I am a social networking whore

I've come to fully realize recently the extent to which I have become a technology geek. I've always loved computers and cell phones and video games but lately my addiction to anything new (to me) that uses technology in any kind of a novel way has shown me that I am the epitome of the techie. I use technology just because I can and somehow manage to defeat its purpose of simplifying life and actually complicating it. As my girlfriend stared at me in wonder and only mouthed the word "wow" as I explained the problem I was trying to solve on the computer, it ocurred to me that this is a good case study. It's a study of addiction of over indulgence and a good example of the kind of guy I am. Image via CrunchBase, source unknown

In the last few months I've finally begun to explore social networking. A couple years of technology glitches and no actual social activity on Myspace had soured me on the whole idea. But when a nosey HR manager searched the net to dig up dirt on everybody at work and tried to have me fired for a blog post dissing Cingular from two years ago, and after I agreed to take my page down, I went the opposite way out of spite. Now I'm a social media addict.
Image via CrunchBase, source unknown
I started up on Facebook and I like this a lot better. Now I have a lot of friends and post a lot of good stuff to my Facebook page. So then I finally got around to exploring Friend Feed and Twitter. Then before I knew it, I had four blogs on Blogger, a Twine account (that I haven't yet used), a Hordit account, an Oosah account, sharing articles on Google Reader, a public Skitch page, two different apps on my phone to post to all these places, a Funformobile page, Twhirl on my desktop to monitor Twitter and Friendfeed, Digsby widgets on all my pages, Retaggr widgets on all my pages, a Plaxo page, a Plaxo email signature and a Retaggr email signature. Holy shit.

So anyway, the other day I'm posting to Twitter for the ONE person that's following me on Twitter. This person, btw, is also following me on Friend Feed so I'm not sure why I thought it was a good idea to make all my Friend Feed posts automatically replicate themselves on Twitter, but more on that in a minute. Image via CrunchBase, source unknown

So I noticed that all my Twitter tweets were repeating themselves. Every time I posted to Twitter, the same tweet would post itself again a few mminutes later with a link on it. So I click on the link and it takes me to my Friend Feed. Well after spending considerable time trying to figure out why Friend Feed and Twitter are misbehaving, it dawns on me. I have a Facebook app that sets my Twitter tweets as my Facebook status automatically. So every time I'd post a tweet, it would become my Facebook status, which would then post to Friend Feed, which would then post back to Twitter. Look at the daisy chain of networks I created. Image via CrunchBase, source unknown

I couldn't figure out how to disable the Facebook app so I stopped the Facebook status updates going to Friend Feed. Well now, all my Friend Feed posts are still going to Twitter so they're becoming my Facebook status. So every time I flag an article on Google Reader, post a cool page on Facebook or Friend Feed, or post a blog entry or pretty much anything else, it becomes my Facebook status. So when I posted a great new cell phone app called Boopsie, my Facebook status was set to, "Boopsie" followed by a link.

So this is a good couple days now I've spent just trying to figure out what link to snip in this forever looping chain I've created to stop the vicious cycle of repeats.

The ironic part is, I have no idea if anyone is even reading any of this stuff I have posting everywhere. I just started on Friend Feed and Twitter so no one really following me there. Facebook I have 20 or 30 old classmates on my list but I don't know if any of them have ever read any of it. I don't really publicize this blog, I just do it to inspire myself to write. So I don't know if all this effort and resulting mess is getting me anywhere but feeding my compulsion to use every cool technology I find.

Incidentally, I was going to embed my Retaggr card to the end of this post but then I realized I already have a Retaggr widget on this blog. So go check out all the marks I left all over the social web like a Pomeranian peeing on every flower along the nature path.

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