Do you know that my posting frequency on this blog has dropped alarmingly? And I don’t like it. Not one bit!
This blog was the original reason for my being on the Web. Stories of my parenting ups and downs have kept me connected to so many people, parents and non-parents alike. It is my go-to zone for sharing my snippets on Parenting, schooling in Bangalore and life lessons from my daughter, Gy.
Somewhere along the way, I started doing something else, though. I was drawn in by the lure of social media. And when I say social media, I mean the insidious lure of the networking sites such as Twitter and Facebook. And when I say ‘sites’, I mean, only Facebook.
Let me be frank.
Facebook has been a boon to me, as well as a bit of an edged sword. I am both eternally thankful for its presence in my life and also constantly worrying about the large chunk of time it tends to take out of my daily existence.
So, here are 12 reasons that I am grateful for Facebook and also why I worry about its impact on my life.
1. It connects me to people
This is absolutely true. In the early days of Facebook, I managed to get back in touch with so many people from my past- school, college, workplace- that it became seamlessly easy to stay in touch with people. So, that’s the good thing about it.
*Yes, I do have over 1000 Facebook friends. Here’s why that’s a problem 😉
There are Parenting groups on facebook, where I source a lot of excellent articles on Positive parenting and the idea of Yelling less. I connected with the Orange Rhino page , when browsing for articles online. Friends of mine, who are also on a similar wavelength, share these on their timelines and I glean some valuable tips from them.
Yes, you read that right. It’s addictive to keep clicking through to read related articles, all at one go. We all know how that’s going to end.
In the heady glow of new love, I remember signing up for a number of groups. So many of them kept popping up and I joined all of them. From selling used goods to getting hotel recommendations or the newest restaurant, it was all there. I just had to join the conversations and glean the useful bits out.
Picture credit: Pixabay |
After a hard day’s work, I would unwind, by scrolling through the News Feed and getting updated on what my friends and family were doing. It was a great way to switch off from the strain of the workday.
*Fortunately, I figured out how I can use Time Blocking to save my sanity!
As a blogger, I know that Facebook has helped reach my posts to a wider audience, one that faithfully followed my posts and appreciated the little snippets of happiness I would share with the world at large. Both my Facebook pages, the Moving Quill and Diary of a Doting Mom, have seen much love from this space. For that, I always will be filled with gratitude.
I agree with the idea of sharing your posts on your personal page and your facebook blog page. But, when you simultaneously share the same post with 75 different groups, all of which are set to Public view, you inadvertently spam your friends’ timelines! One of my well-wishers was kind enough to tell me that she was tempted to turn off notifications from me, because of this. She didn’t want to do it, because she liked my posts. And with that, I took the pruning shears out and snipped my sharing tendency, keeping it to the bare minimum.
Picture Credit: Pixabay |
*A few years after this post, I wrote this one about how Facebook is a BOON to bloggers. You’d enjoy it.