Enemies of Idealism

Mean people suck, but nowhere is that more evident than on the Internet. I thrive on imagination and I never try to stifle any ideas I may have. I was one of those kids who believed that the cardboard box the new cooking pots came in was a spaceship and my cats were aliens from outer space (still wonder about that one). I never had anyone tell me that my ideas or imagination was stupid. That is because I grew up without social media. These days, social media acts as an enabler for the enemies of idealism.

These Old Walkin' Shoes: Why Can't We Be Friends

When and how does a friendship start to fade away? When you’re young and are surrounded by your friends, you make claims that you’ll be friends forever. Sometimes, that happens. There are people who are genuinely friends for life. Other times, those friendships slowly erode over time. It’s like you’re friends one day and not the next. It’s more of a matter of longer and longer times between encounters until they just don’t occur anymore.

What Is A Bot?

I like to go to the Lockportians page on Facebook to see what people are talking about and satisfy my annoying need to correct people from time to time. If I have ever corrected you, please do not take it personally. It is like a disease I have that I cannot seem to get rid of and I really do not mean to be insensitive. During some recent conversations, the idea of bots came up a couple of times and many people seemed confused. I'm going to try and explain what bots are and help you understand who uses them. A lot of you are not going to like what I have to say, but, as they say, the truth hurts.

The Way You Communicate Does Matter

I read a lot of social media all day long. I prefer Twitter, but I find myself spending too much time on Facebook every day. With Twitter, it is understandable why people write in code and create some serious atrocities against the English language. But on Facebook, there is no excuse for people who consistently spell words wrong, cannot put one complete sentence together, and use all caps without realizing how annoying that is. Instead of just accepting people who post like this (as they all say we should - "I'll spel hwever I wante!") and accepting their notion that it doesn't matter how their posts look as long as their information gets across, I decided to do some research. The results were interesting.

And Then It Is Tomorrow

My columns are posted on Wednesdays, but on a very inconsistent basis. Why is that? To be honest, it is all my fault. I could blame work getting in the way, or I could blame my addiction to Facebook for taking up my time, but it is really all of my fault. Have you ever noticed that you have all of this stuff you want to do today, and then it is tomorrow? Is that a bad thing? Is that a good thing? Is that even a thing? It is probably a little of all of them, and the end result means that there truly are not enough hours in the day.

The Niagara Watercooler's Lockport, NY Facebook Page

It occurred to us recently that we have never actually taken the time to let everyone know about our Lockport, NY Facebook page, and what the page is for.

You will find the page at https://www.facebook.com/groups/165838200113286/  .

The Anatomy Of An Argument

I get into a lot of arguments on Facebook. I know that is hard to believe, what with my sunny disposition, but it is true. I get into so many arguments that I consider myself a Facebook anger expert. Over the years, I have paid close attention to how Facebook arguments start, and I have come to the conclusion that Facebook arguments breakdown like this:

The Ugly American Undercurrent

I got to thinking the other day about how the country appeared to be before Facebook and the 24-hour media ruined everything. Prior to social and too much media, it appeared that people agreed more than they disagreed. It appeared that everyone had the same goals in mind for the country and their communities. It appeared that racism was a taboo that could hopefully be eliminated some day.

I am one of those people who blame social and too much media for the division in this country, but I am starting to realize that taking that perspective is lazy. This country has never been united, and this country never will be united. All that is going on right now is that the country is showing its true colors, and those colors make an ugly picture.