#ladydragontumbles

Nearly an hour after I opened tumblr to start this post, I have found my way back here.  It is amazing how a single post, yes a POST, can set you off on a journey of discovery and tangents.

I remember eons ago when the internet was new, Netscape was the browser of choice, and there were nowhere near as many sites/pages/links. I used to love following links and then look back to see where I started.  I was always amazed at the journey.

Now that is commonplace.  No matter how far-fetched the connection, 7 degrees and all. There is no awe anymore.  There is no newness. Thankfully, it hasn't lost its fun.

I guess I have to thank facebook for that, still.  Feeds, especially as THEY are what usually drive my mood for knowledge, entertainment and discovery.

Recently a friend posted this question:

My immediate thought was HELL YES!  I still think it wouldn't be a problem.  I go for long stretches without access (voluntarily) anyway.  But lately, I have been online for several hours EVERY DAY.  Some people call that normal.  I call it an addiction.

But what would I miss most?  Lately, through this experiment, I have been on facebook significantly more often.  The purge seems to be working as more and more of what I am fed is personal - whether that is a poster / picture from a friend or their comments, it has been a delight to see more about the people that used to populate my world (I live FAR away from the vast majority of my facebook friends). 

I have been amazed by the interests and the lives of my friends.  Their lives are so different from mine.  Or, more likely, my life is so vastly different from theirs.  I love the contrast but more than that I love the delight in their own lives that comes through in their posts.  I know that I am lucky that most of the posts that I have been seeing are less politicky or ranting and more intimate.  Maybe it is the source.  Regardless, thank you, facebook, for allowing my feed to become more personal.

Still - and I have to throw this wrench out there - the first advertisement appeared as THE THIRD POST in today's adventure.

Back to the Question... I would miss finding out what my friends were doing on facebook, certainly.  Sometimes the nuggets of wisdom are just CLASSIC.  Other times, the situations they share just make me think - always a good thing.

The world is such a small place.  Less than 10 minutes after seeing this post, I see another one (from one of my cousins to her brother)...

Laughter followed.  Chuckles, really.  Then a coughing fit because I have the cold that everyone, including myself, thought they were finally over.

Still facebook is not my immediate online destination of choice.  Neither is my e-mail - unless I feel like a half-hour of deletes before reading anything of interest.  And no, I don't need ANY medication, thank you.  And that is just the ONE account.

I guess I would miss YouTube the most.  Even when I am typing along like I am here, I often have music from YouTube playing in the background.  My subscription list there could use a good month-long purge as well.  I don't comment because I DON'T WANT TO USE MY REAL NAME, D**** it!  So that takes the personal aspect away a bit.  Still, I LOVE the feeds and the videos and the clips and the quirks so immediately available on YouTube.  If there was one public site that I had to choose to keep, that would be it.   

I am thankful that I do NOT have to choose - Yeah NET NEUTRALITY (so far) - but the question also made me consider how I use these sites.  

I have decided that I should use facebook for the personal connections that were the reason I opened the account to begin with.  After all, my innate introversion and lack of correspondence skills can be someone mitigated on that platform.  

I have enjoyed my tumblr experience as well.  I have only been here for about 6 months - thank you Kissing In The Rain fan cannon experiment (Shipwrecked) - yet the discoveries have been amicable.  I wish "tumblr" would post less often, but that is how it rolls.  I have begun following my feeds more regularly from here and missing less than previously.  That's a bonus.

So, I decided to not continue tempting fate so I decided to return to the computer for today's session.  Irritation averted.  Again, I was pleasantly surprised.

Ads didn't even make an appearance until post #35 but by the end, with a total of 74 posts read, the tally was up to 5... which is a huge leap from 2.857% (1 in 35) to 6.757%.  Still, they were a considerately small irritation and all in Chinese and therefore easy to ignore.

There were NO FEEDS today.  Not a one.  I do have to admit that I miss them - as feeds from George Takei and "I fucking love science" often MAKE my day.  Still, I have been glad to see more about people I know on facebook, as that was my original reason for creating an account.

 I even saw a profile-picture-change post from a high-school acquaintance... someone I haven't talked to in years... who has ended up closer to a place I used to live than to the place where we both went to school.  

I think my best strategy is just to NOT TOUCH FB over the weekend.  As the ads, feeds and irritations begin to build up through the week... but then without access this weekend... back to zero ads, very few shares and no annoyances (other than ones that friends DO post) and I am a happy camper again.

I thought I would tempt fate.  These results are from the never-so-accommodating MOBILE fb APP!!  Yippee!!

  A few notable posts that I thought I would share.  These two above were from friends who were friends with each other.  I don't know if that is still true, but the posts were in close proximity, though I am pretty sure that they are not anymore.

My friends never cease to amaze me with their outlook on the world, their dedication to their children and their general humour.  Their lives are so different from my own but I love the snapshots comments such as these often provide!

This gem is from a former student who has grown into his own.  I enjoy seeing the many things that he posts and how his outlook on life has shifted.  His thankfulness is also a reminder to count my own blessings.

Now this one just makes me jealous.

I expect to see quite a bit more advertisements and feeds on this platform.

Here are yesterday's percentages and today's numbers in the following:

of 136 posts...

+photo uploads (single...26*#** [19.118%], multiple...2 [1.471%] or profile...1 [0.735%])…29 [21.324%]

Y: (single [24%], multiple [9%] or profile [4%])… [36.735%]

 *One friend uploaded a poster... but there was no link or share associated with it so I counted it as a personal photo.

#Seven photo posts were not from friends but a friend was tagged in the post or the photo - and so each appeared on my feed.

**One post from a friend was a personal advertisement for an associated business.  I still counted it as personal.

+posts or comments without a photo or video…24 (4 with links)...[17.647%] ([2.941%])

Y: [23.469%, 3% with a link]

+shares…46 (2 shared "LIKE"s)... [33.824%] ([1.471%])

Y: [22.959%] ([2.04%])

+advertisements…7 [5.147%]

Y: [6.633%]

And the first advertisement appeared after the 2nd post!  "Suggested apps" - the first being hotels.com.  I think someone is tracking my browser usage.

When will "they" learn that I don't speak Chinese?

+posts with video (mostly ALS) …0 [0%]Y: [1.531%]

*from feeds...30 [22.059%]

Y: [8.673%]

Note: I think I hit a new record... most feeds in a row on my page.  Some of which, including 'Yahoo News' that I have never "liked" or 'followed'/ 'subscribed' to.

PENTATONIX... THE RAINFOREST SITE... AUTISM AWARENESS... ANNE OF GREEN GABLES... AUTISM AWARENESS... ANNE OF GREEN GABLES... THE HUNGER SITE... YAHOO NEWS... THE VETERANS SITE... THE SWON BROTHERS... MICHAEL FASSBENDER ONLINE.

I spent the entire 35 minutes of today's like project on the computer.  I was pleasantly surprised by how few advertisements I saw.  It also seemed, and 'seemed' is not an accurate measurement I am aware... it also seemed that there were more personal posts and less re-posts of video and posters.  I also saw posts from people that I (may have even) forgot were on my friends list!  A couple names jumped out at me.

So, saying that, let me itemize:

10 x personal commentary

12 x personal photo (5 with, 2 without commentary)

2 x multiple photo uploads (1 with, 1 without commentary)

1 x advertisement... first one appears after the 10th post.

In order:

1. SHARE "'Who Remembers Going to the Roller Skate Rink?' from Heart 107.3 with Carol Brooklyn Chiaccheri and 11 others" from a HS friend - no added comment.

2. SHARE "'Breaking: Ann Coulter Takes Ice Bucket Challenge... She Will Not Be Missed' from Blue Nation Review" from the same friend - no added comment.

3. PHOTO UPLOADS from a PC Friend, comments "Swaddled, Bathed, and Talking to the Baby in the Mirror: The First Week at Home"

4. SHARE "'Find Your Positive Energy Name' from Healing Light" from a high school friend with comment "Awe love this"

5. PHOTO UPLOADS from a University Friend with comment "Movie night."