25 Random Things: My new favorite pastime on the Web
Anyone who has checked their Facebook account in the past few weeks knows what this headline means (although they may not agree the sentiment). For the rest of you, I wanted to pass along a trend on the social-network site that has users sharing a bunch of little facts about themselves.
The first time I read one, I thought: "Wow, now there's a daunting task." But after a couple of lists, I found it fascinating just what my friends are willing to share about themselves in this type of format.
A writer for Time.com disagrees in her post "25 Things I Didn't Want to Know About You":
An estimated 5 million of these notes -- that's 125 million facts -- have appeared on the website within the past week. Assuming it takes someone 10 minutes to come up with their list, this recent bout of viral narcissism has sent roughly 800,000 hours of worktime productivity down the drain.But it's just so stupid. Most people aren't funny, they aren't insightful, and they share way too much.
Of course, she's going off the fact that most of her Facebook "friends" are really acquaintances, and she's using their personal factoids about crying when Spock died or not being able to grow hair on their arms to feel superior. I look at it a different way; mainly because the majority of my "friends" really are my friends, and I would never judge an acquaintance for sharing something with me.
I'm thrilled to know more about my friends, especially since Facebook (along with MySpace) has been great for getting back in touch with buddies from high school and college who live all over the country now.
Anyway, when I tried it, I was amazed at how easy it was. It was a great little exercise of soul searching (and, like others, not all of them were funny or insightful, and sometimes I shared too much -- but that was the point). The best part is, you can "tag" up to 25 of your friends in the "note," which tells them you're interested in finding more out about them.
So, in the spirit of sharing with your community, here are 5 random things about me (had to condense to make it suitable to be posted on The Beehive):
3. I used to want to be the most famous alum from my high school since Hulk Hogan. But now I see what the paparazzi do to even the marginally famous people.6. I was the only baby in the prenatal, intensive-care ward to finish his bottle. I think there was some foreshadowing going on there.
7. I used to say if I had a choice between a million bucks and the ability to sing, I'd choose singing. As I approach 30, I'm leaning toward the money.
10. It makes no sense to me that the pockets inside dress pants are white and not the same color as the pair of pants.
17. I completed my final college course requirement with a 70.1 average in American Sign Language 2. I can't sign a word to this day.
Now I'm tagging you. Feel free to share 5 random facts about yourselves. It's fun.
Comments:
4. WHEN I WAS IN FIRST GRADE I WAS HELD HOSTAGE UNDER THE PORTABLES BY TWO SPECIAL-ED STUDENTS. THEY JUST SAT THERE AND STARED AT ME FOR 45 MINUTES UNTIL SOMEONE CAME LOOKING FOR ME.
8. THE DUGGARS SCARE ME.
17. I LOVE LOVE LOVE BOSSA NOVA AND SAMBA MUSIC. I'M PRETTY MUCH CONVINCED THAT SERGIO MENDES AND BRASIL 66 IS THE GREATEST GROUP IN THE WORLD.
22. I AM FASCINATED BY MARINE LIFE. I WILL WATCH ANY TV SHOW OR READ ANY BOOK THAT PERTAINS TO THE OCEAN. BUT HAVE NIGHTMARES ABOUT WHALES AND AM PRETTY POSITIVE THAT I'M GOING TO COME BACK AS CRILL IN MY NEXT LIFE.
25. THE ONE THING I LOOK FORWARD TO DOING WHEN I TURN 70 IS WEARING BEDAZZLED HOOCHIE GEAR, LOTS, NO TONS, OF MAKE UP, A BUNCH OF JEWELRY AND CRUISING AROUND DOWNTOWN FRESNO ON MY HOVER-ROUND WHILE CARRYING A PICTURE OF MY DAUGHTER ASKING STRANGERS, "DO YOU KNOW MY DAUGHTER?" I CANT WAIT!!!!
Posted by: MsJoey at February 6, 2009 12:07 PM
I'll play:
8. One of my goals in life is to be Super Mario Bros. in less than five minutes. My best time is somewhere around six minutes.
11. People I'm post proud to have interviewed: DJ Jazzy Jeff, Ric Flair and Dave Chappelle.
14. I do most things right handed. I play basketball left handed.
18. I've never seen a Lord of the Rings or Harry Potter movie.
22. My mom once told off Jose Canseco. I was six. Me and my cousin waited, along with a bunch of other kids, outside the Oakland Coliseum, where the A's would come out after the game. It was raining. We were all waiting for Canseco. He was The Man then. When he walked past us, all rushed like, my mom tracked him down and told him off.
Posted by: Mike Oz at February 6, 2009 1:42 PM
OMG! Ms. Joey knows my mom!!! Tell her to quit it already!
Posted by: C1 at February 6, 2009 3:03 PM
Okay, little hesitant, but because you're my friend Will here goes . . .
3. I used to model professionally in high school and college.
9. I used to sing professionally, but haven't publicly in a few years.
13. I love the show Dexter, my husband thinks it comes from my Aztec heritage.
21. I believe I could have been a dog in a previous life, which would explain my uncanny relationship with dogs.
23. I like odd numbers and use them as a foundation for my art work, along with allowing myself to be completely immersed in the emotion I need to convey.
Posted by: Aileen Imperatrice at February 6, 2009 4:17 PM
I did mine a while back and it was only 16 then. Here are five randoms:
4. I've seen Billy Joel in concert 5 times.
9. I gave up soda in August and don't even miss it.
12. I sometimes wonder if I have too much trivia/pop culture knowledge, and not enough real knowledge, in my head.
15. I once shared a Life Saver with two other people to gross someone out.
16. I've seen my favorite author, David Sedaris, read in person so many times that he rembered me.
Posted by: Ernie at February 6, 2009 5:00 PM
Ernie's #16 impressed me...seeing Sedaris read so much to be remembered?! Wow.
I'll post 5 I didn't put onto the facebook thingie:
1. I love 'The Bathroom Reader.' I stay on the potty way too long sometimes, if I'm really into whatever story I'm reading.
2. I once lied and said I was the frontman for Michael J. Fox in order to get a room at Disney World, after I was told there were no rooms available.
3. When I was younger, I lied to get out of 19 traffic tickets. Can't seem to do that anymore...
4. I have little-known envy issues. I will sometimes stop working on a personal project after I see someone else's much much better work, and realize I couldn't ever pull that off.
5. I'm one of those late-bloomers, who was 5'2" when I graduated high school at age 16. While I'm now 45, I still look really young for my age, and my skin has always been ridiculously baby-soft.
And finally, Aileen? I am SO not surprised you modelled as a youth. Frankly, I picture nothing less.
Posted by: Stephen at February 7, 2009 3:31 AM
I don't do the "25 things" thing on Facebook, because really, if any single one of my friends wants to know something random about me, they'll just hit up my personal blog. If you aren't my friend, or at least a fairly reasonable acquaintance, you don't know where that personal blog is. I'm ok with that.
I feel uncomfortable about blasting other people with 25 things to read about me. Not that I mind other people doing it. If I'm not interested I simply don't read. I just can't bring myself to say "HEY! Look at me! Here's some STUFF! READ IT!"
I already put my "stuff" out there in one central location, and those that want to read it already do.
So I'm in the category of non-25-Things folk.
But you can post yours.
And to all of those that have tagged me in theirs, I'm not going to do one on Facebook... just go to my personal blog, if you know where it is, and read one of the many memes I've passed on there. If you're into psychoanalysis, however, kindly keep your opinions and advice to yourself. I'm comfortable in my quirks and dysfunction.
Everyone else? If you want to know me, get to know me somehow. You may find out far more than 25 things.
Posted by: joyunconfined at February 8, 2009 1:17 PM
C1: who's your mom?
Posted by: MsJoey at February 8, 2009 10:00 PM
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