Before I begin, I must say: I am a terrible blogger. I haven't updated in WEEKS. Mainly because it's been a busy life and a lot of things happened very quickly. I got 2 new jobs (youtube and ChaCha) and I'm moving in with S. Expect more entries about her in the coming months.
But this blog is not about why I'm terrible at blogging (as interesting as that would be.) It's about how my daydreams usually turn into nightmares. Now, don't get me wrong. I don't suddenly jolt out of my daydreams screaming and dripping with sweat. No, but I do often daydream about terrible, terrible events.
For instance, recently during a road trip with S, we pulled over for gas as can be expected. And as she was pumping gas and I was walking inside to use the restroom, I got this image in my head of the gas pump some how spontaneously exploding in a fiery terror, consuming S completely. I saw myself feel the blast, duck out of instinct but also turn around as if in slow motion. And when I saw S consumed in flames, screaming for her life and in tremendous pain, I imagined myself falling to the ground with my mouth gaping open, yelling at the top of my lungs as well. I was in complete shock. What else could I do?........This image disturbed me so much that I stopped dead in my tracks and take just the quickest glance back to make sure that she was still alive and fire-less.
And this happens all the time. I imagine myself diving into a pool, striking my head on the bottom and never surfacing again. I see all of my friends in chic black outfits, standing over me at my funeral.
I imagine my mother perishing in terrible car accidents caused by my brothers' reckless driving.
I see my cat getting into the medicine cabinet and accidentally overdosing on Advil.
Does anyone else see how disturbing this is? I shouldn't have thoughts like this; constantly paranoid of death or dying. Sure, I'll go on the occasional Wikipedia-spiral about various famous massacres or terrorist attacks (Columbine, Oklahoma City Bombing, Waco Siege, etc.) But why do I imagine these terrible things happening to the people I love? Am I that desperate for drama in my life? Do I require tragedy to make my life feel interesting?
Nah...I think I just need to stay away from Wikipedia for a while...
-K
December 22, 2010
December 2, 2010
Social Networking
Recently I have come to accept me addiction to the internet, specifically social networking sites. And since I feel I am addicted to this.......thing, I have earned the right to review them. And I will do so now.
YouTube
Ahhh, my first love. I've recently been partnered on YouTube which means that they'll now pay me to put ads in and next to my videos. I love YouTube. I really do. I feel it's a great way to connect and interact with people all over the world. It's a source of entertainment, news, fashion advice, technology advice, even education. YouTube is one of those phenomenons that kind of explodes out of no where...and it's because of that immediate popularity, I wonder just how long it will remain popular. Will it fall into the realm of slap bracelets and gigapets? Or will it prove to be lasting like denim jeans or Google? Either way, I'm giving it 5/5 stars.
*****
Facebook
Oh Facebook. I got my facebook back when you still needed a ".edu" e-mail address. And I watched as it opened it's arms to any active e-mail address and watched as it sold it's precious digital acres to ads and added games and fan pages. Some people find the personalized ads to be creepy and freak out over the privacy settings of their accounts. As for me, I welcome the ads centered around my lifestyle and interests. I can't tell you how many times I've deleted an e-mail because it said, "Interested in larger breasts?" Uh....no. Thank you. I like my "breasts" the size that they are...As for letting any Tom, Dick and Harry make a facebook account, I can't say that I'm against it. The creators (Mark Zuckerberg and his college roommates) of Facebook made a VERY good business choice when they chose to do what seemed like selling out: putting ads on facebook. It didn't take long for Mark to realize the potential of Facebook and I'm sure he saw how much money this could make him. So he did what every other American in his position would have done: went for the dough. I keep my facebook very private, practically unsearchable. And I use it to connect with people that I genuinely care about and have met in real life. For this, I give it 5/5 stars.
*****
Twitter
Twitter is something that I admitingly came into late (and I've already discussed this in this post.) But I quickly became adept at using and have gone through what I like to call the 4 Phases of Twitterdom. Phase 1: You tweet once just to see how it all works out and marvel at your creation. It probably says something along the lines of "Hello!" "So I decided to make a twitter account..." or "Testing....testing..." The people in this phase are the newborns of Twitter. They don't do much, barely opening their eyes, occasionally making a noise. They're cute and need to be coaxed out of their little homes. Phase 2: OBSESSIVE TWEETING! Those people caught in phase 2 tweet every 5 seconds about every thought that comes into their head and every movement they make. They're the toddlers of Twitter. They're just so excited about the world that they have to share every piece of it with everyone they know. They're annoying and seemingly loud and often get unfollowed. Phase 3: Angsty Tweeting. Of all the phases, this one is skipped most often. It's the phase where the tweeter only tweets song lyrics or movie quotes. No original thoughts because "words just aren't enough." These are the teenage years of Twitter. These people find the 140 character count limiting and annoying. They're also often unfollowed due to their lack on interesting things to say. Then Phase 4: Just Relax. This phase is the most pleasant and sought after phase. These are the adults of Twitter. They tweet when something funny happens or exciting news. They tweet provocative thoughts or perhaps something embarrassing that they're willing to share with their friends.This is what twitter was designed for.
All in all, Twitter is actually very useful and entertaining. It's efficient and has yet to get boring. In fact, when I find my Twitter feed starting to bore me, I just go and find new people to follow and that seems to vamp it up enough to seem like a brand new website. But again, I must ask the question: will it last? To be honest? I don't think so. I think it'll last until a new generation finds something else to be cooler. For that, I give 4/5 stars.
****
MySpace
I have but a few words for this website: old. MySpace tried to maximize it's potential by giving the users what they wanted: personalization. However, they took it too far and it forced people to leave to Facebook. I remember it took what seemed like HOURS to load someone's MySpace page due to all of the pictures and backgrounds and music they had put on there. It was ridiculous. MySpace is even trying to do a mash-up with Facebook to try and get more users to come back. Let me tell you, FAIL. 2/5 stars
**
Tumblr
Tumblr, in it's conception was a great idea. And when I started my account, I didn't quite know what to use it as. It seemed like a more complicated version of Twitter but without the perks of getting it sent to my phone. Sure, I could record audio tracks of me speaking and post them but....why do that when I can just text in what I'm thinking to Twitter? It just seemed like another venue for people to post porn and blog about their feelings....which no one cares about. 2/5 stars.
**
Formspring
Again, a great idea in it's conception. A place where people could ask questions to each other in hopes of getting to know each other. But I found that the less people that use this website, the less fun it becomes. Sure, it was GREAT to wake up and have 9 or 10 questions waiting for me. But when it got to be about 1 or 2 questions a month, I was over it. I didn't feel motivated to check the website. And I figured "Maybe I need to ask questions to get questions!" So for about two weeks, I regularly asked people questions. But did I get the same courtesy? No. All I got was an empty inbox and answers that I didn't want to know in the first place. Nice try, formspring. Come back to me when you're more viral. 3/5 stars.
***
DailyBooth
Honestly? I think Dailybooth is a genius idea. They took something that people loved doing (taking pictures of themselves) and allowed them to share them with the world. Some people feel that because of the title, they need to post pictures everyday. And if followers are what you're after, then yes, you should. But if you just want to post goofy pictures of you and your friends and could care less about who sees them, then that works too. I personally use it as a photoblog. I started a photoblog back when I was a sophomore in college about brushing your teeth. I'd take a picture of me posing with my toothbrush in my mouth every day. It kind of fizzled out when I ran out of ideas. But when I discovered Dailybooth, I decided it was time to revamp my old blog. And I seem to have gotten a good response to it. I often get responses of people brushing their teeth in a similar manner. It's fun. It's new. It's goofy. 4/5 stars.
****
MeetUp
This is not a well-known social networking site...yet. But I have a feeling that it has the potential to explode. MeetUp is a website where people can find others of similar interests, lifestyles, etc and, you guessed it, meet up. It's amazing for making new friends in a city where you don't know many people. I use it to find the hidden gay men of this city (there aren't many of us) and to find local YouTube Gatherings. But again, it's a website that gets better with more usage. For that, 3/5 stars.
***
VYou
I've saved this site for last because it is my most recent discovery. VYou is a website much like FormSpring where complete strangers (or people you know) can ask you any question you want and you respond with a video of yourself answering the question. I feel that this has GREAT potential. It's combining two of my favorite things: making new friends and making videos. The only drawback is you HAVE to have a webcam to do it. You can't record your videos on something else and then upload your responses. The website is still in Beta mode right now so uploading may be a feature in the future (say that 5 times fast.) But so far? I love it. 3/5 stars for not really knowing much about it.
***
I hope you enjoyed my reviews and if you've made it this far, you must be a true fan and for that, I love you. I really do. Let me know what you think of these sites. Who knows? You might change my opinion.
-K
YouTube
Ahhh, my first love. I've recently been partnered on YouTube which means that they'll now pay me to put ads in and next to my videos. I love YouTube. I really do. I feel it's a great way to connect and interact with people all over the world. It's a source of entertainment, news, fashion advice, technology advice, even education. YouTube is one of those phenomenons that kind of explodes out of no where...and it's because of that immediate popularity, I wonder just how long it will remain popular. Will it fall into the realm of slap bracelets and gigapets? Or will it prove to be lasting like denim jeans or Google? Either way, I'm giving it 5/5 stars.
*****
Oh Facebook. I got my facebook back when you still needed a ".edu" e-mail address. And I watched as it opened it's arms to any active e-mail address and watched as it sold it's precious digital acres to ads and added games and fan pages. Some people find the personalized ads to be creepy and freak out over the privacy settings of their accounts. As for me, I welcome the ads centered around my lifestyle and interests. I can't tell you how many times I've deleted an e-mail because it said, "Interested in larger breasts?" Uh....no. Thank you. I like my "breasts" the size that they are...As for letting any Tom, Dick and Harry make a facebook account, I can't say that I'm against it. The creators (Mark Zuckerberg and his college roommates) of Facebook made a VERY good business choice when they chose to do what seemed like selling out: putting ads on facebook. It didn't take long for Mark to realize the potential of Facebook and I'm sure he saw how much money this could make him. So he did what every other American in his position would have done: went for the dough. I keep my facebook very private, practically unsearchable. And I use it to connect with people that I genuinely care about and have met in real life. For this, I give it 5/5 stars.
*****
Twitter is something that I admitingly came into late (and I've already discussed this in this post.) But I quickly became adept at using and have gone through what I like to call the 4 Phases of Twitterdom. Phase 1: You tweet once just to see how it all works out and marvel at your creation. It probably says something along the lines of "Hello!" "So I decided to make a twitter account..." or "Testing....testing..." The people in this phase are the newborns of Twitter. They don't do much, barely opening their eyes, occasionally making a noise. They're cute and need to be coaxed out of their little homes. Phase 2: OBSESSIVE TWEETING! Those people caught in phase 2 tweet every 5 seconds about every thought that comes into their head and every movement they make. They're the toddlers of Twitter. They're just so excited about the world that they have to share every piece of it with everyone they know. They're annoying and seemingly loud and often get unfollowed. Phase 3: Angsty Tweeting. Of all the phases, this one is skipped most often. It's the phase where the tweeter only tweets song lyrics or movie quotes. No original thoughts because "words just aren't enough." These are the teenage years of Twitter. These people find the 140 character count limiting and annoying. They're also often unfollowed due to their lack on interesting things to say. Then Phase 4: Just Relax. This phase is the most pleasant and sought after phase. These are the adults of Twitter. They tweet when something funny happens or exciting news. They tweet provocative thoughts or perhaps something embarrassing that they're willing to share with their friends.This is what twitter was designed for.
All in all, Twitter is actually very useful and entertaining. It's efficient and has yet to get boring. In fact, when I find my Twitter feed starting to bore me, I just go and find new people to follow and that seems to vamp it up enough to seem like a brand new website. But again, I must ask the question: will it last? To be honest? I don't think so. I think it'll last until a new generation finds something else to be cooler. For that, I give 4/5 stars.
****
MySpace
I have but a few words for this website: old. MySpace tried to maximize it's potential by giving the users what they wanted: personalization. However, they took it too far and it forced people to leave to Facebook. I remember it took what seemed like HOURS to load someone's MySpace page due to all of the pictures and backgrounds and music they had put on there. It was ridiculous. MySpace is even trying to do a mash-up with Facebook to try and get more users to come back. Let me tell you, FAIL. 2/5 stars
**
Tumblr
Tumblr, in it's conception was a great idea. And when I started my account, I didn't quite know what to use it as. It seemed like a more complicated version of Twitter but without the perks of getting it sent to my phone. Sure, I could record audio tracks of me speaking and post them but....why do that when I can just text in what I'm thinking to Twitter? It just seemed like another venue for people to post porn and blog about their feelings....which no one cares about. 2/5 stars.
**
Formspring
Again, a great idea in it's conception. A place where people could ask questions to each other in hopes of getting to know each other. But I found that the less people that use this website, the less fun it becomes. Sure, it was GREAT to wake up and have 9 or 10 questions waiting for me. But when it got to be about 1 or 2 questions a month, I was over it. I didn't feel motivated to check the website. And I figured "Maybe I need to ask questions to get questions!" So for about two weeks, I regularly asked people questions. But did I get the same courtesy? No. All I got was an empty inbox and answers that I didn't want to know in the first place. Nice try, formspring. Come back to me when you're more viral. 3/5 stars.
***
DailyBooth
Honestly? I think Dailybooth is a genius idea. They took something that people loved doing (taking pictures of themselves) and allowed them to share them with the world. Some people feel that because of the title, they need to post pictures everyday. And if followers are what you're after, then yes, you should. But if you just want to post goofy pictures of you and your friends and could care less about who sees them, then that works too. I personally use it as a photoblog. I started a photoblog back when I was a sophomore in college about brushing your teeth. I'd take a picture of me posing with my toothbrush in my mouth every day. It kind of fizzled out when I ran out of ideas. But when I discovered Dailybooth, I decided it was time to revamp my old blog. And I seem to have gotten a good response to it. I often get responses of people brushing their teeth in a similar manner. It's fun. It's new. It's goofy. 4/5 stars.
****
MeetUp
This is not a well-known social networking site...yet. But I have a feeling that it has the potential to explode. MeetUp is a website where people can find others of similar interests, lifestyles, etc and, you guessed it, meet up. It's amazing for making new friends in a city where you don't know many people. I use it to find the hidden gay men of this city (there aren't many of us) and to find local YouTube Gatherings. But again, it's a website that gets better with more usage. For that, 3/5 stars.
***
VYou
I've saved this site for last because it is my most recent discovery. VYou is a website much like FormSpring where complete strangers (or people you know) can ask you any question you want and you respond with a video of yourself answering the question. I feel that this has GREAT potential. It's combining two of my favorite things: making new friends and making videos. The only drawback is you HAVE to have a webcam to do it. You can't record your videos on something else and then upload your responses. The website is still in Beta mode right now so uploading may be a feature in the future (say that 5 times fast.) But so far? I love it. 3/5 stars for not really knowing much about it.
***
I hope you enjoyed my reviews and if you've made it this far, you must be a true fan and for that, I love you. I really do. Let me know what you think of these sites. Who knows? You might change my opinion.
-K
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