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Wednesday, August 3, 2011

Copy and Paste if you agree! Use your own words if you have them!

If you read my posts on any social networking site for a certain amount of time, you are sure to get my opinions on copy-and-paste status updates. I think I should explain, so I don't just sound like a dickhead. I may still, but not "just" a dickhead.

Most any time someone writes a message to copy and paste, they don't care about a cause. They want to see people re-posting the message that they originally wrote. It makes them feel special, I guess. Copying and pasting words that aren't even your own - "Even for one hour!" - Is rubbish.

A lot of times, it's in good fun - "send me a number I'll post something I think about you" or any number of lighthearted thingies, is NOT what I'm concerned with. CAP (copy and paste) messages don't help spread cancer awareness. Who is going to read facebook after all this time and HAS NOT been affected in some way? Will someone read and say "Wow! I didn't realize cancer was actually a problem!". It doesn't happen.

We have ALL lost loved ones. Any of us with children know what it's like to love your kids with all your heart. Posting someone else's words is not only inflammatory - by implying your "true" friends will blindly copy and paste, but it's disingenuous. You love someone soooo much that died horribly from cancer, at war, you name it, and you can't even take the time to formulate your own thoughts about it before you go back to Farmville?

I've lost my mother to cancer, my grandmother to a stroke, my grandfather to smoking. I have very good friends I worry about daily because they are in the military. I have not reposted a single thought by anyone else about any of this.

Remember Jesus? I do. I read the Bible. I can't say I'm a Christian, but a lot of these facebook sites shouldn't say they are either. A true test of faith is not clicking Like because a post says "If you're a true Christian click like! Let's see how many TRUE christians are on facebook!" If you've read the New Testament and are NOT offended, re-read.

You want to be a Christian? You want others to be, too? Be a better person. Be an example.

The same applies to the messages people copy and paste. They mean well when they do, but It's hard to take you seriously when from post to post you go from "Kill our black leader because he said the same stuff I said before he was elected!" to "I'm eating sushi" to a message that isn't even heartfelt, but copied, and pretty much calls everyone else a dink.

You want to do something to help cancer? Volunteer. Donate. Join a group. Put something IN. You have a kid with autism? Awareness is needed, but everyone who knows you on facebook probably knows something about autism. You want to help put awareness on facebook? Put up something unique. Something from the heart. Something that makes your story personal.

Paste.


Facebook is (gasp!) a social networking site. Be social. Enjoy the friends you have. Share what you need to, read and learn about what your friends might be going through. If you just want to [CTRL+C], [CTRL+V] so you can act like you care and get back to asking people for imaginary nails, just go to the imaginary nails.

No one will think less of you for enjoying your time.

1 comment:

rebelchai said...

May I cut and paste this? (Dang - too long for a status update.) I happen to agree with you. Cut and paste status updates are just another version of chain-mail, and just as pointless and irritating to me.