Social Networking & My Struggle with FriendFeed
Trying to incorporate FriendFeed into my routine lately has made me think a lot about social networking and why and how I use what I use.
As Laura Carscaddon and Colleen S. Harris explain in their article in Library Journal, “Working the Social: Twitter and FriendFeed,” ”a major benefit of FriendFeed is the ability to converse easily on a specific topic with threaded discussions.” This appears to be true for many librarians, but for me, FriendFeed is just redundant. I follow few people on FriendFeed. Even for these few, I prefer reading the individual feeds they produce (via Twitter, RSS, or Flickr) to the context-less aggregate. When I feel the need to comment on what they say, I do so in context.
Why is that?
In order to use Twitter, I use a desktop application on the Mac called Tweetie. I use iScrobbler to record what I’ve listened to on my last.fm account. I go to Facebook daily (usually), and LinkedIn, Yelp, and LibraryThing occasionally. I upload pictures to Flickr using an iPhoto plugin after I upload them from my cameras, and visit Flickr occasionally. I use NetNewsWire (a desktop app that now syncs with Google Reader) for my RSS feeds.
After using FriendFeed for some time, it seems to me that the way to get the most out of the site is to keep it open in browser all day. Otherwise, one is bound to miss something in the sea of information generated throughout the day. Personally, I don’t like this practice. I read or see a lot of the information in other ways, I don’t like web apps, and I don’t like the design of the website. I’m bothered by the fact that I struggle to be an active user of the site.
I agree with Erin Dorney’s post on Library Scenester, “Social networking: be an active, responsible user.” I try to be an active user of social networking tools for different reasons. Twitter is a great way to see what is going on in the library world and to participate in it. I use Facebook mostly to keep up with friends and family, though the library world is part of that, too. As Erin wrote, “I would be on some of these sites regardless of my career because technology is something that is tightly integrated with the way I live my life.” And I also try to be a responsible user, not posting things that are too personal or too hasty.
So the fact that I am having trouble with a social networking tool is jarring to me; I usually get the hang of it quickly and easily. Maybe FriendFeed is just not right for me.
These realizations have made me curious: how do you decide what social networking tools work for you? Are there any that you just can’t use for one reason or another? Do you have a favorite?
(Tangentially, Meredith Farkas‘ presentation I mentioned in a previous post, “2.Broken: Cautionary Tales of 2.0 Gone Wrong” describes a similar kind of struggle for libraries, rather than the individual, and what to do about it. Erin Dorney’s personal social networking philosophy of being an active and responsible user can (and should) be applied to organizations using social media, too.)
August 28th, 2009 at 8:21 am
I’ve tried to figure out how to use FriendFeed a couple of times, and still don’t get it. It seems redundant to me, too. Actually, I don’t think I set it up right in the first place, because the only thing that shows up is people I already follow on Twitter. Where are my Facebook friends? And I don’t want to figure out all over again who to follow in FF. And I like visiting different sites for different things. And, and, and…
Anyway, if you figure out FriendFeed I hope you’ll post something about it. I’d love to know what I’m doing wrong!
August 28th, 2009 at 10:04 am
Shander — Did you import your Facebook friends? As I understand it, you can only see a lifestream from those friends who have created their own FriendFeed account. If they haven’t, then the information they post cannot be shown. Also, if your Facebook friends are on FriendFeed but haven’t added their Facebook information, the information they post on Facebook won’t show up on FriendFeed.
I hope that helps!
September 10th, 2009 at 8:22 pm
Social networking sites can become really overwhelming. At the moment I use igoogle to keep an eye on my twitter and gmail. My RSS feeds have able to enter a disastrous number, I may have to file bankruptcy on them. Thanks for posting the stand alone apps for twitter and RSS feeds, I’ll have to check them out even though I’ve moved towards web-based usage.
Keep an eye out for google wave though
September 20th, 2009 at 12:51 am
Philippe — My RSS feed aggregator can be overwhelming for me, too. I always end up skipping something, but I try to trim it down when it becomes a habit on any blog. It would be really neat if my aggregator could filter my feeds for me, only displaying articles on topics that have been interesting to me in the past. Ah, AI. I can dream.
I think web-based apps make a lot of sense on work computers, especially if the only way for you to get anything installed on your computer is through the IT people. It’s not ideal, but it’s usable.
November 14th, 2009 at 9:01 am
Here are a few FF tricks/things to know:
1. Connect to as many people (friends) as possible, so you can see/follow what they are doing.
2. Join groups, so you can check what they group is doing/discussing. Groups are often more useful than just your general friends.
3. Check out Best of Day, as well as best of week and month. This is how you can find the hot topics.
4. Recognize that FF only one of several places that a conversation can happen. A tweet that shows up in FF may generate a conversation in FF as well as in Twitter. And if your tweets are going to Facebook, then the conversation could also happen there.
5. FF may not be for everyone. I read somewhere that the growth of FF had stalled. Maybe being owned by FB will give it renewed growth. Supposedly, though, it has been better at attracting those who are on the leading edge (and who need/want to follow each other) than everyday people.
November 14th, 2009 at 10:18 am
Jill — Thanks for the great tips! It helps a lot!