
for something like two years, that’s the way things stayed.
Terry
has been working on several projects since mid-August. Last week
she looked at me and asked if her Facebook account still existed,
and if so, would I show her how to log in and use it.
So
I did.
I
was her first friend on Facebook. By doing that with her by my
side, she saw that I was using a picture of Molly and Gus that
she had taken. She wanted to use it. So I changed things on my
end and freed up the picture.
And…
saving the details on a few other items… it is here that our little
essay moves into an open letter to our family and friends. Why?
Because after she sent out some friend requests and got started…
she logged off, went down the stairs, and to my knowledge hasn’t
stepped back into the room with the computer.
So…
here we go… an open letter to those that may be interested.
Hi
–
A
few of you have noticed that Terry is on Facebook. Some of you
have extended friend offers… many have posted comments and messages...
and in general, I have to say the reaction has been great.
The
thing is… I need you to know that Terry isn’t going to be a
daily visitor to Facebook. At least not yet. So if you don’t
hear from her, please don’t be surprised. I honestly have no
clue when she’ll be back. And that means she may not send out
more friend requests for a bit, may not respond to messages
or posts for days or weeks (or whatever-s), and just in general
may seem to have disappeared as quickly as she appeared.
Don’t
be surprised by this. And don’t take it personally. She is almost
certainly not ignoring you. (Though it could be argued, and
likely quite successfully defended, that she is ignoring everyone.)
She’s new to Facebook, and likely doesn’t even know you found
her.
Give
her some time. Eventually she’ll be liking and sharing and commenting
and messaging, just like the rest of us.
She’ll
be annoyed by game recommendations. She’ll chuckle at pictures
and posters. She’ll wonder why anyone needs to know what you
had for breakfast. She’ll check in from a restaurant, theme
park, or attraction.
But
you need to give her some time. Right now, she just hasn’t walked
around enough to know the neighborhood.
I
don’t know if that helps. As I mentioned, I haven’t checked out
her account since that first day, so I couldn’t tell you. But
I have a funny feeling that a few people are pretty happy to see
her around -- which is awesome -- and yet it’s distinctly possible
she may go a couple of weeks before she even knows someone is
looking for her.
Still…
It
took her all of 15 seconds to completely change my Facebook presence.
(And actually less.) And by the time she returns, chances are
things may change again.