Dividing Social Media: Why I Only Focus on One

Yesterday I created my new MySpace page after I had received an invite from the site. The new MySpace is really nice focusing strongly on gorgeous imagery and music and it definitely looks like it can be a legitimate competitor to Spotify. You can read about my initial impressions of the site here.

When I first received the invite I have to admit that I was a little ecstatic and my first plan was to give as many people as I could an invite. Immediately, I called a good friend of mine and asked him if he wanted an invite to this new service. Without hesitation he agreed but, what he said next left me at odds. He jokingly said, “Wow, I’m not sure how many more of these social networking sites I can take.” I paused for a bit and I said to myself, neither can I.

MySpace represents to me an old site being reborn in hopes of making a comeback and it really is an underdog story. I’ve been on MySpace for only a day but already I’m hoping to experiment with it periodically. Google+, according to my RescueTime tracker, has taken much more of my time in recent months so I believe it’s safe to say that I’m pretty much a Google+ power user. My Facebook also has been steadily receiving activity due to some added leisure time. The point is, among the three sites my time, attention, and energy, are being spent in all three. That is simply unacceptable.

Social Media is great because it allows us to connect with the people, topics, and ideas, that we all care about most. So why is it so difficult to have one site dominate all the others? The answer is simple really, since each Social Media service is appealing for different reasons. Facebook has the people, MySpace has the music, Instagram has the photos, and Google+ has the ideas. Each service is great because they each provide something unique. However, is it beneficial to actually use all three together?

As I’ve said before plenty of our energy is being invested into these sites and I can’t help but think that being involved extensively in all three is really unhealthy. This thought hit me as soon as I decided to update my profile pic on my new MySpace page. As soon as I uploaded the photo I asked myself, am I really going to do this for all three sites? What about for a status update?  Let’s say I get married, graduate, get a job promotion etc. am I going to update every single website that I am on with the same status update? Talk about counterproductive!

There’s absolutely no way that I am going to update every status, post, or photo, on all three sites. It really is extra work that is highly unnecessary (excluding business purposes). Plus, I only really enjoy one out of the three. So, my solution to this dilemma is simply to focus on one site rather than the three.

I’m already a Google+ power user and I’m on the site more often of the three. There is where I’ll be updating my page more frequently than the rest. MySpace is nice and I’ll experiment with it to see if it develops into something better, but only occasionally will I visit the site. Everyone is already on Facebook and just as I’ve done for months past, I will be on the site but my updates will be minimal.

This however is only my solution and might not fit everyone’s needs. Here are a couple of ways to decide upon a solution. Do you enjoy Facebook the most? Focus on Facebook. Do you enjoy Instagram more? Focus on Instagram. What if you still want to use all three? Try setting up days/times/weeks focusing on one site over the other. In reality, there are plenty of solutions out there. Try experimenting and try to discover which one fits your own needs.

With so many Social Media websites out there it definitely becomes difficult to manage a combination of them. There are benefits to each site accordingly and my suggestion would be to focus on the service you enjoy the most so that your time is being well spent.

How do you manage your combination of Social Media sites? Do you focus on one? Or do you divide your attention amongst your combination?

Buying Digital vs. Buying Physical: A Method to End the Dilemma

With the most recent Sony Network (PlayStation Network) update on the PS3 one of the games that I have been waiting to buy is available at a significant price drop. The game is Persona 3 Portable and I have to say that at a mere ten dollars it is definitely a steal. There is a catch however, the game is only available at that price in “Digital” form.

This isn’t the first time that I’ve encountered this specific scenario and if you’ve been following my posts I’ve probably mentioned this once or twice before. There’s been numerous times where I’ve seen a game become available at a much more convenient price only to discover that it’s in digital form.

It makes sense that digital copies are not equally priced as physical copies too. For one, you are not getting the actual disc or booklet that you would normally get in the physical copy. Second, you won’t ever be able to hold the game or feel it in it’s physical state. Still, I can’t help but ask is this really such a major tradeoff?

It’s important to take a look at the benefits of owning digital games as well. If you were to buy digital the game box would never be a problem again in terms of physical clutter. The disc also won’t ever pose a problem if it were to get scratches. As for portability, you would now have the freedom of having multiple games inside your devices without taking along each individual disc or cartridge with you.

Basically, the choice for buying digital over physical copies is all a matter of choice, however, I believe that I have found a good solution to get the best of both worlds. Simply, don’t be afraid to buy digital over physical, buy a balance of both, and don’t pass up on great deals.

The first part of this solution is meant for the people that are worried that their digital copy won’t always be there for them. I’m not one to assure you that they will be there “forever” but from what we’ve seen before chances are your media isn’t going anywhere. Let alone, digital distribution is probably the safest bet when thinking of the future. Every major company from Nintendo to Amazon has found a new appreciation for digital distribution and they have shown no signs of letting this idea go.

Second, I would suggest buying a balance of both digital copies and physical copies. This is pretty self-explanatory, try buying both so that you are not left out of the benefits of either side. Personally I buy games that I am really fond off in physical form while other games of franchises that I’ve never played I buy in digital form. Try buying both so that you don’t miss out on the benefits of each.

Third, don’t pass up on a great deal regardless the form of the game. Persona 3 Portable is only ten dollars in digital form while its physical counterpart via Amazon is a full twenty dollars. In other words I can get this game at a great 50% discount. Imagine if the latest Call of Duty was available digitally at a full 50% discount, I would not think twice of passing up this deal. Don’t be afraid to buy digitally specially when it means that you can save some money in the process.

As I have mentioned before I tend to buy a combination of both digital and physical copies and this is the best method that I have discovered when buying games. However, this method doesn’t just apply to games since it can also apply to any other form of media as well such as books, movies, music, etc. Deciding whether to buy digital or physical copies shouldn’t be an issue and this method may help ensure that it never is an issue ever again.

Do you buy digital over physical? Physical over digital? Or both?

Why Is It So Wrong to Unfriend?

I had a discussion with a friend not too long ago and I mentioned to her how I had unfriended someone on Facebook. She gave me a surprise response by saying, “Oh no, you shouldn't have done that.” She told me that if I unfriend someone on Facebook it is basically saying that I don't consider them a “real friend” anymore.

This isn't the first time that I've encountered a viewpoint such as this. I've heard numerous cases from both friends and family about someone becoming upset over being deleted online. Most recently, I had a case where one friend told me that I am no longer their real friend because I'm never on Facebook.

At first I thought that this entire concept was a bit silly. For one, the reason that I would delete someone on Facebook is a good reason. I don't want to see any of their content. If I delete someone online it does not mean that if I ever see them down the street that I won't stop by to say hello or jump-start a conversation.

My friend got me thinking though, was it really a bad idea to delete someone? Did I really just end a friendship when I hit that “Delete” button?

In a way, this notion seems to hold plenty of truth. When someone creates an online profile they are creating what I believe to be an “Identity of the Self.” Their own existential being becomes manifested into this online persona and in many cases this persona becomes a “true” representation of themselves. In other words, it is possible that many users online see their “true” self's on an online profile.

So if a person's true being exists in their online profile it is only natural that they will become upset once they have realized that they have been removed from some else's Friends list.

It very well seems that the idea of a real friendship is no longer limited to physical interaction either. An online friendship can be just as real as one offline, or so it appears.

At the moment, this whole idea troubles me. If I delete someone from Facebook or my Google+, I don't want them to think that I no longer want to be their “real” friend, but rather it means that I don't enjoy the content that they produce.

But it is becoming more and more apparent that clicking this “Delete” button might actually do more harm than good.

Honestly though, even though I accept this idea as a possibility I will continue to delete people that produce content that doesn't interest me. The way I see it, the profile is solely mine and if I choose not to see content from certain individuals, others should respect my decision to do so and there should be no reason why anyone should be upset.

Yet even though my mind is made up, I can't shake the feeling of “what if?” whenever I click that Delete button.

Whipping My MP3 Library Into Shape

A weird diversion that I have is that of organizing my music. If it's missing a genre, needs album art, or has an incorrect tag, I will most definitely find the correct information and fix it. I will do all this manually, without the help of any software or program.

Ever since I had my very first MP3 player I never liked having the music in it unorganized. I think that if someone ever asks to look at my iPod , MP3, etc. it'll make me feel good in showing them a well organized library. I'm not a perfectionist by any means, but certainly I like having my music in order.

Beyond Good & Evil, and Changing the Term HD to RM

After just having completed Beyond Good & Evil HD, I couldn't help but be reminded of this topic. Why does the game have HD (High-Definition) in the title when it is actually a remastering of the graphics from the original?

The game is in HD (to some extent) since the graphics are smoothed out, but even in this state they are not up to standards with current-gen games. If it were up to me, instead of placing HD in the title they should have replaced that term with "Remastering" or "RM" for short. By doing so it would have done a better and clearer job of addressing the graphics of the game.

Aside from that though, Beyond Good & Evil was a very good game. Characters are certainly unique and the game does a great job of not treating itself too seriously, even when the plot is surrounded by unfortunate events. All in all, it was fun and I'd certainly recommend it. Still though, I would have preferred RM to be in the title.

Trusting Your Thoughts

After just finishing the short book "Diary of a Madman" by Lu Xun. I couldn't help but be reminded of a topic that surrounds each of us every single day. Your own personal thoughts can always alter your reality.

Basically, this madman becomes obsessed by his own thoughts and deems everyone around him a possible threat. He is enclosed in his own world, but ultimately only because his mind tells him as so.

The point that I am making is that your thoughts play a huge role in either progressing you forward or setting you back. Make sure that your mind is playing along with the life that you want to live and not playing against it.
If you have trust with your inner self, use it to your advantage to progress forward. If your thoughts are setting you back, develop the confidence slowly by congratulating yourself constantly through small actions.

Develop yourself in a way that your inner self and thoughts will always be working in your favor. The sky is the limit when you know you can trust your own thoughts and yourself.

Selected Stories of Lu Hsun by Lu, Hsun/ Lu, Xun/ Hsun, Lu [Paperback] (Google Affiliate Ad)

Friendly Reminder: Expect the Unexpected

Sometimes certain events happen that you simply have no control over. Whether we like it or not, bad things (but also good things) will happen. Which is why it is important to always anticipate and be ready for the bad.

This post is just serving as a friendly reminder to expect the unexpected. The best way to do so would be to be prepared for the unfortunate. If it's a financial problem, have some money on the side, developed an illness, have some medicine ready etc.

The point is, is to be prepared. Expect the unexpected and make sure to be ready. Sometimes life can take you by storm but if you're ready and prepared, that storm can be withered down to a small drizzle.

Taking In Information, Or Not

The amount of information that we receive on a daily basis is absolutely mind blowing. Every day something out there is constantly begging for our attention and in many cases this may become problematic. Luckily though, there is always a choice in the matter.

With so many companies, networks, streams, etc. You might just lose track of the idea that the information you take in is actually a matter of choice. I've been there as well, feeling the need to constantly be at touch and keep up with the latest news on the net.

That however is a recipe for disaster, You can't (and shouldn't) keep up with the internet, it will always be an uphill battle. As a friendly reminder, be aware that the information that you take in is all about choice. You always have a choice to take in information or not to, just don't be afraid of exercising that option.

My Kindle Touch Is Awesome

So I've had my Kindle for about two months now, and I can honestly say it has been a really good investment on my part. Light, portable, easy on the eyes, sometimes I find it hard to believe that I have an entire library in that small device.

That's the beauty of technology, a lot of people now have computers right there in their fingertips. Back to the Kindle, just reading on it is awesome. The e-ink technology is just solid without glare or anything like that.

My favorite feature though would have to be how portable it is. I can take a 400-500 page book with me anywhere I go without the bulk, plus I can do it all with one hand. If your a book lover like I am, I highly recommend giving the Kindle a try.

Private Messages & An Extra Feature On G+

This might sound silly, but I honestly had no clue this feature existed. In case anyone is still wondering how to send a private message to someone else on G+, all you have to do is instead of sharing the post with any of your Circles, just type in the name of the person you want to share it with. This however, wasn't the feature I was referring to.

The feature that I was questioning came from a concern from writing a "Private Message" to someone else. My concern about this "Private Message" feature was, how do you know you are in a "Private Conversation" between you and the other person, and not with any more people. Allow me to give an example. Let's say you are talking to someone else, and they tell you "Hey, this message is private. You can type whatever you want." How do you actually know that? Are you gonna' take their word for it? Maybe someone else is secretly in the post as well, and they are trying to get information out of you. I think that would be an extreme case, but it's definitely possible.

Well, the solution to this problem is actually quite simple. Too simple in fact, and I felt a bit silly for not knowing this earlier. All you have to do, to see who a "Limited" post was shared with, is click on the word "Limited" itself. This will tell you who the post was shared with up to 21 people. That way you can be sure that you truly are in a private conversation with someone else and not with five other people.

One more cool feature that I learned about was that you can lock a post for even more Privacy. As Jaana described it "If you want to make sure no-one can bring more people into the conversation, you can 'Lock the post' if you have started it. This way the +mentions of a name don't work. Unless you have mentioned them in the post itself."

Finally, if you haven't done so already you should add +Jaana Nyström to your Circles. Undoubtedly one of the most awesome people on G+.

Hope this helps!