Thursday, April 1, 2010

Facebook as Therapist & Teacher

I've been amused off and on all day at how life, or Facebook as happened this morning, offers little therapeutic probes of sorts. First though the back story....

A few months ago a friend who I had known long ago found me on Facebook. I had just found myself, or my password to be more accurate, and gotten into the friend's thing or community, I guess is more appropriate. My friend and I renewed our face-to-face friendship thanks to facebook. Somewhere in the midst of our posting, this person suggested I set up a fan page for Imagine the Shift, which is the name of my website but also where I post Musings from the Good News Muse. I thanked her for her support but shared I had no idea how that might happen since I hadn't a clue as to creating a page. Until....

A week ago, I found a little button that read: Create a page. I was excited and apprehensive. Within minutes I had a page that I didn't know what to do with. So I thought, 'Well I best be writing a story.' I told of the unfolding of events this time a year ago that ultimately led me to France, a huge shift for me, and even included photos. I was feeling pretty good especially in relation to my technical don't-know-how.

Then I pressed 'Send' to invite "all" my friends. Being a writer, I have to monitor my on-line use, but let's just say the Inner Monitor was off duty. I checked every hour to see if I had fans. None showed up. The Monitor was saying this was not such a good idea. I emailed a friend who said, "No, I didn't get a notification."

The next day I pressed "Send" to invite "all" my friends again. Once again I overrode the Monitor and checked again and again to find three friends, but still I thought some thing's up. I emailed one of them, my sister, who said she found me through a mutual friend's wall who happened to be the person I called.

To those who know me, I appear outgoing but I am very sensitive, too sensitive. Facebook was offering me an opportunity to work with this. So once again I went to the Send function. This time I discovered I was only pressing Send without actually clicking on each friend. I hurriedly clicked each person and pressed "Send" and like magic I ended up with thirty fans.

Then to my surprise there were forty, sixty and darn. Ooops, I'm sounding like Sarah Palin+. I created pressure for myself that resulted in writer's block. I hadn't intended in sharing all of this. Actually I had filed it away into Denial. But in this moment I realize what valuable material facebook's been giving me to work with to teach me even prior to today.

This morning I decided I needed to personally thank each person for becoming a fan/friend of Imagine the Shift. I still send paper thank you notes to folks so why wouldn't I thank folks on-line. I had already thanked a few and didn't want to get further behind.

I began at the top and started down the list and before I knew it I had sent forty or so emails and posts including the link to my latest story in each one. I was humming along knowing I needed to stop when suddenly on the screen a box pops up reading: "You may be engaging in socially obnoxious behaviour on facebook." Don't quote me on that. I was so frightened the facebook squad was about to come after me for something...I didn't know what. I shut off the computer, my heart racing and sweat trickling down my sides.

I freaked out. I thought I was in trouble when suddenly I realized I was just sharing my gratitude and excitement to people who had clicked on my page. I considered taking a walk but a part of me felt shamed. 'What if someone driving past knows I've been involved in socially obnoxious behavior?'

I didn't even know what that meant exactly, but I felt like I had my hand slapped. The great thing was this didn't last. I got back on-line and yes, went to my page to ensure I didn't have a barrage of posts saying I was truly obnoxious.

I was getting quite a laugh out of this when somehow totally by accident I clicked a key that made me my own fan! Yes, somehow I became a fan of my own page. Now I was conceited, maybe this was the socially obnoxious behavior of which I had been accused.

I clicked on my name in order to delete myself and got another box that read: Since you're the administrator of this page, if you delete yourself you delete your page.

My site is Imagine the Shift, but that was one shift I was not consciously going to make, deleting my page.

Now I realize on this April Fool's Day, facebook has unknowingly been my teacher, therapist and friend. It's been like an off-and-on therapy session all day for I certainly am not going to delete myself. Been doing that way too long. And although I don't intend to get involved in socially obnoxious behavior, here on Planet Earth there will come a time when I offend or threaten someone with my writings, not intentionally but just because we're different. Come to think of it, I did that twenty years ago unknowingly and was called a communist and told to leave the country. I guess I'm in good company. That's what some folks call President Obama.

Imagine the shift if we could regularly laugh at and be amused with ourselves. That's one shift I want to make. Join me - on this April Fools Day and everyday. And thank you, Beth.
-Dawn! the Sometimes Socially Obnoxious Good News Muse, 04/01/10

1 comment:

Duann Kier Sywanyk said...

Let's join in socially obnoxious behavior together!