Posted on 09/18/2012 8:42:21 AM PDT by raccoonradio
Liking” a political candidate on Facebook is the new front yard campaign sign — except that it’s more like bringing that sign to the dinner table and waving it in your friends’ and family’s faces.
And that, social media experts and regular users of Facebook say, is a bad idea.
“Part of me wants to stay away from it, and part of me wants to go to the extreme and say, ‘I can’t believe you people,’ ” said Natalia Espinal of Waltham.
As the campaign for president has ramped up, the elementary school teacher, who describes herself as liberal, said Facebook has become a pressure cooker. Though most of her close friends share her political views, some co-workers and childhood friends don’t.
“ ‘Liking’ Mitt Romney is like putting a sign on your lawn, but writing a status you don’t agree with — you get really angry,” she said. “You don’t want to get involved, but you really want to.”
Steven Elsesser also finds political Facebook posts invite debate — and he usually engages. The 25-year-old registered Democrat said: “If I see something posted there and I think I have something constructive to say, I will note it.”
Elsesser, who grew up in a conservative New Hampshire home, said he and his mom have had some political disagreements on Facebook, and he tries to post links to studies or reports that factually back up his argument.
“My mom had a post about Planned Parenthood, and my reaction to that is ‘That isn’t true,” he recalled. “This is my mother. It bothers me that she thinks this thing is true. This is not some random voter. This is someone I know. I wouldn’t be a good active citizen if I didn’t say anything.”
He admits it would be healthier to say something face-to-face as opposed to via social media.
“Sometimes the comments escalate because you’re posting online instead of having the conversation. People might think you’re angry with them when you’re not. My mom will get defensive,” he said.
Which is why one etiquette expert votes for a ban of all political posts on Facebook.
“As a believer in democracy, we need to have these conversations, but not on Facebook. Go to rallies. Knock on your neighbors’ doors. Come over to my house to see the debate. But don’t go into why you should be voting for this person on Facebook. Convince them in person so there can be a real dialogue,” said Jodi R. R. Smith, president of Mannersmith, a North Shore-based etiquette consulting company.
Stephanie Weitzman, a Newton mother of two, agreed, saying she just has to count to 10 when she reads offensive posts from a former colleague.
“I get frustrated, but I haven’t unfriended him because I don’t know what the future holds and if I’d ever need to contact him,” she said.
I have “unfriended” or blocked at least three dozens on FB, some of them family, some I’ve known for decades. Don’t give a ratsass. You come out as a Leftist, you’re gone.
FB was, in its origin, a college website that was supposed to link up students; it grew exponentially from that base. So it’s no wonder that the site tilts Leftist.
When you think about it, FB is like FR. There are threads and pages that Freepers exclusively hang out on: the Canteen, the Hobbit Hole, the Undead Thread, and others. Same with FB. There are great people to meet here, and there are f@cktards as well. The one advantage FB has over FR is the block function; you never have to deal with FB’s f&cktards ever again.
I actually do both...because I like things like posting interesting videos, talking about my travels, and so on
(facebook) and one of my hobbies is following what goes on in radio, especially talk radio, and Twitter can be a good source of info. (”CBS making big announcement at 3 pm”...”CBS announces new format of WODS as top 40 ‘Amp’”...)
May be a waste of time for some but sometimes I can find out about an interesting restaurant, be alerted to a radio format change,
spread the word about a band’s show (”hey, I didn’t know you guys were playing tonight till I saw it on Facebook”)\
And there’s always instant reaction on FB. When the Patriots lost last wk’s game due to a shanked field goal, “I can’t believe what I just saw!”)
That’s your choice; but I have to tell you may be missing an opportunity to provide someone with an insight, which they might not otherwise have gotten.
Can't you "turn off" comments by some of your FB friends, but still keep them as friends?
>> liberals are really obnoxious on Facebook
Quite true and on Twitter too (go to twitchy.com for examples). I try to say things like “boy you guys on the Left really demonize people—saying Romney or his wife should be killed, etc. I don’t do that. I may disagree with their politics but I don’t get nasty.” And I may soon post, “I wish Obama luck in his next job...manager of a Radio Shack in Des Plaines, Illinois.” (Then again...would the Radio Shack
hire someone with HIS record? :) )
Actually, I have to say, for the most part they don’t post political things. One friend does, but he’s as crazed as I am on the left. So no, I’m pretty much the aggressor here.
there may be a way. There’s some kind of political filter (look it up) you can try. It may block posts praising Obama etc but then again you wind up losing all political posts.
You can
—skip over them
—”hide” the post
—defriend them
You may miss out on things like pictures of your relatives if you defriend them for their politics. Nice pictures of your cousin’s new baby, etc. wouldn’t be seen because they support Obama...
‘skip’ the political posts
‘hide’ them (hit the button, post disappears)
Or
defriend them (all their posts disappear.)
You noticed that, too, huh? ;-)
I keep getting "Friend requests" from people I knew in college. Out of curiosity, I clicked on the Facebook page of one of them. When I saw his favorite TV show was Rachel Maddow, I ignored him from then on. He still sends the requests; but it ain't gonna happen. Trouble is, once you "friend" an Obama supporting commie, you start getting posts from their like-mindless friends.
I tend to just ignore the political postings of most of my lib friends, so as not to get into a fight with people I’ve known for nearly 40 years or not just FB friends, but actual people I associate with on a day to day basis.
Now, if I post something political and they choose to comment, that’s a different story - don’t pick a fight with me on my own postings.
I LOVE IT!!!!!!
Mind if I swipe it?
Yes.
Also via ehow.com:
>>urpose
The purpose of the Hide feature is to enhance your overall experience on Facebook. You can hide activity, friends, games and posts from your profile and news feed so they disappear from view. This is especially beneficial if you have a good friend whom you’d like to keep on your list, but who plays Facebook games that inundate your feed with posts. By hiding posts from that application alone, you can continue to interact with your friend without all of the commercial posts.
Read more: What Does the Hide Button on Facebook Do? | eHow.com http://www.ehow.com/info_8695556_hide-button-facebook-do.html#ixzz26q8gkzNK
(And you can also hide your own activity if you, say,
don’t want people to see that you Liked Mitt... well... )
Sometimes I can still be friends with someone even if I don’t like their politics—or their sports preferences (am a Red Sox fan but some co-workers, etc. are Yankee fans. I don’t shun them. 2004 was a fun year for me, though. Heh heh heh.)
Hannity: “Now I’m not saying you can’t be friends with liberals. You can go out to dinner with them—of course they’ll make you pick up the check—go bowling with them,
whatever. I just DON’T WANT THEM IN POWER.”
” (Then again...would the Radio Shack
hire someone with HIS record? :) )”
No, but Google would.
I think you’re correct. I think most people, on Facebook, wish to studiously avoid confronting things that disturb their idyllic pursuits.
Yes - that’s true...I guess I’m being gauche to drag in my politics...but it’s sure hard to resist “liking” some article that puts to lie the media spin on a story.
I’ve blocked/hidden the posts from a couple of people without “unfriending” them.
You might consider creating a different face book “persona” for posting your interviews, etc, so that you won’t have to deal with the politics or personal stuff of the musicians you interview when you “friend” them so they can get the info you post.
Please do! (That’s how I got it)
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