Forgive me friends, for I have sinned… it’s been over a month since my last news update on Facebook.
How did it happen? Why did I lapse? Where did my Facebook faith go?
I remember those first zealous days of discovery. The joy of reconnecting with old friends… and co-workers and high school classmates and college buds… and ex-girlfriends, in-laws, business associates, guys I played D&D with while Reagan was still president, friends of friends I met at a party once, and even the siblings of schoolmates from elementary school.
I proselytized, I evangelized, I got my friends and family to join.
I spent lunchtime on Facebook. I went on at night after my wife went to bed.
And then something happened.
I discovered Twitter.
I didn’t intend to convert. I avoided Twitter as long as possible. Josef Katz (@directmaestro) said I should tweet, and I resisted. Eleanor Haas (@EleanorHaas), one of the most forward thinking marketing professionals I know, started tweeting and still, I resisted. But then Stephen Colbert (@StephenAtHome) tweeted while interviewing Twitter founder Biz Stone and I was hooked. It was all just so meta.
So I started tweeting.
For a while I did both. I even thought about connecting my Twitter (@jlsimons) to my Facebook.
But my Tweets tended to be about marketing and advertising, and that wasn’t really what Facebook was all about for me. Facebook was about reconnecting with friends, and Twitter was about business.
At least, that’s what I told myself.
But that wasn’t the truth.
It’s time to face the truth.
Twitter is just plain easier. Twitter doesn’t miss me when I don’t tweet, or at least, I don’t feel guilty about not commenting on every tweet I read. Twitter rewards me when I’m relevant… and challenges me to stay relevant. Some of the most interesting articles I’ve read recently I found because someone I follow tweeted them.
I’m not the most prolific tweeter. The total of my tweets wouldn’t add up to a single week of Kevin Smith‘s tweets (@ThatKevinSmith). Ashton Kutcher (@aplusk) gets more followers in an hour than I’ve gotten in almost a year.
And still, I tweet. When I find something I think people will appreciate, I tweet it and I feel like I’ve added something useful to a conversation I want to be part of.
When I post a new post on my blog, I usually tweet it. Heck, I might even tweet this.
I almost never tweet about where I’m going or what I’m doing. I never tweet about what I’m eating. I know some people do, and I respect their right to do it. Tweet and let tweet, I always say. (Well, actually, that was the first time. But I’ll probably say it more often now.)
Sure, sometimes I still go to Facebook, but it’s not the same for me anymore. I can’t tell you why, or maybe I just don’t want to know, but I’m pretty sure it has nothing to do with the fact that Facebook is now the most popular site on the web and gets more visits than Google.
That would be silly, right, avoiding something just because everyone is doing it? Because then, someday, I’d have to give up tweeting for the same reason.
I’m not the kind of person who does things just because they’re new and shiny. Really I’m not.
But just in case I’m wrong, can someone please explain Foursquare to me?
Can someone please explain...? 
10 replies on “Forgive me friends, for I have sinned…”
Oh, you got to get on Foursquare… I used it a few months back and it is addictive. On the off chance you and a “friend” check in at the same place within minutes some might argue even a bit cool and then if you become the mayor well “you are very cool”… but I have a hard time justifying more time with the tool. I personally don’t see any information within FQ that you can’t get some place else (other than who has checked in to a location if you are the voyeur type…). But then again I could be completely missing the boat here.
Sorry got to run go check in on FQ then Tweet this on twitter but only after I update my FB page… It is going to be a busy day all for my friend Jeff. I hope you appreciate the effort I put into our friendship.
BTW – thanks for the shout out.
You sir, are a technological siren. Or is it a canary in an online coal mine. I’m not sure which, but thanks for just being you.
Thanks Jeff for sharing your confession. You are a big man charlie brown. What’s more, you clarified some distinctions between the two worlds.
It was hard, Jill, but I hope my bravery will inspire others to face their own personal demons.
Facebook Frenzy? Been there – done that!
Hope you will enjoy my light take on this important subject:
THE BIG TWEET! Twitter, Facebook, Oprah “Women Food and God” from my Blog:
HOW TO BE HAPPY IF… http://drsue3.wordpress.com
Hugs 2 U Dr. Sue
Thanks for the comment, Dr. Sue, and the link to the post. I loved it! Great take on the subject, although I think you need to update the number of followers Ashton Kutcher has. I think he just added China…
Hey, Great post about Twitter. I think Twitter is going to be one of the best networks because of the fact that it is supported by so many industries. I also think when Twitter shows some of it’s new features, returning traffic will increase to show the real growth of the network. Keep up the great work!
And you have absolutely no dog in this hunt, do you, Twitter Background. Still, I don’t disagree with anything you say. Twitter is definitely different things to different people, and different industries, and I think that’s what’s making it grow. New features can be nice, but not always the best solution. For instance, the Retweet button. I rarely use it because I prefer the older, RT @ format, which allows me to editorialize while retweeting. What’s your take on that, Twitter Background?
*presses “like button”*
Twitter to me is like listening to half a conversation, so, I have LJ forward to facebook, and facebook forward to twitter. And am starting to consider hiding from all of it.
I’d press the like button on your comment, if I had one here. I love how wired you are. You could also run your feeds on your website, http://www.marrusart.com, which everyone should visit to see amazing art. (Was that shameless plug too over the top? Because you know I believe it!) And the more important question for a traveling artist like you: are you considering Foursquare? Then your fans can find you wherever you are, any time of the day or night. Wouldn’t that be awesome? (Please avoid expletives in your reply.)