My plan is to be off Facebook for five days. I started late Tuesday night and will end late Sunday night. Here is my temporary Profile Picture. In fact, I understand it’s already live, eight hours early. That was one part I could not schedule.
Facebook has been my social media “happy place” to coin a phrase I picked up in one of my early “how to” workshops on using facebook to sell books. Twitter was just too hyper for me; Instagram too temporary. Facebook was “just right.”
I’ve met many new and engaging people on Facebook over the years, from around the globe. And most of the copies of my memoir have sold as a direct result of my time on Facebook. Now, I’m trying a new experiment; one I’m looking forward to.
It’s easy enough to go on hiatus; I set it up on my phone. I went to Settings and clicked on “Your Time on Facebook.” From there I opened “Manage Your Time” and accessed Quiet Mode. You can set it for a number of days or for a number of hours. AND, while there, you can turn on a notification of how much time you spend on facebook on a given day. I just looked mine up and was pleasantly surprised. This week I’ve averaged 44 minutes; last week, 38.
Turns out there are lots of memes to help you advertise this. Here are two of my favorites. Feel free to steal them.
I’ll be taking notes and plan to report what I learn next month.
How about you? Ever consider a hiatus?
Jerry Waxler
This is a fascinating experiment, Janet. It looks like I am still on your blog notifications all these years later. Funny how that blogosphere still works over the years to keep us in touch. You and Shirley Showalter are two from my early years in memoirs that still show up regularly in my inbox. As for Facebook, I have very little to do with it – not exactly by choice, but by predilection. I often wonder what I’m missing out on – all those people out there I could be shmoozing with – all those potential memoir writers who might be interested in my crazy pep talk about how memoirs are the best thing in the world – and now for five days you will be missing out too! Now we both can experience that exotic form of fear, that there will be a party on the internet, and we could have been having fun if only we’d shown up. LOL I will be thinking of you as a fellow abstainer during these five days.
Jerry Waxler recently posted…Ancestor Research Memoirs Give History a Voice
Janet Givens
Hi Jerry, Welcome back. Yes, you are one of the originals here; that’s why you still get the Jetpack notifications. I can’t edit those, only you can. And, lucky you, you’ll get another one from Mail Chimp, once that goes out.
I know what you mean about those facebook parties. It’s been a turn off for me too with one (unmentioned) group. When they first started, there was much more emphasis on getting (virtually) drunk. I couldn’t quite get my head around that idea. But they seem to be popular. And it does “take all kinds” as they say.
You have much to offer in the way of memoir writing. Did you once use the tag “the memoir revolutionary” or was that just what I called you?
Glad you stopped by.
Janet Givens recently posted…My Facebook Hiatus
Marian Beaman
It’s true. You ARE on hiatus; I saw the big yellow sticky note on your FB page and here now. I agree with your Facebook sentiments. I’ve met some lovely people there and found some groups like We Love Memoirs (which you introduced me to) and Growing Up in Elizabethtown, my hometown. Some readers pick up my weekly blog post there.
I never thought about fiddling with FB settings in this way. Thanks for the idea, Teach! 😀
Marian Beaman recently posted…Ducks Splash Down, Inspire Haiku and More
Janet Givens
Yes, and I’m on “Growing Up in East Orange” which is actually quite fun. Especially when folks calling themselves old timers lived there thirty years after I left!
I also didn’t realize FB offered this hiatus option until I began the post. They came out with it a few years ago, but, like most FB changes, I missed it.
I’ve already made copious notes on what I’m missing out on. Now I should make notes of what all I’m getting done.
Janet Givens recently posted…My Facebook Hiatus
Marian Beaman
I see another blog post in my crystal ball: “What I got done on my FB hiatus”!
By the way, friends on “Growing Up in Elizabethtown” actually bought my book, mainly because they knew my family and were very familiar with the places in my memoir.
Enjoy the break! 😀
Marian Beaman recently posted…Ducks Splash Down, Inspire Haiku and More
Kelly Boyer Sagert
I have taken a hiatus from Facebook many times but informally (meaning, I just didn’t use it). I have never done a formal one and I’ll be interested to hear what you think after your experiment ends.
Janet Givens
Just hit my second page of notes this morning. I’m also interested to hear what I’ll think. Thanks, Kelly.
Janet Givens recently posted…My Facebook Hiatus
Tim Fearnside
As you know, Janet, I’ve been mostly inactive on facebook for several years now, mostly due to the toxicity I encounter there, objections to ways in which FB seems intent on contributing to the downfall of our democracy, its endless privacy breaches, and the addictive, time-consuming nature of it all. Mostly, I’m happy to be away, although there are downsides, too. I’m missing out on a lot of other people’s lives, what’s happening in various communities, and much of the better content that don’t get elsewhere. It’s something of a catch-22, given that FB is so prevalent among my various peer group(s). I’ll be interested to learn what you glean from your experience.
Janet Givens
Hi Tim. I have to say I’ve had a pretty heavy hand in making sure my FB page is toxicity free. I unfriend quickly and guilt-free and I determine what anyone posts to my timeline. That just means when I’m tagged, I have to approve it before it shows up on my Page. My first page of notes shows all the things I am missing about FB. But, as I mentioned above to Kelly, my second page began today and it’s how I’m benefitting from the hiatus. I’m very glad I’m doing it. It’s made me aware of a few new things. (And yes, I do wish you were on it more; it’d be easier to keep an eye on you).
Janet Givens recently posted…My Facebook Hiatus