Snyder's Side: Article 10
11 June 2011
TO MY FACEBOOK "FRIENDS"
Here I sit at an "Undisclosed Forward Operating Location" in South West Asia, contemplating the true meaning of "friends." You see, a few days ago I posted a request on Facebook® for donations to purchase a replacement ping-pong table for the deployed unit I'm attached to right now. With 165 "friends" you'd think I could easily muster up 10 people to pony up thirty bucks, maybe 15 to put up twenty bucks apiece -- heck, how about 30 for ten dollars, right?
Know how many people even responded? Five. That's right, five. OK -- six, but one was my wife.
That little example has me rethinking who's really a friend and who's got me down as either a marketing demographic, a nose to rub their charmed life in, or a number on their "friends" list. There are people on my list I don't even know, and wouldn't know if I ever saw them in person because their "profile" doesn't even include their picture. But the real kicker are the ones that I've known for years, ones that asked to be on my list, seem to expect me to read all about their life and yet when I post can't even take the time to offer up a comment -- wow, that's some kind of friend. Kind of like the one that worked at the place that screwed me over last July and then "couldn't talk about it" to me -- gee, thanks.
Now to be fair, there are some who are very busy people. You don't see them post much, and in some cases, nothing at all. They probably don't even check in that often, so I give them a pass. But there are some who have no problem posting pictures of what they're doing, about how their day's going, where the party is, what their game-of-the-day shows for them, but when it comes to responding to something I post you'd think they don't even know me.
Well, some don't -- and some are about to stop "knowing" me. Remember the one I said "couldn't talk to me"? Gone from the ol' list, and not one tear shed. Hell, they probably haven't even figured it out yet, which is fine by me. Another seemed to want me as a "friend" so they could put me on their marketing list -- they dropped off too, and I'd bet it's the same as the other one. Starting tomorrow (I need to sleep before the next duty shift), the list will get cut down to people I can truly call a friend. Anyone else can look elsewhere for new "friends" for whatever reason they need "friends" on their list. I'm getting tired of wading through their posts while mine go ignored.
Maybe I'm a bit cranky. One-hundred-degree-plus heat, twelve-hours-on/twelve-hours-off workdays, five days on/one day off work weeks can do that to ya. But true consideration shouldn't take much, and wouldn't hurt some to use more than once every five years or so when it suits their needs.
Take Care,
KS