Life is grand

Doc Searls highlights some interesting problems around Facebook and sites with the concept of “friends.”

Thankfully I learned my lesson the hard way through Flickr and have avoided the same problem with Facebook. Though truth be told I’d rather it had happened the other way around as there is far more value to me in Flickr than Facebook.

The tools need to improve but so does the concept and peoples attitudes towards social networks. Software may let you have 3000 friends but your brain doesn’t. Just because it is digital doesn’t mean you have new found social powers between your ears. Wading through a hundred friend requests a day on Facebook is a waste of your time no matter who you are.

And as social networks become more important and integrated into your daily life you are going to regret accepting the friend request of a chap who walked your neighbour’s dog one time. The tools should let him be on the periphery of your social network but you need not have him next to your sister, best friend and wife in the order of things.

Now if only I could reset the contact list in Flickr, unsubscribe in one feel swoop from all those groups and regulate the “Comments you have made” feed.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, October 23rd, 2007 at 1:53 pm and is filed under Post. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.