Lessons learned about technology

Okay, so I had a big blog set for today, but ... this is going to take precedence.

I recently was shown a way to simplify keeping up with all of your social media cogs and sprockets without totally losing your mind, or, at least not losing a whole evening updating every single one of them. It's called Ping.fm.

I must say, it's pretty convenient. I added my facebook and twitter accounts to it and, as if by an act of God himself, both were simultaneously updated - and without me even having to log in to either! Pretty sweet, right? I then got a little bit overzealous and added this Blogger account in to the mix. I specifically unchecked blogging in Ping.fm with hopes that it wouldn't post to my actual blog. I did, however, leave both status updates and micro-blogging checked. Mostly because I: (a) didn't know that there was such a thing as a status update on Blogger and wanted to see where that showed up and (b) had no idea what micro-blogging was in the first place and it sounded like something I should be keen on - or at least on which I should be keen.

Disaster.

What the hell kind of blog post is 'Really digging this band, Ezra Furman and the Harpoons'? There's no link to their website, myspace or other pertinent information. I didn't describe them in any way. Garbage. We know where that belongs - and last time I checked, I don't work for 'network news' of any kind ... (The preceding statement means nothing coming from me. I haven't watched CNN, MSNBC, Fox or any of those other entertainment channels since they stopped replaying shock-and-awe ... ah, those were the days.)

Anyway. I took my Blogger account out of the mix for Ping.fm and will leave it to twitter and facebook updates. This does bring up yet another question, though. If I get an account at all of the cool social sites, only to get another account (and login and password) for another site that posts to those sites so I never have to go to them anymore, then what exactly is the point in the first place. We're all so overextended in our online habits that we're not really even that social.

My updating facebook and twitter and Blogger, et al all at the same time is completely taking what little social interaction these sites did offer completely out of the equasion leaving my updates as the equivalent of a no-eye-contact-slight-hand-gesture-and-a-muttered-syllable hello to the online world. Maybe I'll just post a picture of my apathetic middle finger. It'd be no less personal.

Remember when email was considered so impersonal? So unprofessional? It was only about six years ago, maybe less. Now I long for the days when getting an email meant something - not just a reminder that someone commented on something on someone else's page. Every day I'm tempted to shut it all down and just tell people to email me whatever they want to say, but I know a lot of them wouldn't and that would be a shame. So, I put aside my fantasy land of social networking-free life and I'll probably sign on to facebook in a few minutes, tell you I like the link you posted and then try to find something marginally funny to post to twitter - and my facebook status at the same time. How awesome is that?!