Wednesday, June 27, 2012

Blog vs.Facebook

 Did you call the Governor yet? DO IT!
I will preface this post with a disclaimer so I don't piss off any of my blog friends. I love you all and your blogs, you know that. I do not say any of this in a mean spirited way, It is just an observation and my very own opinion, it is not meant to cause mental anguish or harm to you! I do not love your Facebook goings on. I tried reading a few last week. I have noticed that some of my favorite blogs are falling by the wayside, very little time and care being paid to them and I miss them. So I cruised over to the Facebook substitutes of a few blogs that I miss. I learned someone found some boxes, someone moved a slab roller, someone ate an apple, someone tied their shoe, someone farted.... not really, but it was mostly like that to me. Yawn.... people.....
I have started roaming outside of potters land for blog material because the potters are A. working very hard and do not have the time to blog, I'm assuming and B. they have succumb to the simple minded quickies of Facebook and Twitter. Gone are many of the thought provoking and often stimulating conversation making blogs of a few years ago. I miss them. I have found, though, that artists in other mediums are writing beautiful and inspirational blogs and I am so happy they take the time to put some interesting thoughts out there for people like me that enjoy reading what other artists are going through so I don't feel so alone with my angst.



Now, here is another interesting observation and happening. Tig, at Future Primitive blog, a blog I used to love to read, also a twitter/facebook victim, recently returned to the blog world and yesterday's post was WONDERFUL! Tig wrote about juicing and her photos and recipes were so enticing, I went out and bought a juicer today, yes I did! We have had a gift card floating around since Christmas for Target, and we hardly ever see anything there we want, but they had a juicer on sale so I got one. Went to the Farmer's market in Carrboro, then the grocery, came home and juiced my brains out!!!! WTF, why have I not thought about this before now? I knew about juicing, Jack Lelane and all that, but, man, this is the shit! I juiced apple, peach, mango, pineapple, grapefruit, and added some rice syrup for sweetness, YUM YUM!!!! I made a pitcher and we sipped away the afternoon, filling our souls with vitamins and goodness.




 The pulp is an interesting thing, I know not what to do with it, the dog wouldn't touch it, so it went to compost land. This is going to be an adventure, to see what concoctions I can make that we can actually drink and enjoy. What fun! Now, if Tig had just kept this in twitterville or spaceland, I would have never known, and I might be less healthy one day, get a disease and die. But! Because she came back to her blog, I will be thin, beautiful and healthy very soon:) She promised haha!
 There is no way in hell you are ever going to convince me that Facebook is worth it. I just find it incredibly boring and not at all interesting. No one is really taking the time to say anything useful at all and the replies are shallow at best. Yeah yeah, people say: "but it will be good for your business." What will be good for my business is to get out and work in my studio, not sit and cruise around on yet another social media platform. It's all so curious to me and I wonder what affect it will have on our minds in the future..... however, people that take the time to blog, do so in a mindful way and I am so happy to have found all of my blogging friends. For instance:
Anna Branner from Cloth and Clay took time out of her day this morning to send me an email after I emailed to her photos of my new(old) loom and explained what I have and what I need. I met her through another blog, I would have never found her through facebook and I love it when she blogs (which is not enough) because her postings are thoughtful and interesting.
Too bad, Facebook and Twitter stole so many bloggers, I really miss the time I spent with family photos and recipes and catching up with everyone's woes and joys and hard work. I guess that might be going on over in spaceland, but, alas, it goes on with out me :( Thanks to all of you that continue to carry the torch, I love reading what you write about
xo

24 comments:

Unknown said...

You make a good case Tracey... mine's mostly laziness.. and the odd dark mood!!.. and not being able to discuss much in a work/life cross over format that is blogging!
I'm still guilty though, but it is my year trial of this 'social media'... and i have found out news that no one would have told me if i hadn't been on it! I do need to get back to the blog, but you've heard all my reasons too many times... kiln, kiln, kiln... kid's, kid's kid's... yadda, yadda, yadda.... (nice post though, thanks Tracey)

Tracey Broome said...

Hi Scott, I guess there is lots of news that I am missing, but I seem to be surviving without the knowing, so what if I did know.... would my life change.... hmmm...
Now...kids! That will take away the blogging time for sure. I could have never been a blogger when Wesley was small, I was on field trips or at school or helping with homework. But now I have the time to read and write in blog land! You and your wife write great blogs when you get around to it :)

Anna M. Branner said...

Right now I am in a tough spot....how much will people want to read about house renovations? That may be the focus of my life for the next several months....but hopefully I will be able to fit the new studio project and pots in there too!!

Lori Buff said...

I do both blog writing and facebook with a little sprinkling of twitter and pinterest. I do actually enjoy reading blogs more than facebook posts, they are more interesting and engaging in my opinion. I've actually formed friendships from blogs that I have not found on facebook even when reconnecting with old friends. That said, I put a link to your call the governor blog on facebook in the hopes that it would generate more anti-fracking sentiment and phone calls.

NOTE TO ANNA - I'd be interested in your home renovations, check out 1928 bungalow, it's a blog all about the home renovation, my partner rarely misses a post.

Tracey Broome said...

Anna, since I used to be a designer, I would totally dig the home reno blog and Lori, below, blogged about her studio construction, that is how I found her blog and how I came to build my own studio! Who knows, you might offer some wisdom to someone and you don't even know it!
Lori, thanks for the frack posting. I'm not saying facebook is all bad, I just don't personally like it, I find it boring and I miss the blogs that I think facebook has taken away. To each his own, but it's not for me!

FetishGhost said...

Ok, ok... I fully understand what you're getting at Trace and I agree. The meat is in the blog postings. Faceboob is a "social media" site. It's just links to content, but like the blog'o'shere, it's up to us to dream up how to make it work for us.

(PS... my absence has more to do with getting studio partners up to working speed than anything else. Yippeee!)

Tracey Broome said...

I do like it when you post on your blog Z, I forgot to leave a comment about your star sprigs, I was on my ipad and I am not so fond of typing comments with it. I'll have to come back with my laptop!

Melissa Rohrer said...

I guess I associate facebook/myspace whatever with middle school weirdness which is why I never got into it. My son went through a phase with it in middle school and us good parents kept an eye on all that stupidness. Fortunately he grew out of it in high school.
Twitter-why?

Anonymous said...

amen. i don't facebook/twitter/etc. mostly because i am still overwhelmed in the blog world (which i didn't even know existed a few years ago) & the idea of figuring out another media medium is more than i can imagine. so i'll keep plodding along.

Tracey Broome said...

Melissa, I know what you mean! When my daughter was in fifth grade, she was chatting on IM with "satan's angel child" and thought nothing of it. We were monitoring her in a pretty casual way and just happened to see this, Her dad freaked out on her and her days of social media came to a quick close for a long time, she was so afraid of it after that :)
I think the problem is I still equate facebook with high school and I hated high school....
Cindy, I think you are doing just fine, it's nice to have company in the non facebook land !!

Sandy Miller said...

Amen! When crackbook changed the format they lost me. I still have an account to keep up with my daughter out in Fort Collins ...... Because she will post to facebook if her underpants go up in flames. Blogging has been a great outlet and link as I rarely leave the compound these days.

I like the meat and over the fluff. Someone pointed out it was a great business tool....... When I had time to post photos of new work it did help sales but it's summer and I have a very hard time doing inside stuff; like setting up the photo booth. Summer I on the road, in the garden or hang'n with chickens. You should really get a couple chickens to take care of your pulp. They also creep into the creative side of life and are a hoot.

Dennis Allen said...

I do both facebook and blog. I see them as 2 different things.One does not substitute for the other and neither has brought a lot of business.The blog is more pottery focused with some forays to other topics. Facebook helps me keep in touch with other folks and maintain friendships that may have otherwise fallen by the wayside.I should mention that I am selective about friending people and generally do not accept people that I don't know.Twitter? That would involve texting which I hate. I need to save my thumbs for other things.

ang design said...

trace sweet ....you've been outed on fb quite a few times tee hehehe :)) anyhoo one of the biggest frustrations with blogger is their stupid word verification ..nothing more frustrating!!! at least on fb you can leave a quick response if ya like..blogger has become way less interactive..

Sue Pariseau Pottery said...

Sad... I learned a lot of useful things on Facebook yesterday. The Local has the just picked currents in, my nephew smacked the ball out of the park and it was there I learned Emily Murphy wrote a new blog post. Could I have gotten by not knowing any of those things? Yes, but each of those items brought a level of joy to my day I may not have experienced if I'd not read it on Facebook.

For me it's all about target audience. Bloggers read blogs. my customers are on Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest. And since I'm in business to sell pots, I tend to spend my precious little time putting myself in front of potential customers on social media and blog only as time permits.

Hollis Engley said...

Amen, Tracey. I get that way more people are committed to FB, that we learn way more incidental personal junk there, that it might be good for business. I've reconnected with a few friends I'd lost track of years ago. So, I get the value. But the blog form is more thoughtful, more reader-friendly and frankly just looks better. Fewer people read us, though. Too bad for those who don't. As always, lowest common denominator rules.

Tracey Broome said...

Hey Ang, yeah I heard I was making the rounds on fb, haha!
Yes,blogger with the verifications, wtf! And who do you complain to?!
Hi Sue, I know a lot of people do enjoy fb and get a lot out of it. I'm just saying, it seems to have taken away many of the blogs I used to love to read, and I miss that. I did find out about Emily's blog post and it wasn't through fb, so I guess I'm not completely out of touch :)
Hollis, I can't think of anyone in my past that I want to reconnect with, so I'm good, haha! I miss the thoughtful posts, blogs can be a great source of comfort and validation for artists that spend way too much time alone!

Laura Farrow said...

I swing both ways, as you know. Blogging is meatier, more satisfying.... FB is more like a snack, and not always a healthy one. However, for me getting the word out about my work - openings, sales - FB has lassoed the masses... xo

Tracey Broome said...

I hear ya, and you handle it quite well, swinging both ways :) I, however, would get into the obsession part about it, like I am known to do, it would become a competitive thing for me, get ugly, I know how I am.... haha!

Michèle Hastings said...

I look forward to reading blogs much more than facebook. When I first joined facebook I engaged in some thought provoking conversations as well as some fun ones. I think it has gotten a little dull lately. I don't get twitter at all, although I do have an account.

As for marketing... I know of three sales that were a direct result of facebook and blogging. Maybe there's more but even if there isn't I am still having fun.

Unknown said...

You do this once or twice a year- the FB rant ;) It's always a good conversation though~

Okay, to more important stuff: the JUICER!!! You go girl! Here is one of my favorite recipes:
1 grapefruit, 4 oranges, 1 lemon, and 1-2 inches ginger. Deliciousness!! Of course, peel the fruit first- or just slice off the rind. Enjoy.

Next up- a heavy duty blender and join the green smoothie revolution :) Let me know when you do and I'll send you a bunch more recipes!

Tracey Broome said...

Hey Michele, if it's fun for you, that's the reason to do it! I know some folks that benefit a lot from marketing on fb so good if it fits for you. I just miss some of the bloggers that have gone over :)
Kathy, green smoothies!!?? yum!! I do need a new blender too. My wonderful Waring finally blew up :(
I'll give your juice recipe a try soon!

Peggy said...

Thanks for this post. I've never understood the attraction of fb or twitter. Like yourself, I much prefer to read a thoughtful piece by an engaged person no matter the topic. Some folks are more successful than other but it's the thought that counts and is appreciated!

As someone new to clay (avocation only at this point), I am fascinated by the bloggers who share their life's work in words and pictures. I've learned something of value from each of them, whether practical or theoretical.

Thanks for blogging!

Tracey Broome said...

Hi Peggy, I used to learn a lot too, from many of the potters that don't blog so much any more, that is sort of what sparked this post :) (I still learn from those that do blog, didn't mean to indicate otherwise)
Best of luck with your potterying!!

FuturePrimitive Soap Co. said...

hehe! i'm so stoked you went and got a juicer Trace! Made me laugh. But in all seriousness mine has changed up my diet no end. I am looking forward to waking up each morning and am dreaming up new concoctions every day. I'm getting more than my 5 a day (I think) and my skin looks so much better. The fruits and veggies can really help with dark circles!
I'm very sorry to hear about the Cancer - but thank the sweet lord it wasn't too serious.
I promise to blog more...I know I have been so slack lately...not because of FB or Twitter blah blah but because I now have a workshop with no internet connection. I can only blog at home and after a full day of soaping and packing orders etc I'm beat! BUT...I have been so wanting to get back into my blog so watch me and nudge me if I slack off would ya?!!
xxx