Snow Daze

What do you know, it's snowing again.  When will it end? Usually when we get to the end of February I like to have a positive attitude and convince myself that the winter is almost over.  This year, I just don't feel that way.  Winter is kicking our asses, and is leaving my skin a pasty color that I have never been familiar with until recently.  The snow has blanketed our streets and my mind alike.  Enough about the weather, I just needed to acknowledge and accept it so I could get on with my day.

Today I bring you a whole list of articles that have been sent to me by readers in recent weeks.  I personally do not like to write about Facbeook on Fridays but I sure don't mind sharing what others have written.  All the articles pertain to Facebook and unfortunately for you stalkers, none of them highlight the positives of the book.  However, the articles are smart and funny and you will definitely find yourself relating to them. Click the links below to check them out.  

Facebook For Lovers

Breaking Up In A Digital Fishbowl

How To Disappear From Facebook And Twitter

Facebook: The end of secrets?

I hope you enjoyed the articles and please feel free to send me any articles you should come across at thegirlwhoquit@gmail.com.  Have a lovely weekend, and let's pray for better weather for next week.   

A Little More Than Your Average Chit-Chat

Let's chat for a minute about Chatroulette.  Ever heard of it?  Before this weekend I didn't even know of it's existence.  A friend told me about it on Saturday and then it popped up in the Times on Sunday.   It's rare that I focus on something other than Facebook, however, Chatroulette is all the rage right night and I would be remiss to pass up an opportunity to discuss it.

Perhaps you are like me, internet savvy yet weary of the power that the internet yields.  You hesitate before clicking on certain sites that you are not familiar with.  However, if you are like me, you find a way to assuage your fears and indulge in your curiousities.  That is exactly what I did with Chatroulette.  A site that jumps from 5,000 users to 50,000 in one week is worthy of exploration.

So, let me finally explain what this elusive Chatroulette is all about.  It's a different kind of social website that allows you to chat with people all over the world without creating an account.  The one requirement, you computer must have a camera.  Once you access the site and hit "Play" you can be thrown into the living room of 60 year old retiree in Boca Raton or a 23 year old porn star (if you're lucky) in London.  You can chat with anyone, anywhere in the world.  If you're not enjoying yourself you just click next and you could be chatting with a super model in Brazil or math geek at MIT.

I decided to give this puppy a whirl.  Not surprisingly the first person I clicked on was a nude mid-section of what could have been a man or a woman.  I immediately clicked next before letting the wave of nausea hit me. Instantly I was connected with a man in army fatigues that appeared to be a solider.  I became so enthralled with the site that I decided I had to end my chatting immediately, for fear that I would become addicted to another social site.  

I won't lie, I felt some sort of excitement not knowing who would pop onto my computer screen next.  I guess that's why people feel such a rush when playing any type of roulette, you just never know what will happen next, or who's life will be linked to yours through the technology of a webcam. I'll admit that I have neglected to discuss the perils that may exist with this site, but you'll just have to navigate with your own discretion.  So give Chatroulette a try.  But you may want to ask yourself one question, "Do I feel lucky?" Well after trying it out, "do you, punk?"

Facebook Fertilization

Today we have another guest blog! I love being able to share the thoughts and ideas of people who are still on Facebook, yet admit that it is a bit insane.  Please read below for another awesome guest blog.


Hey Girl-

Absolutely loving the blog- keep up the good work!  Since you are no longer on facebook I just wanted to share something new I came across that is so ridiculous and honestly made me feel like "where do they come up with this stuff?"  One of the ads that came up on the right side column of my screen was called "Make A Baby With Anyone".  Clearly based on this title I was intrigued.  This is the description: "Pick a friend, enemy, celebrity or crush and see what your baby would look like without the mess!  Subscription required."

First of all, this takes stalking to an entirely new level (I admit I am a fb stalker but even for me this is out of control!), second of all would someone actually subscribe to this, third of all why would I want to see what my baby would look like with an enemy???  To top is all off there is a picture of a freaky baby on the ad!

I do enjoy facebook but things like this make me question whether it serves its original purpose anymore...to keep people connected in an easy simple manner.  Also, just to point out Facebook changed its layout/appearance again which I find so irritating!  It's like just when you think you have everything down they go ahead and change it up again.  Can't they just leave the stalkers with some comfort?

Facebook Freak-Out

Oh no! Facebook is moving slower than usual today and people around the world are bugging out.  The 375,000,000 person network had a mini-meltdown this morning.  According to ABC news, Facebook users had a hard time signing in to their accounts and in some cases users could not access the site!  Have no fear, there is always Twitter.  Millions took to their Twitter account to post their frustrations with Facebook. SomeChika (that is her twitter name) tweeted "Arg, facebook is slow today! Let's get this show on the road." YolaTheDon (another wonderful twitter name) says, "is anyone else's Facebook iphone app besides mine actin' stupid doo-doo dumb?" Thanks for the wise words YolaTheDon, I really feel informed now.

Hope you Facebook junkies are able to get your fix somehow! Click below for the story.
Facebook Appears Glitchy Saturday

Facebook-Free Friday

Hey Friends-

Happy Friday! We made it to the weekend, woo hoo! I just wanted to take today to thank you all for reading my blog.  When I first started writing I thought everyone would just think it was silly.  I thought to myself, no one is going to care that I quit Facebook, and they definitely are not going to want to read about it.  But, I decided to take a shot at it anyway.

I soon learned that although I was correct and people didn't quite understand why I would quit the book and why I would choose to write about it, they also found it funny.  I'm funny? Who knew? Friends told friends, and slowly people I didn't even know were commenting on things I posted that they could relate to.    Yes! You can relate to me! I can't even believe it!

I've found that when it comes to Facebook there is an endless supply of topics to make fun of.  But, I haven't even touched on them all.   That being said, I would like to know what you would like to hear more about.  Even better, if you would like to write a guest blog I would be thrilled to share it on the blog.  Send me an email at thegirlwhoquit@gmail.com and let me know your thoughts. I'd really love to hear them!  Have a great weekend and don't forget to email me!

xoxo
The Girl

Chelsea Lately On Facebook Currently

Please skip to the 8:00 mark to watch Chelsea give her take on Facebook! Thanks Myra!

Well done, Chelsea.  You are on point as per usual.  Let's assess the Honesty Box for a second, shall we? This tops the list of dumb application put out by Facebook.  Basically, any Facebook user can choose to display an Honesty Box on their profile for other users to write insignificant comments in.  For example, "Hey Amanda, you should really get your lip waxed," or "Adam, the reason no one wants to go to Formal with you is because your overweight."

Here's my honest opinion of the Honesty Box, whether you wanted it or not, I'm just being honest.  No one is going to say anything nice, ever.  In Elementary school I think one of the most important lessons we learned was: If you have nothing nice to say, don't say it at all.  We learned this at age 5 and yet we can't remember it at 25?  However, Mr. Meanie, I can't even blame you for your unnecessary rude comments.  If you choose to have this box on your profile than I can't really feel bad for you, you are asking to be abused.

My mom used to tell me (and still does) that honesty is the best policy.  In this case, let's just refrain from posting honestly in the Honesty Box altogether.

p.s. hey Justin, this better?

The World's Biggest 6 Year Old

Well Happy Birthday Facebook, you're 6 years old and apparently if you were a country you would be the third largest after China and India. That means that there are 375,000,000 worldwide members out there, ready and willing to stalk whenever they feel the urge.  Sound insane to you? I won't lie the statistic completely freaks me out. If I were a current Facebook member I would be thinking twice right about now. In fact Mark Zuckerberg, the creator of Facebook even states that Facebook has spiraled out of control.

Another fun fact from the video was the statistic about Farmville.  Does anyone find something wrong with the fact that there are 76 million people who tend to their farms on Farmville on Facebook while there are only 2 million farms in the US?  Two words, not OK.  Don't even get me started with the new game, Fishville.  My brother's girlfriend told me that she loves the game because she gets to feed her own fish. Bridge, you know I love you, but there has to be a better way.  In fact, I'm getting you your own fishbowl!

The privacy issue is the one that really gets me.  People lose jobs, they lose friends, they lose lovers, all over things seen on Facebook.  Yes, of course you can untag photos, you can delete comments written on your wall, and you can block certain people whom you think shouldn't see you riding the bull in a bar in the East Village.  But, at the end of the day, the only way to really ensure privacy is abstain from Facbeook.  Our high school health teachers did always preach abstinence, although, it was regarding something else, they may have been on to something.

Happy Valentine's Day...I Think

It's Valentine's Day, which means people on Facebook are posting ambiguous statuses to their secret lovers and giving fake boxes of chocolates and candy hearts as gifts on the walls of people who probably want a real gift.  My gift to you this Valentine's Day is Jimmy Fallon.  Hope you enjoy it and I do mean it when I say, Happy Valentine's Day!

The Girl's Week In Review

What a week, what a week.  Al Roker was actually right, that storm was a doozy!  For the first time in years, I braved the snow and got all up in it.  I mean, I didn't make snow angels or anything, but I did get out there. Snow aside, I did manage to make the most of the week.  You know how I feel about Fridays, it's the one day of the week I resign from talking about Fbook.  Instead, I like to reflect on all the things I've done as a normal human existing without a Facebook account.

Here you have it, a Facebook free week: Rented New York, I Love You (and I loved it),went to my friend's engagement party at Griffin,  still trying to figure out what the hell is going on on Lost, ordered  more books on Amazon, read Unifinshed Desires and The Help (I highly highly recommend),  just started reading Pomegranate Soup, had a job interview, watched two indie flicks,  Big Fan and Fish Tank (both quirky but good),  babysat and realized I'm way to too old to be babysitting, had dinner at Tanuki Tavern (the fried corn balls, or whatever the restaurant calls them are amazingggg), watched Peyton lose (still can't say anything bad about him, I just love him) while eating pigs in a blanket, helped shovel some snow (ok, I didn't actually shovel, but I brushed the snow off the cars, don't judge, I still helped!),  and started watching Mad Men on dvd (I'm into it so far).  All in all, I'd say it was a nice little week.

I may have quit Facebook but I did recently join a really cool site, one that is not overbearing and will not consume every single minute of my free time. For all you Timber Lake Westers, please be sure to join the alumni website, timberlakewest.com/alumni.  If you've ever went to camp than I'm sure you understand the obsession I have with my camp.  If not, well I hope you have a good weekend anyway. As Ron Burgendy says, "Stay classy."

Simply Put: How To Suck At Facebook

A friend sent me this hilarious cartoon from theoatmeal.com.  I'm sure everyone can find someone on this list that annoys them to no end on Facebook.  Check it out below!

You found at least one cartoon on this list that makes you nuts, right? Because I felt like I could name one actual real life person for every single cartoon.  If you thought to yourself on any given cartoon, "Oh no, is that me?" you may want to consider changing your Facebook behavior.  It's a little bit annoying, actually it's very annoying and kinda creepy.  All illustrations are from theoatmeal.com.  It's actually a really funny site, be sure to check it out.

To Friend Or De-Friend, That Is The Question

I am so excited about today's blog, however, I did not write it.  A reader of The Girl Who Quit sent me an email asking if she could share some of her feelings about Facebook.  First, I was completely elated that people are reading my blog, and second, I would be more than happy to post anything that anyone wants to share! Please read the absolutely hilarious guest blog below.-The Girl

I'll admit it right here, right now: I am an avid Facebook user. I enjoy seeing what other people have been up to in their lives, and I check every day. That doesn't make me a stalker, does it? Oh well. Anyway, I have a few things that I need to get off my chest. Since when did the standards of “friending” someone on Facebook go right out the window?  Because I gave you a tampon in the bathroom of a bar, does that make us friends?   Shouldn’t I actually know you and consider you a “friend” if you’re going to be one on Facebook?  I don’t have that much disdain for people who “friend” me when we have a lot of friends in common.  I get it, maybe you would like to be my friend, but I will tell you it’s not as good as it seems!

Here’s the thing that bothers me.  I have been getting random requests lately from people I have zero mutual friends in common with. I recently got a “friend” request from a guy I didn’t know.  I clicked on his page and saw that he was married!  Now I ask you, why would this guy want to be my friend?  Just because his wife probably isn’t into his receding hairline, does he think I would be? Have a little integrity, it’s Facebook, not Ashleymadison.com! Yesterday, I got a friend request from a guy whose picture was him and his parrot! I would have possibly accepted his request if it was just the parrot.  However, older man and his parrot, I must choose to ignore you.  It makes me wonder how these people even find me. 

Recently, some girl “friended” my guy friend on Facebook.  He screamed, “YOU HAVE TO SEE THIS GIRL,” so, I ran over and looked at the picture.  The girl was beautiful but looked oddly familiar.  Then it hit me, that girl looks like Liv Tyler, in fact, that is Liv Tyler.  Honestly, what did this girl, who is clearly not Liv Tyler think was going to happen?  She was going to meet a guy via Facebook and they were going to go out and he wouldn’t notice when Jabba the Hut shows up instead of Liv Tyler! This is real life not a Jack Black movie!

Nowadays, apparently, “de-friending” someone on Facebook is more offensive than farting in someone’s face.   When I first joined Facebook, I had no standards, just like guys after 12 beers.  Now, however, I have been frustrated from getting invited to join groups and events from people I have not spoken to.  That's when I decided it was time to cleanup my Facebook friends.  A few weeks later, I found out how “offensive” it is to de-friend someone.  I heard through the grape vine that my most recent ex boyfriend was offended that I de-friended him!  You’re seriously offended?  We haven’t had any human contact in a year and not being friends on Facebook bothers you? So I got the memo, apparently, de-friending someone on Facebook means you are cutting them out of your life as a whole.  Dead and gone like Justin Timberlake says.

Even though I am not ready to fully quit Facebook I do have a moral to my story.   Next time someone decides to friend me on Facebook, at least make sure that you either know me or your in finance.

Rated X

I'm changing things up this Friday.  Shaken em up, getting real crazy! Ha-Ok, I just got a little too excited, but today, I've got some pictures to share.  I usually dedicate Fridays to talking about where I've eaten, what movies I've seen and what I've read, but this week, someone has found a way, a major way actually, to trump me beyond belief.  Below are some lovely pictures and the story that goes along with it (because stories with pictures are always so much fun).

You may be asking yourself? Who is this guy? And, What is he doing?

This guy is none other than my brother, working at the Winter X Games in Aspen.  He's currently in Grad School getting his degree in, what is it exactly? It's often changing, but he was given the chance to go out to Aspen and help work during the Winter X Games.  The kid hustled and busted his not existant butt in 2 degree weather with a smile on his face the whole time.  If anyone wants to hook him up with a job after he graduates, be sure to let me know, he's cute too, and a big time charmer, just ask my mother. Enjoy his awesome pictures!

So, there you have it.  Do something cool and different and then be sure to tell me about it.  Have a lovely weekend, and stay tuned...  

Putting In Face Time, Not Facebook Time

Seems to me that I'm not the only one who feels Facebook is a replacement for friendships.  My friend, Nick sent me this video from the CBS morning show.  It's all about friendships and how to keep them strong.  Skip to the 3:55 mark (after the commercial) to watch the part about Facebook.


Every week I post about  the things I've done and the friends I've met for dinner.  It may seem boring to you, but to me everything else seems boring.  We bbm, we text, we email, we ichat, we skype, we IM, we communicate in all these different ways,  but we don't actually put in face time with the ones we really care about.  Why? Are we really so busy?

Maintaining friendships should not be so hard.  And, if they are, maybe they aren't friendships worth maintaining?  Is it that much of a challenge to ask a friend to meet you for coffee on a Saturday?  I mean,  come on, meeting for coffee is even putting in the bare minimum when it comes to friendship maintenance.  How about asking a friend to take a gym class with you? I always feel like I'm missing out when my friends go to the gym, being that I'm not a member, but it's a great way to keep friendships while keeping fit!

We choose to have 1,578 (random number but I think had close to that, and I'm not bragging, I actually think it's weird) friends on Facebook and yet when it comes down to the few most important ones in our live we can't seem to make the time.  Our Facebook friendships have become a sad excuse for our real ones.

If I had to bet, I'd say you can probably count on two hands (or one) the number of friends that actually mean something to you.  If you're as lucky as I am to have the most amazing friends in the world, then pick up the phone and take some initiative.  Like The Beatles once said, "I get by with a little help from my friends."

Warning: Join Facebook At Your Own Risk

A friend just sent me this little picture and I thought it went perfectly with yesterday's post! Once again, proving my point that everybody stalks!

Relationship Status: It's Not That Complicated

Want to know if someone is in a relationship? Just look on Facebook and you'll have your answer.  These days, defining your relationship with your significant other means changing your Facebook Relationship Status to one of the many options.  The choices are vast: In a relationship, Married, Engaged, Single, or It's Complicated (if any fun new statuses come out since my departure from the book, please be sure to let me know).  As if relationships aren't complex enough, is posting your status on Facebook making it any easier?

My friend, let's call him, Shawn, told me that his buddy recently started dating this girl.  They had been seeing each other for a few weeks when Shawn asked his friend how everything was going with the girl.  The friend told him that he kind of liked her, but he wasn't sure if it was really going anywhere.  Shawn's response was, "Oh, that's funny.  According to her relationship status on Facebook, she is now 'In a Relationship'!"  Needless to say, Shawn's buddy freaked out and stopped calling the girl immediately.  Although, I don't condone this behavior, I do find the whole situation rather funny.

Of course, I had a few questions when Shawn told me this story.  I wanted to feel bad for the girl before thinking that she was a whacko.  What would make her think they were in a relationship? Did she genuinely believe it was a good idea to post this status without talking to the guy first?  All of that aside, what in the world is leading people to be so pre-occupied with Facebook that it's the first place they go to share the news of their budding (or in this case, dying) relationship?

I eventually figured out the answer to my own question.  It's not about whether you are in a relationship or not, it's about status.  Our whole Facebook driven society needs everyone knowing their status at all times.  If someone is "Single",  he or she wants their ex to know they no longer need them (or at least are pretending not to need them).  If someone is "In a Relationship",  he or she wants the world to know they are no longer alone. But, the one that really gets me is, "It's Complicated".  Why would you share intimate details of your relationship so freely with the general public? You're having problems, sorry, don't publicize it, do something about it. Just a thought, if your relationship is actually complicated, maybe sharing with the rest of the world is the reason it's not working.

The next time you decide to change your relationship status, stop and think for a second.  What are your reasons for actually changing it?  If they are legit, go for it, if they are for the benefit of others, try to restrain yourself.  A relationship is sacred, it belongs to two people, not millions.