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stephbgI like lj, it suits me a lot, and I've spent a lot of time here the last few months. My Facebook account is a very new acquisition, but I've already formed some impressions, and found them two very different places.
LiveJournal
For me, lj combines some of the best parts of attending a party with friends, with many of the disadvantages cut out. The best bits are the opportunities to have conversations with a lot of interesting people on a wide variety of topics. LJ has the advantage in that it is possible to pick up and join a conversation long after it has started, and you have an opportunity to edit your words before speaking/posting. Not to imply that I've never posted something stupid, but at least there's a chance to save yourself.
The big advantage lj has for me is that it removes all the noise of the other conversations, the music, the shuffling and the general environmental noise that makes listening to voices in a crowd so difficult for me. Concentration on one conversation becomes effortless, rather than the horrible strain it can be.
A point I forgot to include in my original post, and which is very important, is that one can begin an interesting conversation without having to first attract the attention of people willing to listen to you. Although I have developed the habit of addressing my mythical readership (hi readership) I'm actually talking to my future self. I find there's an enormous difference between (a) muttering to myself and (b) writing and then re-reading one's thoughts forced into some vaguely coherent form.
Facebook
I like conversation, but have an allergy to smalltalk. I have never been a fan of IM or SMS chat. I particuarly dislike the impression of being surrounded by a storm of chitchat from many different people. I don't play online games. I do not enjoy creating online profiles. I am not looking for new social contacts based on a mutual favourite colour.
All of which appear to disqualify me from ever enjoying Facebook.
I think it also suffers from an unfortunate resemblance to orkut. I allowed myself to become keen on orkut, filled out a detailed profile, linked to as many friends as I could identify and then... *sound of crickets*. A lot of effort and excitement, followed by a thin but irritatingly constant trickle of bogus friend requests from Indian males and sundry genitally-fixated individuals. The irritation factor came from being forced to remember a login and password purely for the purposes of blatting people away.
Old, slow and proud of it
I shall persist with Facebook, for it has brought me back in to touch with a few people I'd lost over the years, but I much prefer the quality of contact from lj, and the joy of the rambly blog. That said I may yet develop an unfortunate addiction to Scrabulous.
EDIT: I've added more reasons to like lj.
EDIT2: FB now refuses to display a picture of my most photogenic cat. They are dooming themselves.
LiveJournal
For me, lj combines some of the best parts of attending a party with friends, with many of the disadvantages cut out. The best bits are the opportunities to have conversations with a lot of interesting people on a wide variety of topics. LJ has the advantage in that it is possible to pick up and join a conversation long after it has started, and you have an opportunity to edit your words before speaking/posting. Not to imply that I've never posted something stupid, but at least there's a chance to save yourself.
The big advantage lj has for me is that it removes all the noise of the other conversations, the music, the shuffling and the general environmental noise that makes listening to voices in a crowd so difficult for me. Concentration on one conversation becomes effortless, rather than the horrible strain it can be.
A point I forgot to include in my original post, and which is very important, is that one can begin an interesting conversation without having to first attract the attention of people willing to listen to you. Although I have developed the habit of addressing my mythical readership (hi readership) I'm actually talking to my future self. I find there's an enormous difference between (a) muttering to myself and (b) writing and then re-reading one's thoughts forced into some vaguely coherent form.
I like conversation, but have an allergy to smalltalk. I have never been a fan of IM or SMS chat. I particuarly dislike the impression of being surrounded by a storm of chitchat from many different people. I don't play online games. I do not enjoy creating online profiles. I am not looking for new social contacts based on a mutual favourite colour.
All of which appear to disqualify me from ever enjoying Facebook.
I think it also suffers from an unfortunate resemblance to orkut. I allowed myself to become keen on orkut, filled out a detailed profile, linked to as many friends as I could identify and then... *sound of crickets*. A lot of effort and excitement, followed by a thin but irritatingly constant trickle of bogus friend requests from Indian males and sundry genitally-fixated individuals. The irritation factor came from being forced to remember a login and password purely for the purposes of blatting people away.
Old, slow and proud of it
I shall persist with Facebook, for it has brought me back in to touch with a few people I'd lost over the years, but I much prefer the quality of contact from lj, and the joy of the rambly blog. That said I may yet develop an unfortunate addiction to Scrabulous.
EDIT: I've added more reasons to like lj.
EDIT2: FB now refuses to display a picture of my most photogenic cat. They are dooming themselves.
