A couple years ago, when I decided to be amongst the last people to jump into the Facebook pool, I did it as means of connecting with people in a new way. I’d throw up a post here on my blog saying as much, and to hit me up with a friend request. It was innocent enough and I had intended on “friending” anyone who had asked.
And then a week went by where several crazy things happened and I instantly regretted making that gesture (and felt bad about feeling bad). I don’t want to go into details, but let’s just say that odd interactions with people – complete strangers really – started happening: people saying bizarre things to me via the chat feature (inappropriately bizarre), making odd comments on personal pictures I’d posted, and otherwise interacting with personal friends of mine on posts (think: behaving badly).
Yeah, it only took a week for me to realize that my initial foray into Facebook – with just a personal page and not the I have now – made me highly uncomfortable and take a serious look at my personal privacy online.
I have several venues where crochet folks can interact with me online: , , , Yahoo Groups, and my (now) . And I love talking crochet with people online. I will almost always respond back – and if I don’t it’s because I just literally forgot. I’ve been a part of some great conversations with people in all of those places. But…the one thing I lacked was a place to catch up with my personal friends, the people who I hang with on the weekends, or try to anyways. And so I’d decided by the end of Week 1 on Facebook, I’d just keep Facebook private, for real life friends and crochet/knit designers that I personally know.
Google+ Do-Over
Now there’s Google+: another new Facebook-like application that allows people to connect socially online. Going into it, this app has at least what Facebook has in terms of privacy settings. Instead of making “groups,” like on FB, you have your “circles.” You can share certain things with certain circles and chose to disable the sharing function so what you say in private stays in private (that’s one thing I like that FB doesn’t have).
So…let’s try this again. It’s a virtual do-over. Except, this time around, it’s a smarter do-over because of the enhanced features that FB didn’t have when I tried this the last time. I’m going to continue keeping FB private for friends only but open up my Google+ account for primarily the crochet folks (that’s what I’m calling you!), that is, if you promise to not do bizarre things like go streaking through the “stream,” solicit my assistance in the transport of funds from the Central Bank of Nigeria into my personal bank account or, pepper me with messages about how you’re stuck in London with no cash or credit cards.
So, hit me up (A-m-i-e H-i-r-t-e-s).
