I've noticed that when I'm on my Facebook homepage, the right side features suggestions on things you can “Like.” I'm wondering how liberal I should be with my Likes.
For example, some of my friends Like “Movies.” Not any particular movie, just movies in general. One of these friends has ambitions to be a professional video editor, so her choice makes sense. Or, if Alex, who regularly reviews movies had such a Like, it makes sense. But the other day, Led Zeppelin was suggested. Of course, I like Led Zeppelin, who doesn't? (Well, I can imagine that there are those who aren't too fond of Robert Plant's voice. His “passion” can get a little shrill.) But they aren't in my top 5, or even my top 10.
I think that my discretion is based on a conversation with a friend of mine. I was checking out his band's page on MySpace, and among his “Friends” was Metallica and Marilyn Manson. When I asked him about his “Friends”, he said that it has more to do with illustrating your influences. “Aaah...” (cue: light bulb) From there, I figured that I should pick my associations sparingly.
I'm not sure if anyone checks those things, but I'll bet that my friends occasionally get messages saying that “Will Likes Family Guy, would you like to become a fan?” Hey, no problem. But if I Liked Weezer because it popped up, and I had just been grooving on Buddy Holly, my friends might think that I was into garage band college music, and this simply isn't the case. Seriously, if you're not gonna turn it up and call it Rock, great! Or, lighten it up and call it Jazz. Either option is great, but the middle ground loses what's great about both. But I digress...
Many Bloggers have Facebook page that we can Like, and well, that’s just sharing the love. Still, it’s genuine, and for some reason I didn’t want to be associated with the Blog on Facebook, I wouldn’t. Fortunately, it hasn’t come up.
What do you think? Am I being miserly, or is it better to be freer with my affections?
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Good question!
ReplyDeleteI tend to like the things I genuinely like - for instance, I write crime and love the genre, so some of my likes are Karin Slaughter and James Patterson. I choose as you would, sincerely.
On the other hand, I'm in a couple of groups of authors/aspiring authors and if asked, I do like their pages because it's helping them lift off and I'd hope for the same in return when I eventually get around to making one, which will be if I ever land an agent.
So, it's a bit of both, some genuine miserlyness and some freer love for those in similar boats.
Thanks for thinking a like button for movies would make sense for me! Of course, I'd need a Facebook page first, and that will never happen. I'm on enough social sites.
ReplyDeleteI am on Facebook but I am extremely paranoid about it. The only "friends" I have on there are people I am truly friends with (meaning I don't have many FB friends) tee hee hee.
ReplyDeleteI never "like" any of those other things in fear those people will peer through my screen and see me in my p.j.s playing Bingo on FB.
I have a few blogger friends on face book and it's good to be able to "Talk " with them outside of blogsphere.
ReplyDeleteHave a good day.
Yvonne.
I'm not liberal with the like thing on FB either. I basically do what you do-bloggers, friends starting up their own special little thing and giving them some help, etc.-and when I like something it turns out not to be what I think it is, I take my like back. I'm like that.
ReplyDeleteNo! I totally see your point. It makes sense. You can't Like everything under the sun. I try to keep mine specific and few.
ReplyDeleteI have a group page for my books series, but it's about to be lost in the conversion to fan pages and I doubt I'll replace it. I don't 'like' very many things on Facebook, either.
ReplyDeleteI've BEEN really liberal with likes, but find now that some of them spam me, which is annoying. I still am pretty darned liberal on my author file, but most of the MANY likes are author pages--I figure it's a karma thing. I try to avoid politics and fluff there and keep it literarily relevant.
ReplyDeleteMy personal page I am more whimsical, (I liked garlic just yesterday) but I pick things that sort of are personality things. I don't do it nearly as lightly as I once did, though.
Ive been on both sides of that particular fence. At first, I liked anything that even slightly took my inkling. Then it came to a point where I realised how cluttered everything had become, and so I stripped it down to basics. Now my likes go on the basis of 'do I want to hear more about this/keep up to date with it?' Since most things that you 'like' post lots of news and updates, I don't want to like, say, Metallica, only to be bombarded with every damn thing they're doing!
ReplyDeleteI like books and authors, mainly. I don't tend to like generic things like 'cake' or 'reading' pages, generally!
ReplyDelete