Tuesday, April 14, 2009

Is Facebook just for "feel good" stuff?

Is Facebook just for "feel good" stuff?

Yeah, we post pictures of our cute kids and grandkids, and Easter and Christmas, and birthdays and baptisms and Bar Mitzvahs and Bat Mitzvahs and just old fashioned get-togethers with friends. Our witticisms and our friends' repartees. Oh, I'm so happy. I'm so sad. Hoping you're doing okay. I'm making cookies. Blah, blah, blah.

Now granted there is a time and a place for all this "feel good" stuff. But life is not always a bowl of chocolate covered cherries. There is some serious shit going on out there. Today I came across this article regarding Governor Palin's nomination of Wayne Anthony Ross for attorney general. Ross, a colorful lawyer and longtime Palin ally who sports his initials, W.A.R., on his Hummer’s vanity plates, allegedly declared during a speech before a 1991 gathering of the “father’s rights” group Dads Against Discrimination, “If a guy can’t rape his wife, who’s he gonna rape?”

Mr. Ross responded with a letter to legislative members. Excerpt:

If I recall correctly, the only time I ever addressed this group, if indeed I ever did address them, was at a Denny’s restaurant on either Benson and Denali or on Dimond and the Seward Highway. To my best recollection the only time I have been in the Denny’s on Benson and DeBarr was to attend meetings of the Armed Services YMCA...

"If I recall correctly...". "If indeed I ever...". "...either Benson and Denali or on Dimond and the Seward Highway." "To the best of my recollection...". "The only time...". Zeez, Mr. Ross, which is it? You're starting to sound like Alberto Gonzalez.

But, back to my original question: "Is Facebook just for "feel good" stuff?"

I've only been using Facebook for a few weeks but I like the ability to quickly post pictures and thoughts, and make comments, and just generally socialize. When I discovered the Facebook Share option I thought I'd died and gone to heaven (figuratively, of course). A nice little icon. A nice little description. Space for a comment (but not THAT much space). One click and you've linked a post to your profile.

Since I have a small circle of friends that periodically email each other articles we think may be of interest, I thought that Facebook would be the perfect way to share this stuff. No sending of emails and clogging up everyone's inbox. Friends receive notifications of your post. Friends can choose when to look at your posts. They can even turn off (hide) your posts. Fast. Convenient. Perfect.

Well, almost perfect. For starters I just discovered there is some kind of limit to the number of characters you can put in a comment. No warning. No explanation. You just can't type any more. Or, more to the point, you can type all you want but the next letter just replace the previous. Nice.

Also, no formatting allowed. No bold. No italic. No identation. No nuttin'.

Am I soured?

Yes, indeed.

Am I giving up?

Not completely.

I guess I'll do the big stuff here and just link to it on FB. We'll see how it goes...

Good luck, Sarah.