By Andrea Bartz and Brenna Ehrlich - Sharing is a wonderful thing -- when executed correctly. It's super fun to share hugs (when they are wanted, it's important to note), delicious desserts and interesting, thought-provoking books but not so fun to share colds, STDs and/or upsetting, possibly dangerous secrets.
Some genres of sharing, however, are a little less black and white.
For example: When is it OK to share something rad I just found online? Am I being helpful by passing along/posting said tidbit, or am I slowly morphing into my addled mother, clogging my friends' inboxes with poems about Jesus, kitten GIFs and, if Mama has a dark side, chain letters promising certain death if not passed along to 200 people within the hour? (We wish Mom were still active. ... That was the only weapon in our arsenal.)
It's hard to tell in this expansive world wide web of ours, but certain tipoffs can be telling: 1. Does anyone respond when you post your new favorite ukulele cover to Facebook? 2. When you whine about the declining quality of model-train-collecting literature on Twitter, do you score any retweets? 3. Have you enjoyed any real, substantial human interaction in the past month or so?
If you answered "No" to any of these questions, you might be putting your precious pearls before swine. (And if you answered "No" to number three, you might want to go outside. Maybe say "hi" to the mailman).
In order to reap the praise you so certainly deserve for your expert curating abilities, might we recommend hitting up one of these three social sharing networks instead of appealing to the masses -- you know, before your digital face becomes one that only a mother could love.
1. Pinterest
Abby is your name, and antique thimbles are your game. Seriously, you're just wild about those whimsical little doodads! Sadly, not a one of your pals is quite as ardently anti-finger-pricks as you. No, they're all about the sports and the shorts, the fun and the sun, and you with your porcelain skin (and porcelain pointer covers) much more prefer quiet contemplation and hot tea sipped whilst making those creepy Amish dolls with no faces.
Fret not, dear Abby, there are kindred spirits out there, just waiting to ooh and ahh over your daisy-emblazoned babies. Where? Well, on Pinterest, of course! If you haven't heard of Pinterest -- locked away in your cave of mothballs and yarn -- it's a 2-year-old social bookmarking site.
Users can create online idea boards of sorts, all centered around categories like art, home decor, technology and more. Boards are themed ("Cat Wedding Ideas," "My Favorite Whiskey Drinks," "Tattoos To Get On My Forehead" ...) and populated with media collected during one's online travels.
The best part of the service, however, is that "social" factor: You can follow friends (from Facebook and Twitter) and other users who share your interests, as well as "re-pin", "Like" and comment on posts that tickle your fancy. Finally, dear Abby, you'll get the respect you deserve for that trove of thimble snaps you've been hoarding on your hard drive!
And no, you don't have to like antique thimbles to join Pinterest. This was merely an example.
2. Chill.com
Oh, Ike, you indie-band savant! You're always so up on the latest viral videos zipping around the Web. I mean, Gotye's "Somebody That I Used to Know" was your favorite jam BEFORE that other band covered it using one guitar, and when that vid hit the Web, you were super angry that the original tune's integrity had been jeopardized by what you deemed a "straight-up stunt" (you were the first one to share that video, too).
Still, your friends have yet to recognize your video-finding genius -- so behind the times they are that they're just now discovering that "Bon Joviver" video and they STILL think Rebecca Black is funny. We pity them too, Ike, and no, we can't understand why your band, She's A Witch House (Mighty, Mighty), has yet to take off, either.
We know that no one will every truly understand you, we get it, but we think you'll be able to find some kind of solace in Chill.com, a video-sharing site that's a lot like Pinterest in some respects. The site allows users to create "Categories" of videos and share them with other users.
So, dear Ike, you can create a cache of "Super Sell-Out" vids or "Songs That Think They're About Anarchy." Or, you know, "Videos of Dogs Sleeping In Funny Places," if you're so inclined.
As with Pinterest, you can also follow other users, re-posting, commenting on and expressing your emotions (via a series of emoticons) about their videos. The site even has a Chat feature, so, friend Ike, you don't have to limit your rants and raves to the confines of a mere comment box.
3. This is My Jam
Oh, Sad Sarah, we know you were dumped ... mostly because Facebook tells us that you listened to "The Cave" by Mumford & Sons 70 times in a row on Spotify (that jam is one of the top breakup tunes, the Web tells us).
You apparently didn't want to hide your shame by
Some genres of sharing, however, are a little less black and white.
For example: When is it OK to share something rad I just found online? Am I being helpful by passing along/posting said tidbit, or am I slowly morphing into my addled mother, clogging my friends' inboxes with poems about Jesus, kitten GIFs and, if Mama has a dark side, chain letters promising certain death if not passed along to 200 people within the hour? (We wish Mom were still active. ... That was the only weapon in our arsenal.)
It's hard to tell in this expansive world wide web of ours, but certain tipoffs can be telling: 1. Does anyone respond when you post your new favorite ukulele cover to Facebook? 2. When you whine about the declining quality of model-train-collecting literature on Twitter, do you score any retweets? 3. Have you enjoyed any real, substantial human interaction in the past month or so?
If you answered "No" to any of these questions, you might be putting your precious pearls before swine. (And if you answered "No" to number three, you might want to go outside. Maybe say "hi" to the mailman).
In order to reap the praise you so certainly deserve for your expert curating abilities, might we recommend hitting up one of these three social sharing networks instead of appealing to the masses -- you know, before your digital face becomes one that only a mother could love.
1. Pinterest
Abby is your name, and antique thimbles are your game. Seriously, you're just wild about those whimsical little doodads! Sadly, not a one of your pals is quite as ardently anti-finger-pricks as you. No, they're all about the sports and the shorts, the fun and the sun, and you with your porcelain skin (and porcelain pointer covers) much more prefer quiet contemplation and hot tea sipped whilst making those creepy Amish dolls with no faces.
Fret not, dear Abby, there are kindred spirits out there, just waiting to ooh and ahh over your daisy-emblazoned babies. Where? Well, on Pinterest, of course! If you haven't heard of Pinterest -- locked away in your cave of mothballs and yarn -- it's a 2-year-old social bookmarking site.
Users can create online idea boards of sorts, all centered around categories like art, home decor, technology and more. Boards are themed ("Cat Wedding Ideas," "My Favorite Whiskey Drinks," "Tattoos To Get On My Forehead" ...) and populated with media collected during one's online travels.
The best part of the service, however, is that "social" factor: You can follow friends (from Facebook and Twitter) and other users who share your interests, as well as "re-pin", "Like" and comment on posts that tickle your fancy. Finally, dear Abby, you'll get the respect you deserve for that trove of thimble snaps you've been hoarding on your hard drive!
And no, you don't have to like antique thimbles to join Pinterest. This was merely an example.
2. Chill.com
Oh, Ike, you indie-band savant! You're always so up on the latest viral videos zipping around the Web. I mean, Gotye's "Somebody That I Used to Know" was your favorite jam BEFORE that other band covered it using one guitar, and when that vid hit the Web, you were super angry that the original tune's integrity had been jeopardized by what you deemed a "straight-up stunt" (you were the first one to share that video, too).
Still, your friends have yet to recognize your video-finding genius -- so behind the times they are that they're just now discovering that "Bon Joviver" video and they STILL think Rebecca Black is funny. We pity them too, Ike, and no, we can't understand why your band, She's A Witch House (Mighty, Mighty), has yet to take off, either.
We know that no one will every truly understand you, we get it, but we think you'll be able to find some kind of solace in Chill.com, a video-sharing site that's a lot like Pinterest in some respects. The site allows users to create "Categories" of videos and share them with other users.
So, dear Ike, you can create a cache of "Super Sell-Out" vids or "Songs That Think They're About Anarchy." Or, you know, "Videos of Dogs Sleeping In Funny Places," if you're so inclined.
As with Pinterest, you can also follow other users, re-posting, commenting on and expressing your emotions (via a series of emoticons) about their videos. The site even has a Chat feature, so, friend Ike, you don't have to limit your rants and raves to the confines of a mere comment box.
3. This is My Jam
Oh, Sad Sarah, we know you were dumped ... mostly because Facebook tells us that you listened to "The Cave" by Mumford & Sons 70 times in a row on Spotify (that jam is one of the top breakup tunes, the Web tells us).
You apparently didn't want to hide your shame by
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