Friends and FriendBurst
The term “friend” is a misnomer on social networking sites. The term “acquaintance” may be more appropriate unless you know the person in real life.
People add you to their “friends” lists and then get hot and bothered if you don’t send them glittery comments everyday. I will comment on your profile at least once a year (on your birthday). If I comment any other time, I address my comment to you and not some mass comment sent to everybody and has no bearing on who you are as a person.
I am a blogger, although not very good about it. I blog about things that are important to me. I visit your blogs and sometimes comment if I think I have something to add.
I don’t have to agree with you to respect you. And I certainly do not agree 100% with anyone. Discussing things that we disagree with each other about can be useful if it does not degenerate into name calling and trash talking.
I am not who I was 30 years ago, nor will I be, I hope, the same 30 years from now if I live that long. Life, experiences and people I have met have made me who I am. That is why I have a photo album of my heroes and blog about them from time to time.
I hope I have made sense to somebody.
You make alot of sense here 🙂
“I don’t have to agree with you to respect you. And I certainly do not agree 100% with anyone. Discussing things that we disagree with each other about can be useful if it does not degenerate into name calling and trash talking”,and this is one thing I do agree on 100%. Unfortunately all too often I see people who are incapable of engaging in coherent debate when it comes to those with whom they do not agree. Huddling into like-minded safety is not a good way to get a view of the bigger picture in the world. And I have to wonder if they spend so much time with the like-minded in their real lives that,when they come across those who wish to discuss opposing opinions on places such as the internet,they simply do not possess the faculties to converse in a civil manner.
And,strangely,I have also noticed that it’s those who claim tolerance who behave with the most INtolerance towards those who disagree with their opinions.
I doubt you and I agree on all that much to be honest,but I do enjoy reading and respect your views on things 🙂
You didn’t comment on my profile on my birthday. Oh wait. I’m not on your friendlist. Does that mean I’m on your enemylist then? 😯
Its all cool with me. I do a lot of peeping myself and I try not to flood people’s pages who I know don’t do comments but do blogs,groups,ect. Your right..with age comes wisdom :love: Dee
I have had some acquaintances that I have made on these social sites become good friends but I know that is more the exception than it is the rule. As for comments, I love and appreciate them on my blogs but as for ones on my profile go, once in awhile is great but when I start getting these long never ending ones almost everyday from people that I never interact with at all, I actually find it a bit annoying 🙄
Well said!
“Kudoz! 8)
I disagree with everything you said here 😛
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*2 Kudos*
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Truth is that I shoulda posted this here a long time ago. I have a feeling you earned it a long time before I had any idea who you are. Of the liberal set, you are unrivaled in courtesy and civility in the typical case, even in disagreement. What makes this noteworthy is that liberals in general [including yourself and almost all of your fellow liberals here] are intelligent to the point of being easy to piss off, very quickly, when their patience is exhausted. Especially when interacting with folks who will not (always) accept logic and reason as the means with which to ‘win’ an argument (Yeah, I’ve capitalized on this a couple times, I have to admit). Once on myspazz there was this guy called “modern primate”… far beyond me in all areas of intellect and education. On one of his blogs he was swatting me around like a cat will do with a chew toy….. I finally managed to cause him to lose his composure by accusing him of being a conservative and got the hell outta there while I still could. 🙂
Anyway, good entry, man. I’m hoping that patience and courtesy are things that come easier with wisdom, as they appear to in your case.
You touched a point here.
Just because I have a friendlist doesn’t mean I’m their friend… I’m the stranger…
I have actually done quite well with “internet friends”. Several have actually traveled to meet me and several more say they plan to soon. If my “real friends” don’t stop dying on me, internet friends may soon be in the majority?
😉
To date, I’ve met 17 people in real life that I first had contact with online. In only two instances have they not been thoroughly enjoyable…and even those two instances had some degree of mutual benefit. So, I have to disagree with your premise, John. One can be more than “acquaintances” with some online people.
Guess I should also add that one can also acquire some formidable and unpleasant enemies online.
“Foe and friend We were all equal in the end.”
-Roger Waters.
Excellent blog, John. I couldn’t agree with you more on this one. Huge kudos. ❗
I’m very cautious about who I get close to on the net. I’ve just been burnt way too many times in the past.
With that being said, I’d probably love to sit around and soak up some of the wisdom that you’ve acquired over the years. From what I’ve read in your blogs, it sounds like you’ve lived a positive and interesting path and have learned more along the way than most people would in a whole lifetime.
When I finally get full retirement next year I may just pack what I can in a car and visit a bunch of you on an American Tour.