I ♥ facebook
Big Friendly has just written a real bitch post on his blog about how he hates facebook and how he is going to cancel or wipe out or remove his face broek profile once and for all. (It needs explaining that he has been saying this ever since he signed up, over a year ago.) At least once a month he makes these threats, and then, after ‘liking’ a few things, calling me to look at photos of friends and family and cute children/animals, he forgets about it. Then some article in the media (which I haven’t actually even read properly) will remind him why he hates face cloth, and why they are stealing his stuff, and why they can’t be trusted etc, and his fudge book rage will kick in again.
Me, I am the exact opposite. I love face poep. I love it. I know what it is; a public(ish) forum, where I can be clever/silly/indulgent, a place where I can instantly connect with two friends I dreamt about, one in LA and the other in Switzerland. I can play Scrabble, waste time reading everybody’s status, or do proper work and networking. I can advertise on face snoek. I can show off my animals and my holidays. I can ask for advice. I can advertise, for shows, and for other people’s stuff that I support or like. I can imagine I’m introducing people to my strange musical tastes and I can ’share’ causes. I can show support by joining a group or becoming a fan of a page. That’s all it takes. I can agree or disagree with my ‘friends’ in one sentence. I can choose how I look in my faceblock (profile pic). I heart face book. I just don’t know how to make those little heart shapes in the status place. And Big Friendly has warned me against those damn applications!
Diski
Who will teach me to diski dance? I keep seeing the ads all over TV, and it looks like the whole of South Africa has been having secret lessons. Now, I’m no dancer, it’s true, but I want to know the steps! I want to be able to break out in a queue. I want to ’share’ in the excitement and enthusiasm and world cup fever in an entirely non-soccer way; I don’t care much for the beautiful game. I want to be inspired at PicknPoo. I want to diski down Darling Street!
Really, what is the whole point of having a special South African world cup dance if all it is is an advertising campaign? I put a suggestion in at Virgin Active that maybe they could find someone to teach the diski to us, but nobody responded to my suggestion. They probably didn’t take it out of the suggestion box. Along with my others, mainly complaining about the ubiquitous gym cockroaches. I give up with that idea. But, Virgin Active aside, where can we find someone to teach the thing? Anyone know?
Weirdness, and not in a cool way
Every now and then I am shaken out of my generally positive approach to the world by something that disturbs me deeply. Sometimes it’s a needless and senseless crime. Sometimes it is violence to animals and children. Sometimes it’s the gross bullshit we are fed in the media, or our politicians, or drunk drivers, or racists who just assume I also am. Ok, the list is endless.
Today’s positive mood destroyer though, was this picture on News 24. When I first saw it I thought, interesting balaclava for a mugging. But no. It is a model, sporting the latest look on a fashion runway. I kid you not. Now, maybe I’ve got it completely wrong, but I really don’t like what this is saying. It is totally misogynistic, cruel, bizarre and disturbing; weird, but not in a cool way. Is this the way we want to look this winter? I mean, you’ve got to be shitting me! Crocheted ears?? WTF?
Facebook 2
I haven’t been as regular on my blog as I would have liked. I have been busy (not an excuse since I managed before), I haven’t seen any theatre in the last while, which was always a reason to write, and I’ve been away, and am going away again next week.
But Facebook is so easy to maintain. I can let you know what’s on my mind, tell you where I am, do publicity for shows, like and comment on other people’s stuff, and keep a presence without much effort or energy. I tried twitter, one up on facebook it is only updates, and it was just too boring to do. I can update my facecloth status on my phone. I can facebroek all my friends and ‘friends’ and friends. I can play Scrabble with friends and strangers around the world (except for Canada and USA).
But I always remember that I have friends and ‘friends’ and friends. What this means is that I am aware that you can’t be selective about who will see your status, your notes, your Scrabble score, if you decide to publish it. It’s not hard to do; it’s like making an announcement with the knowledge that 350 odd (in my case) people could see it.
So I really can’t believe the simple idiocy of people who make friends with their bosses and co-workers and then post themselves drinking pina coladas while they’re on sick leave, or who put “my boss is so hideous” in their status!
More and more I read about people being fired for being bust on facebook. I have read amazing stories of people doing their own detective work; a woman found out who assaulted her in a bar, crooks who left restaurants without paying have been found and ‘outed’ on facebook and relationships have begun and ended in a single status update.
Of course we live our lives more publicly than ever before. All sorts of people can find, watch, follow and even stalk others on the internet, and a social networking site like facebum makes it so easy. But it’s still you who has to do it. You have to sign up, on, and do. You have to take responsibility and remember that in a moment of “how cute is that?” you made your granny/long lost cousin/boss/one-night-stand/old head boy your friend, “friend” or friend.
Great advertising
If you haven’t already, pick yourself up a hard copy of this week’s Mail and Guardian. On the page that Shaun De Waal reviews District 9 there is a fabulous ad for The Flamingo restaurant at The Troyville Hotel in Jozi. I love advertising like that; totally opportunistic, cheeky, hilarious and creative. And I’ll remember it for a while.
That’s me!
Created by The Oatmeal
Afrika
I just love this.
The Susan Boyle Saga
Come on! No really. Come On!! I can’t take it anymore. If another person sends me the Susan Boyle link or posts it on my facebum wall with a post script of how they wept when they watched it, I am actually going to puke! What’s wrong with you people? Surely you know how ‘reality TV’ works?
The creation of Susan Boyle is strictly according to formula. The squint, snaggle-toothed, dumpling guy, Paul Potts (for goodness sake!) who won the last time; the cell phone salesman who sang a soppy Nessun Dorma? Join the dots people! He made the show famous. He upped the viewer numbers by billions. He was the cash cow. Susan Boyle is him repeated. Just a different sex, different song and only one eyebrow.
Why do I have to spell it out for everybody? Why do rational thinking, clever people with degrees and deep understanding of human behaviour act like such totally gullible moegoes when it comes to this kind of hoodwinking? Haven’t you read Ben Elton’s Chart Throb?
Surely some of you have known people who have auditioned for Idols, or even worked on the show? Without going into detail, you must know that there is absolutely nothing ‘real’ about this kind of reality TV. It preys on the unfortunate looking, the abused and downtrodden, and will manufacture a puppet to fit the profile. Enough.
My opinion? An unfortunate looking, not very bright spinster was unearthed. Thank the producers she could hold a note. “Yippee. We’ve got a winner!” ” Wait, maybe if we dump her in the semi finals we’ll get more viewers!”
Best dancer ever
Every now and then I get sent something that sticks in my mind. Big Friendly sent me this link http://wimp.com/funniestdance/ and I fell in love with this boy. I relate to him totally. That’s how I dance. I just love it. I love how he moves, I love how he interprets the words and I love how he laughs. He’s the guy.
best, cutest, funniest cat videos ever
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Randomness
