LIKE me on Facebook!

Actually, no, don't do that.  You see, I'm not really on Facebook.  I am the Communications Officer for my AMTA-CA Unit, and I have a dummy account to play referee for our unit's page.  After enjoying 5 years of mayhem, I quit Facebook in 2010.  I regret disappearing without giving friends (real friends) much notice, but I don't regret leaving.

Like many others who've made this decision, it gets a little annoying when we see Facebook integration everywhere.  On Google+ (yes, I'm a user; yes, there's plenty to be said about Google integration, as well), I saw that Whole Foods was holding a pet photo contest.  You just needed a picture of your pet in, on, with, or mutilating one of their bags.  Like many pet owners, I knew I had the winning photograph.

I clicked on the link for the rules, and the first thing you have to do is log into Facebook and *Like* them.

"You have an account!  What's the problem?"

A couple of problems.  First of all, I like them in real life.  We can still be friends in real life without Facebook mediating.  Secondly, for all intents and purposes, I'm not on Facebook.  Thirdly, this was posted on G+.

"They're cross-posting.  So what?"

They've probably got some widget they punch information into that sends it to G+, Twitter, Pinterest, and Facebook, alike.  It's nothing personal.  It's very impersonal, now that you mention it.  But no matter which network you're using, Facebook is still god-emperor.  Everyone's on it, so we'll host everything through it, post everything to it, share everything with it, and if you're not in this walled garden (oh, yes...I went there), it's you're own fault.

It goes without saying that this isn't just Whole Foods.  A couple friends of mine are still circling some level of higher-education, be they undergrad, masters, or crazy PhD.  One of them has a professor who expressed an interest in posting assignment details in a Facebook group he created for the class.  This friend is not on Facebook.

If this were 2005, when Facebook didn't require DNA samples for verification, this might not be such an issue.  It would have been silly, since the university has its own network for assignments and forum discussions, but now?  Mutual friends and I encouraged this friend to go talk to the Dean.  This professor is essentially forcing everyone to use Facebook; a corporation that requires more information than some (not enough) are comfortable handing over.

"So, what's your point?"

My point, if I must have one, is that I won't ask you to *like me on Facebook*, +1 me on G+, or follow me on Twitter.  I understand that many people are using Facebook for their online presence and influence, but this is not for me.  It means more if you're on my table, talking to your friends about my business, or actually interacting with me in these social mediums.  I also have this little blog to say, "Hey!  Look at me!"