So I have accounts on a million different social networking sites, such as Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, MySpace, Orkut, Spoke (are they still around?), Ryze, and the list goes on and on and on and on. You name it, and if it was ever even slightly popular, I’ve probably been a member.
Do I use them? Almost never. Sure I create accounts, maybe add a couple friends, a bookmark or two, etc. But I don’t use them because I don’t get any value out of them. All of the “friends” I add are friends I already have (NOTE: when I say friends here, I mean business contacts, family and friends — basically any relationship). Why do I need 10 copies of my friends? With 10 copies of their contact info? And 10 copies of their picture? And 10 places for me to “find out what’s going on in their lives”? And 10 places to get spammed?
Recently I’ve signed up for Facebook and added a couple friends just to see what all the hype is. I found the answer — it’s hype. Plain and simple. Sure, it can be entertaining, and there is definitely value in that, but that’s all the real value I’ve seen from these sites. I have used LinkedIn once or twice for something productive, but I could have just as easily accomplished the same task from a different angle.
So anyway, if you’re on these sites, feel free to add me. If I know you at all, I’ll definitely “accept” the connection. Prove me wrong. Make me appreciate them.
That’s just me. Does anyone agree or disagree?
On the flip side, there is really only one website that I can think of that is indispensable to me: iGoogle. 99% of my iGoogle usage is search, but I like having my bookmarks and search history readily available.