Tuesday, November 01, 2011

NaBloPoMo 11.1 - sans Facebook

It's been one month since my break-up with Facebook.

I was sick of all the privacy changes - something new everyday that I had to seek out and update/change/block/whatever. I did not like that my privacy was also dependent upon how someone else's settings. There are people I didn't 'friend' on FB for a reason. However, with one little comment from a friend with lax privacy settings, my pictures and comments and such were available to anyone! Uh, no thanks. I logged off for the last time and deleted my account (which, really isn't deleting; it's 'deactivating' and after two weeks of NO INTERACTION your account is deleted. Pfft.).

The first day, I didn't miss it too much. It was a Saturday. I didn't do much Facebooking on weekends anyway, so no biggie. Sunday morning had me half-heartedly rethinking the situation. It was football Sunday. It was trash-talk Sunday with my Fantasy Football boys. I was missing Dan's gleeful posts about his Bears and everyone's bashing of J's crappy fantasy team. Somehow, I resisted logging back in.

Monday morning came. I grabbed my iPhone, ready with the perfect lyric to start the week. Wait. Where's the Facebook link? Did I move it? No, I deleted it. Facebook was gone, remember? Oh, yeah. Instead, I posted to Google+.

My usual morning routine went something like this: check work email, check personal email, check FB comments posted within the 20-30 minutes it took me to get to work, check Cafe World, CityVille and, finally, play some Bejeweled Blitz.

I was totally okay with all of that cut from my routine. Except, Bejeweled Blitz. How was I to get through my day without a game or ten of pure distraction? Had I been too hasty in my Facebook break-up? *sigh* I would just have to get over it.

Fast-forward 6 1/2 hours. All is fine in my Facebookless world. Well, not all. "I deleted my Facebook account 6.5 hours ago. I miss Bejeweled Blitz. A lot." My woe-is-me post on G+. My friend, Jeff - God bless him! - comments: You know they have Bejeweled Blitz for G+, right? Uh...NO I DID NOT KNOW! I clicked around and voila! there it was! My beloved Bejeweled Blitz. ::insert Hallelujah Chorus:: I was so happy to see the shiny jewels. I was so happy to line 'em up. I was so happy to watch those shiny jewels explode and disintegrate.

Fast-forward one month. All is fine in my Facebookless world. For the most part. I think about going back if only to get in touch with a few friends I have no other means to communicate or talk. That's the frustrating part for me. I loved reconnecting with long-lost school friends, sorority sisters, my college roommate; I loved staying in touch with new friends and colleagues.

I've received a couple of texts - FB isn't the same without you. Very sweet to hear. Then, I'll get a tweet or text - you're not missing a damn thing.

Yeah, all is fine in my Facebookless world.

4 comments:

CJ said...

I'm THIS close to deleting mine. Seriously. But I can't find my way around Google Plus and where would I post photos of my kids?

I'd LOVE to read a post about HOW to quit Facebook, you know, from someone who's been there/done that!

Reese said...

Hi CJ!

I admit - G+ takes a bit to get used to...once you do get the hang of it, moving around and using it isn't so bad.

As for pictures, G+ uses Picasa. Or, you can create a Tumblr or use Flickr to post pictures. There are some great places to share photos.

If you do delete FB, let me know how it goes for ya :)

~ Reese

nylonthread said...

I'm slowly warming up to G+. Google just eliminated Reader, which I adored for sharing articles and commenting with friends, and is trying to merge Reader with G+. Unsuccessfully for now. I'm still floating between FB & G+, but would like to dump FB for good at some point, too. Would miss the HS friends, though!

Reese said...

I am so unhappy about Google eliminating Reader, too, Nylonthread. I hope they figure out the G+/Reader merger soon...

Thanks for stopping by, reading and commenting :)

reese x