An actual friend, that I met in real life before we became Facebook friends. I know, right! You didn't think they still existed in my world, but they do!
It had been a few months since we'd seen each other so we started chatting to find out what each other was up to.
Glow: "Hey! How are you? How's the new job?"
Friend: "Oh my god hello! It's been so long! Yeah the new job is going really well, I'm really liking it. Haven't figured out how to use the company Twitter account yet, I'll have to pick your brain on that soon."
Glow: "You'll get the hang of it, it's just a lot of talking to yourself, much like parenting, actually. Speaking of which, how is your gorgeous spawn?"
Friend: "He's good! At home with Daddy at the moment so I've escaped. Enough about me, how are YOU?"
Glow: "Oh I'm OK, just got back from a week away in Jurien."
Friend: "I saw! That place looked horrible, I can't believe that they'd let people in with that much filth. I hope you got your money back."
Glow: "Yeah we did. Other than that I'm just working on a conference and doing some paid writing"
Friend: "Oh I saw that, that's brilliant."
Glow: "Right, OK" *looks around* "Ummm."
Friend: "Is this weird? This is weird. I know your whole life."
Glow: "Awkward."
Friend: "I'm not a stalker, promise. Wait, Glow, come back... come back! I promise!!!"
And that is how blogging has killed the art of conversation. I have nothing new to say to my friends when I see them that they haven't already read, so the fine dance, the to-ing and fro-ing with tales and stories is over.
Video killed the radio star. Blogging killed conversation. May they rest in peace.
When people ask how you are, do you answer "You mean you don't you read my blog?"
My favourite thing to say to my husband is "did you see that thing I tweeted today?" and he will normally say yes, and then I don't have to explain, we just go straight to "how funny was it" or something similar.
ReplyDeleteMy family (now) know about both blogs I write so I know they're up to date on what I do, but I have to admit it disappoints me that my closest friends don't read my public blog (the one that this twitter account is attached to).
ReplyDeleteThey know about my diet blog but not how to access it and it makes me realise that completely strangers know more about my life than my closest friends (who I rarely see anymore). *Sigh*
So true! Even my mum says she knows what's going on in my life because she read it on my blog!
ReplyDeleteSometimes friends comment in person to me about one aspect or another and I think, "How did you know that?" ... duh!
another awesome side effect of being a secret blogger...
ReplyDeleteI can test out my material on the internet and then use it ad nauseum in real life and vice versa.
Kinda freaks me out when MPS references something I wrote cause I am all OMG HOW DO YOU KNOW?!?!
I am such and idiot.
No one I know in real life reads, but I can see how it'd be nice on occasion for them to just know how things are.
ReplyDeleteI ask hubby if he saw my FB status and refuse to tell him what it is if he says he hasnt, lol.
ReplyDeleteOnly hubby knows I blog on Silly Mummy. But sometimes I'm surprised that my inlaws remember what I put on FB.
ReplyDeleteI have to admit I am beginning to wonder what we are all going to talk about at the blogger conference (DPCON12 for anyone who hasn't been reading along faithfully to your blog). I mean we all know more about each other than we do our non-blogging friends. It pushes conversation into commentary on what's happening at that exact moment, which can be fun, but is also a bit...too much like tweeting in person. I like to process what someone has said to me for a second before getting all "Oh my, I better say something witty quickly or they'll think I'm odd." Oh well, we can always fall back on discussing the weather....
ReplyDeleteI try and avoid mixing my two groups of friends ie the online ones read my blog but the one's I know in real life only don't read my blog. But it gets a bit consusing sometimes!
ReplyDeleteWell today I found out that someone doesn't read my blog. That someone would be my husband! Busted. Big. Time.
ReplyDeleteI find facebook killed it before blogging ever did. Although the tide is turning...
ReplyDeleteI've had a few weird and awkward silences when someone in town who reads my blog and I caught up for a coffee/play date, but that was about it. I figure it's my chance to shut my mouth and listen to what someone else has to say for once, rather than motor mouthing like I usually do!
ReplyDeleteI sometimes find people don't even mention my blog, even when I know they've blatantly read it. It's almost like they don't want to seem stalkerish!
ReplyDeleteI agree it can kill the catch-up talk (how is work going? how are the kids? etc) but sometimes it starts other conversations ("I really like what you wrote about... It's made me think about...").
ReplyDeleteI think my digital life (FB, blog, SMS, etc) is killing my phone skills though - I used to love talking on the phone, but now I hate it (my kids' "quick let's cause havoc while Mummy is on the phone" antics probably haven't helped!)
I think it can cause awkward conversations between bloggers too. What about a new blogger who is religiously (stalkerishly?) following their idols who have little to no idea they exist. Then they meet IRL. It'd be kind of the same experience you've just described! How many blogger's hearts have been broken by "rejection" from their idols, I wonder?
ReplyDeleteI'll start telling a story and Map Guy will say "Yeah, I saw you tweet that". Conversation over.
ReplyDeleteBahahha FB standoff
ReplyDeleteI still find it completely weird that strangers know about my life... not weird enough for me stop, obviously
ReplyDeleteI get caught in the "How did you know that?" trap too sometimes!
ReplyDeleteHe's psychic.
ReplyDeleteIt saves for a lot of explaining, sometimes.
ReplyDeleteI never put anything other than random crap (and whole heap of photos) on FB. I figure if I put my entire life on a blog, people can go to my personal FB page for a break from me :P
ReplyDeleteYeah pretty much all our conversations are one-sided anyway!
ReplyDelete"too much like tweeting in person" OMG best comment ever!!!
ReplyDeleteMine have all merged now. I forget where people came from.
ReplyDeleteMap Guy subscribes to this... he gets the emails and deletes them. Bastard!
ReplyDeleteSo true!!
ReplyDeleteIt is quite a nice opportunity to shut up and listen. Only problem is when the other person doesn't like to talk about themselves and it goes back to you - sometimes I think gawd I talk about myself all day, can we not talk about something else for once?! :P
ReplyDeleteIt's a fine line between stalking and true and abiding love :P
ReplyDeleteI like the deeper conversations it starts - which tend to come off the emo posts. I've had a few friends contact me and want to talk after I've blubbered about something on here and it's given them "permission" to talk about their own problems. That's a nice feeling
ReplyDeleteI have such a terrible memory for names and blogs (I normally always remember a face), so I'll end up talking to someone for 20 minutes before I realize who they are and that I actually follow their blog. It makes me look like I don't know anything
ReplyDeleteYou could be right...all of my "friends" know every single thing about me since I blog/tweet and/or facebook it. They all probably think I'm a really great listener now since they just tell me about their life.
ReplyDeleteI don't put too much on my FB status anymore as it was freaking me out too much with the whole "how do you know that about me?". My blog has been pretty much non-existent of late, but not too many of my IRL friends knew about it anyway. When people start to tell me about stuff that I've already read on FB I usually just act like I don't know and let them tell me anyway. Maybe I did this to you last time we met up (about stuff on your blog), yes it's a bit wierd.
ReplyDelete