The Virus has thankfully been banished from my laptop so I’ve spent today in my usual place, tucked behind the filing cabinet and enjoying a bit of radio, interspersed with Dentastix.
I’ve been writing this blog for a while now, well not years, but long enough, and am also a proud member of various networking sites, where I’ve been today now I’m back on my own machine. Anyway, I’ve noticed that there’s an unspoken ettiquette involved in such pursuits, and feel that someone should really outline this as there still seems to be lots of other surfers unaware of the major faux pas they’re committing online.
Myspace seems to attract the most prolific offenders in comparison to Facebook- but I’ll talk about that in a minute- but first let’s get everything in order. From what I gather, being a dog, and not an ego driven human or either gender, social networking sites are mainly used for you to contact your current RLFs (Real Life Friends) and make new online buddies. The latter case also incorporates bands, musicians, celebrities etc. whose work you like. That’s all gravy.
But when online, some feel the need to disregard real life social graces, and online ones for that matter, and make asses of themselves, much to the irritation of many (including me!).
One of the most annoying ones, for me, which occurs on all social networking sites is when people (who are obvious strangers) put in Friend Requests without an accompanying message telling me who they are or why they want to be my friend. It’s so irritating, as curiosity often gets the best of me and before allowing them, I go to their profile and see if they’re normal, or I recognise them from somewhere, and ultimately, will I add them? It’s like going up to someone in the street, not introducing yourself at all and expecting to view all of their photographs and personal details- you wouldn’t do that in real life, so why try it online?
If the stranger’s friend request is accepted, this sometimes leads to a practise that also really annoys me- surfers who leave comments on your blog/wall/messageboard that are blantantly full of links to their own website, like they’re trying to steal your traffic. I know social networking isn’t all about getting traffic, but it is insulting to think that someone thinks it’s alright to leave spammy comments, which are usually advertising their own blog, a gambling site or a place where you can get the worst polyphonic ringtones known to man.
On the subject of comments, they’re lovely to recieve when they’re genuine, but on ocassion even nice comments can get irritating. It’s nice to read that someone likes what you’ve written, and that that topic of the day has really stuck a chord with them, or that they have a point to make that can spark off a good, deep debate- but when they’re posting glittery gif.s and ‘Dollz’ on your profile wishing you ‘Happy Tuesday’, that’s when it gets on my wick. You wouldn’t ring someone up and wish them Happy Sunday would you?
Along the same vein, are those spammy comments that either have a long story with a picture of a child or an angel/dragon/unicorn. If you get the picture with the child, it’s usually accompanied by a story of the child dying in ‘mysterious circumstances’ and unless you pass this on to ten of your friends within thirty minutes, then bad luck will befall you for the rest of your life.
If you get the angel/dragon/unicorn effort, it will probably have text along the lines of ‘this is a money angel/good luck dragon/ harmony unicorn and she/he/it will bring you prosperity and make all of your wishes come true if you pass it on to thirty friends within an hour’.
These are one step up from the chain emails of the nineties and early naughties which then asked you to ’scroll down and make your wish’. Oh purlease. That’s like pushing your own superstitious junk mail into your ’friends’ letterboxes.
On Facebook in particular, another version of spamming and annoying your friends without stories of dead children and lucky unicorns is to invite people to join you on an app. Yes, even I’ll admit on some ocassions, you can be invited to an app that is funny or relevant to your sense of humour, lifestyle, whatever, but the vast majority are an absolute waste of time.
The thing is, that it seems to be the majority of people who are strangers in real life yet ‘friends’ who send me these application requests- like Tatty Teddies, Hatching Eggs, Council Estate Gifts, etc. I hate every single one and to date have only really used ‘Notes’. Everything else seems to be a waste of time.
And finally, my favourite in this list of social networking irritations are profile pictures. This doesn’t occur as much as it used to, but there’s still a few people that are premium offenders in my book. I have no problem with people putting on pictures of themselves, or their kids, or a funny icon or whatever on their profile- it’s nice, but when people are blantantly taking sexual (is that the right word? In Dog Language, we call it something else) photos of themselves for all and sundry to see, I just find it creepy. I’ve lost count of the amount of people who have put in friend requests (with no accompanying message of course) and their photos is of the typical ‘mobile-phone-in-the-bathroom-mirror’ shot, shirtless if a bloke, and if a lady, clad in a push-up bra with arms squeezed together.
I’M A DOG! I’m not biologically programmed to fancy you! Take rudey pictures of yourself it that’s what floats your boat, but have a bit of decorum and don’t share them with the world wide web!
*paws for thought*
Having just read back on all that, I’ve just realised that was my first good rant in a long time, and you know, it feel so good getting all of that off my chest.
Until next time……
