Farewell to Facebook

The other day, I had someone ask me, “Why does your picture show up blank on my friend list on Facebook? Have you removed me as one of your friends?”

I guess there’s no point in hiding it anymore. Let’s just make it official. I have left the world of Facebook. I have deactivated my account.

Please understand up front that I know that most of my beloved readers are Facebook officianados and frequent that black hole of a web site. Just know that my rant is not directed at you. There is nothing wrong with playing Farmtown or Mafia Wars or Farkle or whatever other games suit your fancy. I do believe that Facebook can have good uses and can be a good thing. J-Dawg and his family use it to plan family get togethers. That’s cool. It can even be a lot of fun to catch up with old friends. Just know that if you are reading this post, it is because I probably sent you the link to my blog. I only sent you the link to my blog because I like you (I even love a lot of you as we are probably family), and I never thought you took Facebook to an obsessive, creepy level….well, most of you. You are probably using Facebook in the way it was intended, and not abusing it like some people to whom this post is referring. (I don’t know if I used “whom” correctly there. I forget the rules on that. Maybe my English teacher mom can solve that mystery for me?)

I think it was December of last year (I can’t say this with absolute certainty as time seems to go faster and faster the older I get and I often lose track of when things actually happened), I got an e-mail from an old buddy of mine who was on the wrestling team in high school with me asking me to join Facebook. I had heard of Facebook in passing from a couple of people, so I figured why not? I wouldn’t mind seeing what this individual had been up to. So I signed up. Little did I know what was in store for me.

The next day, I had 3 friend requests in my e-mail. The day after that, it was 7. The day after, another 5. Requests from people, some of whom were family, some of whom were good friends back in the day, some of whom I only vaguely remembered and had to rack my brains to try to recollect. I know, I am SO popular.

Yeah right.

290 friends later, it all ends.

I have deactivated the endless friend requests from obscure people that I barely remember, and some I don’t remember AT ALL. I have deactivated the nauseatingly relentless barrage of wall posts from people who want to treat Facebook like a twitter page. I have deactivated weird messages from some girl I used to know who just went through a divorce and is wondering what I have been up to lately. I have deactivated old school mates who think we should have some kind of 5^th grade class reunion and they are wondering when I could make it to Houston, TX to attend. I have deactivated countless e-mails telling me that someone commented on a 3^rd grade class picture that I was tagged on. I have deactivated posts from “friends” telling me that I should really post more pictures of me and my kids.

I am a relatively private person. Anyone who has ever looked at my Facebook page knows that I only had up 1 picture of myself, and it was not a close up. Oh, and I did put up an ultrasound picture of our new baby to announce to everyone our news. I hardly ever posted anything on my wall about how I was feeling.  I know that you can lock your account down on Facebook, but that is not full proof. Basically, Facebook was not my cup of tea.

So, farewell Facebook. I will not really miss you. Anyone that I would actually want to talk to has a way to get in touch with me.  If you are reading this and thinking to yourself “Hey! Now I don’t have a way to get in touch with him since he is not on Facebook anymore.” Leave a comment on any post on this blog, I will get an e-mail about it, and I will find you.