It sounds a little pathetic, but I’m done with Facebook. I deleted my account today.
A few asked why I was going to do it, perhaps thinking that there was something wrong. I’m not sure if there was something wrong, as there was my priorities needed to shift. The reality was that I loved surfing Facebook. Way too many hours were spent on it and it needed to stop. My first love on the interent, this website, was neglected and my web design skills were lacking as a result. I loved creating this website 5 years ago. I know technology has changed and I’m not keeping up with it. I want to use more time on this website to interact with the world. It’s here that I have more control. Plus, this is my family website. This is our piece of the internet.
Also, I didn’t need to keep checking Facebook to learn who was posting their current status, photos, videos, etc., when I should have been away from the computer. Granted, my family and friends lead interesting lives, which is a huge reason why Facebook was so addictive to me.
For those with a blog outside of Facebook, I will use my Google Reader to view your posts. For those without a blog, I’m sure I have your email address and/or phone numbers. And if you’re in the Seattle area, I’ll be sure to visit. A little face to face contact is good for the soul.
~UPDATE to this post (August 25, 2010)~
Yes I’m back on Facebook, but I’m using it differently. After redesigning the website and tweaking it a bunch with widgets and plug-ins these past few weeks, I decided to take a different angle with Facebook. Now I view Facebook as a Google Reader for my friends who don’t use Google Reader or any other type of RSS Feed program (which is most people). The only purpose my Facebook account serves is to post new updates from this website to alert my Facebook friends. I’ve deleted all videos, photos, and notes on my Facebook profile. Every Facebook post except my most recent ones are deleted. No one can comment on anything I post on Facebook, but my friends may visit this website to comment on any of our posts. This is how I should have been using Facebook all along.
Through the process I found out Facebook doesn’t delete your account for 6 weeks so everything was still as I left it in late July.
I’m also trying to email, and make phone calls, more. : )
So…yeah…I’m back on Facebook.
I’ve thought about quitting too, but because I seem to spend so much time in the virtual world and need to spend more time in the real world. Haven’t quit it yet, though… I still find it very useful.
Hey Brett – I can relate to what you've written here! With a second baby, we've also seen a shift in priorities and a need to realign where we spend our time. It's hard to balance it all, and I commend you for your actions. Our website is also completely out of date thanks to our reliance on Facebook to share with friends and family. Your site looks great and I look forward to keeping up with you guys here now. Let us know how your Facebook-free internet time is treating you…who knows, maybe we'll follow in your footsteps…
Best wishes to you all! ~Tera
After being away for a few weeks, I don’t feel to bad about missing FB. I’ve focused much of my time on our family updates on this website which I’m excited about. In addition, we’ve used a Twitter feed for smaller/daily updates. We look forward to your website update.