Zynga and the afterlife

Several years ago when I first started hearing about MySpace, I took a brief look at it and decided it wasn't for me.  I had other things to do like working and writing.  Holly and I were spending hours a week training for Agility.  Then more and more friends joined MySpace and they gradually convinced me to hop onboard too.

I have to admit at first it was fun and it proved to be a great way to keep up to date on everyone.  The big game at the time was Mafia Wars.  Everybody was touting what great fun it was, so I played for a while but I just don't get this game.  Racking up points, acquiring property and weapons was easy.  Yet the whole time I kept wondering what is the point?  And then people started getting real ugly, talking nasty to each other and making threats.  I bailed out of Mafia Wars. 

Around this time I noted friends were abandoning MySpace.  For whatever reasons the charm had worn off.  It was no longer the place to share pictures or personal ancedotes.  Honestly I can't pinpoint any one thing that caused the exodus.  Gradually we all joined FaceBook perhaps because it was like the early days of MySpace. 

Back then I enjoyed FaceBook.  I could post to my wall and actually get responses from friends.  I could go onto their walls and see what they've been up to, check out pictures and leave messages.  Yes, I played some games, mostly ones that my friends were playing.  The best part was we didn't need to be in the same game to chat while playing.

Do I dare mention FarmVille?  Everybody is nuts about FarmVille.  Any more I hate going out on FaceBook because of it.  My running joke for months has been "if you want to get someone's attention on FaceBook you have to offer a FarmVille freebie".

I want to blame Zynga yet at the same time I feel like screaming at friends "enough already!"  Posts to walls are buried under tons of "share" debris.  Most days I assume friends are still alive because they're playing games.  But then again, I could be wrong.  I know for a fact 2 are deceased and 6 have blocked FarmVille yet I'm still getting game stuff from them.  Yesterday I got an email from FarmVille to inform me a certain friend needed help to finish a quest.  Who'd of guessed you could play FarmVille in the afterlife?

My sense of humor suggests I post a semi-nude photo but unless I was offering bushels of cherries or free FarmVille bucks I rather doubt the majority would notice.

Until the latest FaceBook revision there was a drop-down menu on our home page with choices to filter out the clutter.  I do not like the new version; it's a pain in the tush.  However, you can group family / friends in order to see their status updates, links and pictures.  But it's still a pain.  For me at least, the charm has most definitely worn off. 

My Twitter followers are increasing daily.  For the record, there's only three I actually know.  If Twitter ever opens up to games and there isn't another network waiting in the wings to take it's place I guess I'll go back to writing letters.