Facebook Review

Dear All,

The idea of LPSF activists to get Facebook accounts and post libertarian-leaning writings is excellent. However, situations have developed after just a few weeks of my posting regularly on my Wall:

1. Birds of a feather flock together. Unless one is willing to spend a lot of time looking for Facebook Friends of different political bents, which I am not, your Facebook Friends are all going to be the same as you (in my case economic conservatives). Preaching to the converted, again.

2. Friends are from all over the country, so the chance of finding some to bring to LPSF are very small. Tristan Horn did return to the LPSF discuss right after he became a Facebook Friend; he had been to a few meetings as I recall. If others had more success that one, I would be interested.

3. As Rob had warned, there will be those that post constantly, taking up all your Wall space. I would say, a lot are like that, and the only way to get rid of the proliferation of their posts is to hide ALL their posts, which might result in your losing most of your posts by everyone.

4. Today, Facebook changed its technology, so that occurrences appear on your Wall automatically. So your Wall reads like the Book of Genesis, leaving little room for intelligent posts (Daisy Duck has befriended Minnie Mouse. Goofy has added the Hollywood Actors Union to his Groups). There was even an automatic post "Ron Getty needs new Friends; give him suggestions" (I could not make this up!). SF Gate discusses this change.

5. I have written to Facebook Suggestions and told them their new format stinks (well, not in those words). I have posted on SF Gate more or less the same. So, in summary, I will give it another week, and if I do not find the situations above can be ameliorated somehow, I will discontinue my account.

Marcy

Marcy,

Regarding "birds of a feather," I've managed to limit my FB friends list to
only about half Libertarians (or less) by ensuring that I friend all the
people I can from Commonwealth Club INFORUM, Kai's friends from Harvard
(only met one Libertarian there, EVER). And they get to see my posts about
the WSJ article on Whole Foods' Mackey, LPSF events (now that's just our
meetings and the social hour, but still...), my own Libertarian musings,
etc.

Before you give up on Facebook, try expanding your FB friends to outside
Libertarian circles. Professional contacts, family friends, social groups,
organizations you volunteer with, etc. You may be surprised at the impact
you have.

Rob