Comments on: The Facebook-era Prophet

By: Michaela S

Michaela S — Tue, 24 Mar 2009 06:21:03 +0000

I’ve made my Facebook account into a missionary tool. I discovered that there was an application that would feed my blog (in which I discuss scriptures and doctrine) to my profile and publish my posts to my friends’ mini-feeds.

I suspect that my non-member friends are much more likely to be interested in what I have to write about the gospel because they can read on their own time and can avoid the pressure of a direct conversation about religion. Of course, they may not read anything I have to say at all, but I suspect that they probaby do. (I don’t suspect this because I think I’m that great, but I know that I’m curious about the things they write, so I figure they are also similarly curious about what I write.)

By: Giggles

Giggles — Tue, 17 Mar 2009 06:49:16 +0000

I love my on-line relationships. So many of my friends, including myself, have moved to parts distant in the world. The internet allows us to still remain close and communicate even more now than we might have done before. But these relationships are with people I’ve had that face-to-face friendship with at some point.

My facebook rule is that you have to actually be a friend to be on the friend list. After all, it’s not an acquaintance list.

Everyone in my family has a webcam now too. I love watching my nephew, who lives two states away, learn to sit up and crawl and do all that stuff that I’m not there for. My parents try to set it up to watch him almost daily.

But because I live alone, there are days where the only interaction I might have with someone will be through the computer. If it weren’t for the computer, I could spend the entire day alone with the thoughts in my head, and that’s a scary place to be. I try to make those days few and far between though. We are social creatures. We need people.

By: Emily M.

Emily M. — Tue, 17 Mar 2009 04:35:21 +0000

I’m interested in your Facebook rules, Blue and Kristine. So far I don’t have so many friends that I feel the need to let some of them go, but I guess I could see it happening.

Heidi, I wish I were going too! I really wish it, after reading the finalists. But it’s the same weekend as BYU graduation, and I’ve got three siblings and two in-laws graduating, so I will not be able to make it. I need to read your book though; it’s on my “want-to-read” list. When I finish Whitney finalists…

Geo, the spirit during that solemn assembly was amazing. I love the title “The Great Visitor;” that’s absolutely true.

Thank you everyone for your thoughtful comments.

By: Heidi Ashworth

Heidi Ashworth — Tue, 17 Mar 2009 02:33:49 +0000

I feel that Pres. Monson’s hallmark will be service–in fact, it always has been. And personal service, just as you say. I agree that it might be much more important in the electronic age than ever–a reminder that the human touch is not administered through a keyboard. I hear you, too, with regards to the facebook updates–who knows how someone might take it. (I’ve grown up too, people!) Heidi, wishing she had finaled so she could justify spending $40 on a Whitney Awards dinner . . .

By: Michelle L.

Michelle L. — Tue, 17 Mar 2009 01:31:35 +0000

Love this post Emily. And I agree with Geo– once I obtained a witness of Pres. Monson as the prophet I was able to find profound messages in his talks.

I love Facebook! I’ve connected with college roommates and German relatives. And I have to admit that I enjoy living vicariously through some of my partying, vacationing friends.

By: Geo

Geo — Mon, 16 Mar 2009 20:24:10 +0000

When I think of President Monson the title “The Great Visitor” always comes to my mind. I gained a testimony of him as the Lord’s prophet in a surprisingly strong and needed way early on, during the solemn assembly when he was sustained as President of the Church. Since that time, I’ve been able to reach greater depths of understanding and appreciation as I’ve listened to his unique delivery of stories and doctrines. I love him, and agree with you that he is the right man to lead us now in this increasingly impersonal and chronically isolating time in our world’s evolution. I want to be a great visitor too. Cyber tools are useful and meaningful, and you can’t beat them for helping to make interesting new connections or reconnect with long-ago friends, but they can never fill the spaces in our lives that in-person, living, breathing, laughing, weeping, human contact is meant to.

By: jendoop

jendoop — Mon, 16 Mar 2009 19:56:15 +0000

Emily I agree, real life time is much more important than Facebook time. After spending a little time in a RS presidency, seeing women’s problems, and how much they were helped by visits I was convinced. I’ve been better at VT ever since. Visiting people, with true love and concern, like President Monson does, really makes a difference.

By: Kristine

Kristine — Mon, 16 Mar 2009 18:56:34 +0000

have to agree with the above poster that Oaks/Bednar is much more my style . . . . I have to REALLY try hard to get into a Monson talk. He just seems so emotional to me — more Jack Weyland than Hugh Nibley. I don’t mean that in a bad way, it’s just that I’m not that way!

my facebook rule is: if I would say hi to you if I saw you I will request you — I think it’s a little too loose, though — I”m almost @ 400!

By: wendy

wendy — Mon, 16 Mar 2009 18:34:49 +0000

I don’t do status updates either (except when I didn’t have time to respond to every happy birthday wish), and I’ve been thinking of devoting some of my typical fb/blog time to calling friends (since it’s ds’ nap time, I can’t visit). I’m itching for more face-to-face, too. Though, I have to add, thank goodness for the on-line connections when I can’t get out of the house for whatever reason. I’ve been thrilled about new friends and reconnecting with old. Great post, Emily!

By: Blue

Blue — Mon, 16 Mar 2009 17:20:46 +0000

I routinely “purge” my FB list. If I hadn’t ever done this, I’d have over 600 “friends” by now. But in sets of fifty, whenever it starts to become too much, i delete a batch. Just deleted another 150 people from my list on Saturday.

I have criteria that i try to adhere to. So if your spouse adds me and I don’t accept his request, please don’t take it personally. If your children add me, I ignore them too. If I’ve added you because we used to be in the same ward, stake, institute, neighborhood, work, or school, but were never close, please don’t take it personally that i’ve deleted you. and if we currently work for the same company, and have been facebook friends, nothing against you, but i’ve deleted all my co-workers now.

i just can’t handle having 89 status updates to wade through every time i get online, and I’ve decided my facebook account isn’t a peer pressure situation. So I keep who I genuinely want to keep, and let the others go. It’s very liberating.

Besides, my DH has NO criteria…other than he has to have met you. So I can always keep tabs on people that way.

I personally love president Monson.