Thinning the Herd

As of this morning I had 283 Facebook friends. Next week at this time I’ll have fewer.

Facebook has value and provides some good things. I’m genuinely interested in much of what my Friends post, but lately I’ve noticed there are lot of people on there that I was never really friends with — and honestly, I can’t imagine they’re very interested in what I post there.

So, one by one I’m picking people who have to go. It’s not personal, just that I don’t care much about them and they seem not to care much about me, so why not?

For the others, I make it a habit to hit the Like button  a few times a day. It’s important for people to know that you’re interested in what they’re posting, especially is you want to carry the title Friend.

If not, it’s like that guy you meet for coffee who can’t stop talking about himself. You say something interesting and they act as if they didn’t even hear you. That’s what Facebook can be like, as hundreds of people go on about their favorite subject: themselves.

This century’s existential crisis is posting things online and wondering if anyone has bothered to read it. If you’re going to take the time to fool around with Twitter and Facebook, spend a moment to let people know that you’re not just talking, you’re listening.

4 thoughts on “Thinning the Herd

  1. I thinned my herd from about 700 “friends” to five . . . my wife, daughter, sister, nephew and daughter’s bestie. It was liberating, on many planes.

    About a month ago, I started accepting “friend” requests again and re-engaging on Facebook. This time, though, I’m very quick to cull as soon as I see something I don’t want to see . . . . this is supposed to be fun, not aggravating. What’s interesting is how some of the people who most want to connect with me are often the ones I most quickly delete . . .

    [So, you know, a big “LIKE” on this post].

    1. I’ve been silently tolerating people on Facebook who spout the most unbelievable crap — and none of it’s even original, just stuff they mindlessly repeat. It’s tempting to debate them, but so much easier to quietly slip away.

  2. Yeah, I have given up on the debate option . . . if I don’t like your post, it’s an instant delete, no discussion required, necessary, or offered. Sometimes people contact me to inquire why I deleted them . . . I do not reply.

  3. My first rule of Facebook, Twitter, and the like is if I have a personal connection in some way. After that, several other parameters can come into play – a blog I like, common interests, etc. I’m not on FB enough to get terribly annoyed by the crap, I just skip over it. Frankly, if there’s a discussion on something that interests me in some way, someone always comments along the same thoughts as I – that “like” button is all I need.

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