So what have I done these past 6 months? Well, in addition to (somewhat) updating this blog.....
- I joined a new blog site: Tumblr.
- I also convinced LC to join Tumblr, and whilst talking about why we liked it so much, we decided that it is because we can shy away from "social" networking, being mysterious while connecting with others who also share the same interests. It's also nice to note the lack of drama that Tumblr social networking proivdes. Check out my tumblr page here.
- I also joined a fitness social networking site: Fitocracy.
- Shortly before I deactivated my fb account, I bought a gym membership and joined this website. This website is amazing; the competitiveness of it and the people on it keep me motivated to work out. There is no weird pick up lines and hooking up (at least not with me), and the people are always so positive. Again, with this website, like Tumblr, I can stay mysterious while getting positive feedback and optimism about staying in shape and being healthy.
- After being told about it by the fiancee, I also started an instagram account.
- I don't know how to connect the link to my account, but my name is lwlmthompson if you want to follow me.
- Additionally, I joined a Linkedin.
- Linkedin is a professional networking site. I joined it in order to try and help get a job more steered toward my goal career. Wish me luck!
- I focused more on schoolwork.
- It's funny how Facebook takes up so much of your time. Without fb, I was able to focus more on school. So much so that I made the President's List (all As) at JSU last semester. I also made As in the two classes I took during June, and fully intend on making As in the two classes I'm taking now in July. I am taking four classes this fall, and while I plan on staying active on fb, I also plan to make the President's List again in the fall before graduation in December.
- I focused more on my relationship with other people.
- It's funny to see who your real friends are when you don't have fb. While social networking can be a great way to strengthen friendships, it can also be an illusion of what friendship really is. Without fb I was able to connect more on the friends that really mattered, and build more solid relationships with them the old fashioned way.
- I figured out what I want to do with my life: become a librarian.
- While some may scoff at the idea, I've realized that this is perfect for me. No it's not the most ideal career, but if you know me (or have seen my tumblr page) you can get an idea of how much I love reading and books, and how books make me so happy. Yes, I'm a nerd. It is because I wasn't spending so much time on fb that I was able to read more and finally realize what I wanted to do with my life after college.
- I was able to travel and go on adventures without being bombarded by fb.
- You know how this goes. You go on vacation and you have this desire to take a million pictures and post them on fb, or to post status updates for bragging purposes to make those who aren't on vacation envious that you are. Yeah, that was me. Big time. It was nice to actually go on vacation and not worry about posting pictures and status updates on fb every five minutes. And I must say that the fiancee and I did a lot of traveling and had a lot of adventures the last 6 months, and we have more planned for the rest of the year. It was good bonding time for us =)
There are a plethora of other things I accomplished while not having a fb, but these are the big ones I can think of right now. Which leads me to the question I'm sure some of you are asking: if my life was so great without Facebook, what made me reactivate my account?
In all honesty, I don't know. Maybe it was because my 54-year-old technology-challenged mother got a fb account in order to connect with her family in the Philippines. Maybe it's because I was completely bored one day and decided I wanted to start snooping on fb again. All I know is that I reactivated my account two days ago and was completely overwhelmed about all the "new" things on fb. These things that I used to know how to navigate, and now I don't have a clue. I, like my parents, am completely technology-retarded, and you can ask my fiancee about how frustrated I was/am about how difficult it is to navigate fb now. It's a learning process.
That being said, there's something about "mysterious" social networking that doesn't cut it for me. I guess you could say I substituted personal social networking for mysterious social networking, and while that's all well & good, sometimes it's nice to know what's going on in the lives of the people around you. Like with my sisters and my nieces and nephews. Or with my best friend, Crissy, whom I don't get to see anymore because she moved away. Or with friends that live in other states. Or even with my family in the Philippines. I guess I deactivated my fb account the first time because I lost sight of what fb was initially for: social networking, not stalker central. I can say that while I deleted over 150 people from my account the day I reactivated it, I am still not on it as much as I was before. For now, anyway.
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