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I’m finally free of all social media services
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Comments (20)
Another very good post
@ dotmatrix
I agree with you 100%. And agree about the in-laws! You could also just listen to practically any politician or religious zealot if you are in need of a dose of nonsensical blather! Haha!
I agree with you 100%. And agree about the in-laws! You could also just listen to practically any politician or religious zealot if you are in need of a dose of nonsensical blather! Haha!
I'm pleased to see that I'm not the only one on the Planet without a Facebook/Twitter account. MY information belongs on MY servers, not some third party server over which I have no control.
I also appreciate the comment about "nonsensical blather". Some people have the uncanny ability to expand zero thoughts into a seemingly unending number of words. Truly amazing, really.
I also appreciate the comment about "nonsensical blather". Some people have the uncanny ability to expand zero thoughts into a seemingly unending number of words. Truly amazing, really.
I have to use Facebook as I run a few pages for business, including my own. Like it or not, it's a major communication channel for a large number of people. As for personal use, the quality of the experience depends on the quality of people in your network. Instead of friending everyone I can my network is always kept to less than 30 people (and I have no qualms about unfriending redundant folk to keep it that way). It allows me to keep in touch with a variety of people and events relevant to me.
As to posting content, I am not into posting what I like, where I am, what I'm eating, or anything relevant to me - there's not even a picture of me. The content I share and post are informative topics important to me, which aren't posted to garnish a lot of likes or go viral, increasing the availability of real information - whether people from my small pool read it or not doesn't really matter; someone, somewhere might as my posts are publicly available. As the discussion about lxer keeps leaning towards, the only way to increase quality is to increase quality. Trollin' people can be fun when I'm in the mood as well. There's a tendency for people to form echo chambers of misinformation by only participating with people who already agree with them. Their ideas need to be challenged now and then.
As to posting content, I am not into posting what I like, where I am, what I'm eating, or anything relevant to me - there's not even a picture of me. The content I share and post are informative topics important to me, which aren't posted to garnish a lot of likes or go viral, increasing the availability of real information - whether people from my small pool read it or not doesn't really matter; someone, somewhere might as my posts are publicly available. As the discussion about lxer keeps leaning towards, the only way to increase quality is to increase quality. Trollin' people can be fun when I'm in the mood as well. There's a tendency for people to form echo chambers of misinformation by only participating with people who already agree with them. Their ideas need to be challenged now and then.
@cybertao:
> As the discussion about lxer keeps leading, the only way to increase quality is to increase quality. Trollin' people can be fun when I'm in the mood as well. There's a tendency for people to form echo chambers of misinformation by only participating with people who already agree with them. Their ideas need to be challenged now and then.
Indeed. And that's why news about censorship on social media matters, whether or not one agrees with the censored topic. It's also why I use ddg rather than google.
> As the discussion about lxer keeps leading, the only way to increase quality is to increase quality. Trollin' people can be fun when I'm in the mood as well. There's a tendency for people to form echo chambers of misinformation by only participating with people who already agree with them. Their ideas need to be challenged now and then.
Indeed. And that's why news about censorship on social media matters, whether or not one agrees with the censored topic. It's also why I use ddg rather than google.
Social media are like meat. Those who don't eat it are often very loud about it.
And those who do eat it aren't very concerned about their privacy.
Used to have a Facebook account many years ago.
It was mainly used to keep in contact with people when I emigrated to Canada.
Biggest issue was the amount of inane drivel that I used to be deluged with. It really wasn't worth it.
When they went rogue on the terms of service debacle, I left and have never missed it for one minute.
When they went rogue on the terms of service debacle, I left and have never missed it for one minute.
Quoting:Used to have a Facebook account many years ago. It was mainly used to keep in contact with people when I emigrated to Canada. Biggest issue was the amount of inane drivel that I used to be deluged with. It really wasn't worth it.
When they went rogue on the terms of service debacle, I left and have never missed it for one minute.
More impassioned sentiments are expressed in the first two paragraphs of the essay INOLJ-OOW2.0C (Is Not On LiveJournal[1] Or Other Web 2.0 Cults):
Quoting:No, I'm really not interested in your Web-based "social network". And my data aren't going onto your Web-hosted "service".
I've been spammed by ArtBoom, Bebo, CardScan.Net, Congoo, Ecademy, Eventbee, Eventful, everyonesconnected.com, evite, Facebook, Flixster, Friendster, Google+, GreatestJournal, hi5.com, LinkedIn, LiveJournal, Living Directory, MeetUp, Memetika, Multiply, MySpace, openBC, Orkut, Plaxo, Quechup, Ringo, Ryze, Shortcut, Siliconindia.org, Spoke Software, Tagworld, Tickle (previously Emode), Tribe.net, Upcoming.org, Xanga, Yaari, Yafro, and Zvents — all telling me over and over how they're going to "build my social network", even though I'm absolutely not interested.
Specifically regarding Facebook, also see 3 Ways Facebook Plans to Exploit Users posted by this very commentator nearly four years ago.
Indeed, the author's ending quote of INOLJ-OOW2.0C (Is Not On LiveJournal[1] Or Other Web 2.0 Cults) likely remains applicable for the vast majority of non-business users of Facebook, given the ongoing "amount of inane drivel" such users regularly face:
Quoting:[2] Don Marti's definition: "In Web 2.0, application[s] use you."
I never joined any social media to begin with
I couldn't agree with the author of this article more! The only difference between he and I is that I saw these social networking services for the time wasting, mind numbing, garbage spewing, personal information sucking pieces of vapidware that they are from the very beginning. That the general public is so addicted to these sites is astounding and they are breeding new generations of narcissistic "look at me me me me" idiots who have no social skills to speak of. I can only hope that more and more people wake up to the fact that these services are not for their benefit and pull the plug.
Quoting:That the general public is so addicted to these sites is astounding and they are breeding new generations of narcissistic "look at me me me me" idiots who have no social skills to speak of. I can only hope that more and more people wake up to the fact that these services are not for their benefit and pull the plug.
While not necessarily intended for the general public, the diaspora* Project is still around and may still be of use to some.
Here is the main excerpt from Diaspora's introductory Welcome page:
Quoting:Welcome to diaspora*
The online social world where you are in control
diaspora* is based on three key philosophies:
Decentralization Freedom Privacy
Before Diaspora founder Ilya Zhitomirskiy's untimely death back in November of 2011 (as posted here at LXer), perhaps some longtime LXer readers may recall the following Diaspora-related posts:
Diaspora: Freedom in the Cloud?, Diaspora, The Open Facebook Alternative, Soars Past $50,000 In Micro-Funding (incidentally, posted by this very commentator) , Diaspora: The Future of Free Software Funding?, Diaspora coming, Diaspora Open Sources Social Networking, Source code released for Diaspora, an open source, distributed alternative to Facebook, Installing Diaspora preview on Ubuntu 10.04, Open social networking: A look at the Diaspora pre-alpha code, Diaspora Contributor Agreement Troubling, Hands-on: a first look at Diaspora's private alpha test, Diaspora in Pictures: A Candid Walkthrough in Alpha, and A First Look At Diaspora – The Open Social Network.
Since the Diaspora founder's untimely demise over four years ago, here are the majority of Diaspora-related LXer posts: Distributed Social Network for Everyone ?, Occupy Diaspora, Diaspora slowly becoming a community-run project, but is it too late?, Learning from Diaspora, and Why Not Diaspora?.
One might wonder how many LXer readers are still using Diaspora, assuming they haven't altogether completely abandoned social media sites ??
Social media are just tools. It depends on what you do with it. As far as I'm concerned, I've found long lost friends and even the odd job via social media.
@kikinovak:
>Social media are just tools.
I disagree. Social media platforms are run by organizations. These organizations extract cash from the information stream. So, social media are tools that are paid for with personal information. They are not 'just tools', nor are they free.
The article author asks in a prior post*:
"Why can't I just pay for the access up front rather than with PII?" I think this is a great question.
LXer is social media. I'm here because I support LXer. Although it would be good if they chose a non-Google ad provider.
*prior: http://lxer.com/module/newswire/view/224208/index.html
>Social media are just tools.
I disagree. Social media platforms are run by organizations. These organizations extract cash from the information stream. So, social media are tools that are paid for with personal information. They are not 'just tools', nor are they free.
The article author asks in a prior post*:
"Why can't I just pay for the access up front rather than with PII?" I think this is a great question.
LXer is social media. I'm here because I support LXer. Although it would be good if they chose a non-Google ad provider.
*prior: http://lxer.com/module/newswire/view/224208/index.html
@dotmatrix:
Actually, I've also become disillusioned with Google AdSense. We placed a single Google ad on LXer with the hope that it might "pay the electric bill". In fact, the amount of revenue it brings in is only a tiny fraction of what it costs to run LXer. And that one ad brings with it an objectionable amount of tracking links which people like you and me must deal with.
So, as of today, LXer no longer carries a Google AdSense ad. We will in the days/weeks ahead look for an alternative, but for now LXer is ad free.
Bob Whitinger
Publisher, LXer
Actually, I've also become disillusioned with Google AdSense. We placed a single Google ad on LXer with the hope that it might "pay the electric bill". In fact, the amount of revenue it brings in is only a tiny fraction of what it costs to run LXer. And that one ad brings with it an objectionable amount of tracking links which people like you and me must deal with.
So, as of today, LXer no longer carries a Google AdSense ad. We will in the days/weeks ahead look for an alternative, but for now LXer is ad free.
Bob Whitinger
Publisher, LXer
Bob, I did the same thing on my blog as as far as Google Adsense ads go. See my post here: http://jimlynch.com/internet/why-i-removed-googles-adsense-a...
It just ended up being not worth having Adsense on my blog. Like you said, too many trackers and not enough money being generated by the ad. Plus the other reasons I listed.
I've been using Amazon affiliate links, and that might be worth trying. Perhaps the native ad related products widgets at the end of each post might for Lxer? Plus a text link at the top where the adsense ad was?
It just ended up being not worth having Adsense on my blog. Like you said, too many trackers and not enough money being generated by the ad. Plus the other reasons I listed.
I've been using Amazon affiliate links, and that might be worth trying. Perhaps the native ad related products widgets at the end of each post might for Lxer? Plus a text link at the top where the adsense ad was?
>So, as of today, LXer no longer carries a Google AdSense ad. We will in the days/weeks ahead look for an alternative, but for now LXer is ad free.
I don't have much to give, but I'll be happy to contribute a few dollars between ad providers.
Many GNU websites are starting to include a bitcoin address for donations and paypal isn't a terrible option. If either of these two are posted, it may make contributing cash donations fairly painless for those of us who may be willing to do so in order to keep LXer up and running.
I don't have much to give, but I'll be happy to contribute a few dollars between ad providers.
Many GNU websites are starting to include a bitcoin address for donations and paypal isn't a terrible option. If either of these two are posted, it may make contributing cash donations fairly painless for those of us who may be willing to do so in order to keep LXer up and running.
Me also
> I've been using Amazon affiliate links, and that might be worth trying
Definitely worth considering. It's a shame O'Reilly doesn't have a similar option.
I doubt anyone would mind a reasonably sized and placed tip jar either.
Definitely worth considering. It's a shame O'Reilly doesn't have a similar option.
I doubt anyone would mind a reasonably sized and placed tip jar either.
O'Reilly has an Amazon store page set up that could be used as an affiliate link:
http://www.amazon.com/b/ref=amb_link_359977582_3?ie=UTF8&nod...
http://www.amazon.com/b/ref=amb_link_359977582_3?ie=UTF8&nod...
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I really don't care what most people think. If I want to hear a stream of nonsensical blather, I'll just visit the in-laws. At least the meaningless trite 'conversation' usually comes with free food.