Last week, I wrote about quitting Facebook for a week.  I was interested in seeing if it would make me any more productive or feel disconnected from friends.

There were some close calls, but I successfully resisted the urge to login.  Why can’t have the same willpower when it comes to cake?

It actually got easier as the week went on, and I’m certain I gained some productivity.  I don’t think the gains were 1:1, but definitely an improvement.  Instead of using Facebook as my “break” time-waster, I spent more time than normal on news sites, on the affiliate forum ABestWeb, and on twitter.

It’s easy to say I’m going to eliminate 30 minutes of lost time a day, but I believe there is a limit to how much someone can work without entertainment or interruption.  A few minutes on Facebook during the day can break up a long block of work time, which as long as you’re conscious about it, can be a good thing.  It would probably be best to take a break away from the computer screen, but a break is a break.

That said, I did have a really productive week.  I got a lot of work done, worked out almost every day, walked the dog, flossed, played with the neighbors, and did some blogging.

One thing I came to realize after a few days was that Facebook is much more than reading inane status updates from casual acquaintances.  There were a couple business networking events planned using Facebook Events I couldn’t RSVP to, and a couple other instances I wanted to search for a new contact but resolved not to break my Facebook Fast.

I wanted to login and see who had “shared” my Eric Wedge = Ron Swanson post and my Transparency in Medicine post, but didn’t.  (Thanks whoever did it!)  It was at that point I felt a little hypocritical, in expecting people to read and consume my content, but not returning the favor.

Did I feel disconnected from friends?  No, not really.  When you don’t know what’s happening in everyone else’s lives, you don’t feel left out.

So what’s next?  I think I’ll continue to try and cut back, but not cold turkey anymore.  After this experiment, I’ll be more aware of the time I’m spending on Facebook and what I’m getting out of it.  But taking a few minutes off work every now and then has value too.

-Nick

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I joined Facebook in 2004 when it was introduced at UW.  For 6.5 years, I’ve probably logged in almost every day, often several times per day.  That is the mark of either an extremely powerful website, or an easily addicted consumer.

So I’m quitting for a week.  It’s not going to be easy, given how ingrained it is in my routines, but I believe it’s worth a shot.

Facebook has helped me reconnect with old friends, keep in touch with new ones, plan events, and of course, look at plenty of embarrassing photos.  But I would estimate the vast majority of the time I spent Facebook was time wasted.  Even though it was wasted by choice –which is an important distinction to make– it was wasted nonetheless.

Like everyone else, the majority of my Facebook friends are casual acquaintances.  No one has 500 real friends.

I don’t need to know when someone from middle school just had the best brunch everrrr!  I’m no better off for having seen vacation photos from hundreds of trips I haven’t been on.  It doesn’t make me a better person to read other people’s passive-aggressive dirty laundry, or worse, how perfect their life is or how much they are in love with their boyfriend/girlfriend/fiance/spouse/family/company/baby/house/car/cat.

According to Pingdom, the average Facebook user spends over 15 and a half hours a month on the site, which is about 30 minutes a day.  Put another way, the average Facebook user spends nearly 2 full working days a month on the site.  I’ve never tracked it, but I’m probably right around that average.  Where did that time come from?  What activities did Facebook displace?  If I could reclaim that time, what would I do instead?  What would you do with an extra 2 business days each month?  Do you think that would improve your performance at work, your health, or your real relationships?

I addition to wasting huge chunks of time, there is a growing body of evidence that suggest Facebook may actually be unhealthy psychologically.  It makes sense: at any given time, odds are that someone you know is doing something cooler than you.  If you read enough about other peoples’ exotic travels, big promotions, and amazing parties, you’re bound to question your own success and ultimately your happiness.  It’s keeping up with the Jones’, only personalized to you and amplified 100 times.

I like Facebook.  I’m not erasing my account, and I don’t expect to be gone forever.  But I’m using this week to think about the exchange.  Your time is an investment; for the time you invest in Facebook, are you getting a great return?

-Nick

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Facebook is an advertiser’s dream.  With nearly 500 million users, there is a truly amazing depth of demographic and psychographic data at their fingertips.  Mass market ads can reach more people on any given day than the Super Bowl can only once a year, and tiny niche companies can drill down to the most precise user-base.

Say your company sells Shih Tzu t-shirts.  Among 500 million users, I bet you can find a few that have joined Shih Tzu-related groups or fan clubs, posted pictures of their Shih Tzus, or discussed their Shih Tzu with friends.  And multiply that example to the niche-iest of niche markets, and you know there wi’ll still be people on facebook to advertise to.  It’s incredible.

Now I know nothing about their advertising rates or return on investment or secrets to success, but they’re probably not charging enough for this remarkable service.

Let’s take a look at some of the ads I’ve been shown the past few weeks and how well (or poorly) they’re targeted.

My profile says “engaged” so I get a lot of wedding-related ads.  These are two of the best.  Do non-millionaire, non-celebrity people get prenups?  I never knew.  Or perhaps this company is just trying to expand their clientele.

I also love the Groomsmen bobbleheads.  What an awesome business!  And gotta love the coupon code thrown in to seal the deal.

Data Used: “Engaged” relationship status, California location, interest in baseball?

Good thing this guy can set me straight about who the fake real estate gurus are.  That’s honestly a big concern of mine.  Is that a Bentley or a Chrysler 300?  Why put a picture of a car instead of a picture of a house or something else “real-estate” related?

And the Oakland Bucket List.  I get enough email already, and don’t really want to drive to Oakland.  Is that a famous haunted house in Oakland, or just some stock photo?

Data Used: California (East Bay) location, interest in business / real estate.

There’s an FBI degree?  Is it like an MBA?  I am intrigued by the SWAT-team looking guys in the picture, but I’m definitely not cut out for that kind of work.

I’ve never played Mafia Wars.  And this ad doesn’t really make me want to either.  Call me lame, but virtually “robbing, stealing, and putting contracts out on my friends” doesn’t seem like that much fun.  And aren’t robbing and stealing the same thing?  There’s probably some subtle Mafia difference I’m not aware of.

Data Used:  Non-foreign sounding name (probably have to be a US Citizen to qualify for the FBI), no job info listed (I might be interested in a career change and or wasting time with Mafia Wars), how I like 24.

Here we go: A’s Beerfest!  I would totally go to this if I wasn’t going to be Seattle this weekend.

And more wedding stuff.  Not sure what this dinner is all about.  They win some prize for over-use of adjectives though.  Exclusive, Sunset, Evening, Perfect, Dream.  Sounds romantic.  Alas, our venue has already been chosen.

Data Used: Relationship status, proximity to Oakland, love of beer.

Get Wedding Registry advice from the people who know you best — your friends at Target.  What’s interesting about this ad is there is no mention of Target, only their familiar bullseye logo.  In fact, I could be making a false assumption that Club Wedd has any relation to Target.

Is it required to register?  Haven’t done that yet.

I’m kind of curious why I was served this ad for Official Boy Scout Knives.  Some time ago I had joined some Eagle Scout group but I don’t see that on my profile anymore.  And they should know by my age I’m too old to be in scouts.  Or maybe they know I’m too old to be in scouts, but figure I might still appreciate a Sarge Quality Knife.  Unfortunately don’t get to do much woodcarving or whittling these days.

Data Used: Relationship status, possible Eagle scout affiliation.

A paid research study on beer?  Where do I sign up!  Unfortunately I was unable to attend due to a scheduling conflict.

The ad for VA Home Loans is poorly targeted.  I’ve never served in the military, and am already (unfortunately) a homeowner.  Not sure why I got this one.

Data Used: Proximity to San Francisco, love of beer.

Bored.  They got that right at least.  But still not bored enough to play Mafia Wars.

I get surprisingly few political ads, given the primary elections we have coming up.  I learned an interesting thing about Prop 16 though.  It is entirely sponsored and funded by PG&E, to the tune of $30 million so far.  Methinks if a near-monopoly utility company finds it worthwhile to spend that kind of money, and brand their campaign the “Taxpayers Right to Vote,” there may be something sinister and self-interested going on.

Data Used:  California location, and Boredom… how’d they know?  Multiple log-ins in a certain window of time?

I also “like” how the ads all come with their own “Like” button.  Whether you like an ad or not doesn’t matter, it’s whether it works.  The ad that is the most liked might not be the most effective, and vice versa.

Start paying attention to the ads you see in Facebook and I think you’ll be entertained.

-Nick

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You’ve probably seen the ads recently about this one girl who sets out to meet her facebook friends in person.  I thought it was an interesting idea.

It made me think about how true “friendships” can’t be quantified.  I have over 400 “friends,” yet many of these people I haven’t seen or spoken to in years.  If I ran into them on the street, would I even recognize them?  Would they recognize me?  Many of my “friends” would be better described as “acquaintances,” and even that may be generous.  Some “friends” are completely random people I’ve never met.  Why they added me (and why I accepted), I have no idea.

So I performed a quick audit this week, to try and remember when the last time I saw or communicated with each of my friends.  It was a real memory test, and the results were pretty surprising:

• I’d hung out with, seen, or otherwise communicated with 27% of my “friends” in the past year.
• Going back 3 years, that number jumped to 35%.
• Going back 5 years, it was 44%.
• I haven’t seen 53% of my friends in the last 5 years.
• 6% I haven’t seen in 10 or more years.
• 3% are total strangers.
• 4% are people I’ve only ever met once.

I’m curious if these results are typical.  Being 5 years removed from UW put a lot of college friends into the 5+ year category.  A lot of former co-workers fell into the 3-5 year range.  And I’m sure moving away from Seattle has had a lot to do with it too.

Facebook is a great tool for connecting people.  But when all that’s connecting you is some php code and say, a shared middle school, it’s more than a little overzealous to call that connection a friendship.  I need to do a better job keeping in touch with people, that’s for sure!

-Nick

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