I’m still podcasting while I’m writing this unschooling book series. Here’s this week’s episode!
This week, I’m sharing and discussing the story Independent Learners, Toast and Heavy Washing Baskets.
Show Notes
Leonie’s blog: Living Without School
podcast music: Twombly by Podington Bear, (CC BY-NC 3.0)
Dear Sue,
No, I have not left Facebook, neither am I going to do it. That’s because I never use fb as it was intended. I don’t give much thougt to what’s in my newsfeed, but instead go directly to one of the groups, I belong to. Actually I use fb kind of like a second Ravelry only for things not fabric-related and therefore not on Ravely. I belong to a wood turning group, a PE group, several groups on mushrooms, gardening, ecology, plastic change, vocations, soaping, and permaculture among those. Maybe I use five minutes a day on my news feed, but I always end up so buggered that fb is trying to re-arrange my feed to show me anything but a chronological list of what my friends have been up to, that I end up closing it very quickly. For long periods I never even look at it, lent and advent being prominent. It’s not fb eating up my time and clogging my mind, but all the other interesting things in the Internets – blogs for instance 😉
But I do understand. I got more work done earlier, when I was not online all the time and had to actively log on to be online – sending e-mail and searching for information. For me it’s not fb, but the internet as such.
Charlotte,
You belong to lots of FB groups that sound very interesting. Yes, it’s a good place to network with other people who share our interests.
I agree that FB isn’t the real problem but the Internet itself. Even after I’d deleted my account, the Internet was still there trying to distract me from my work. I’ve had to make other changes as well. For me, FB was a good start. It has made a lot of difference. But that’s my story. I can see that FB is working for you!
I would definitely leave Facebook, and I did once. But so many Home ed things are arranged and announced on there that I think we’d miss out if I left again. I try not to feel obligated though. I don’t like that I get sucked in and spend hours scrolling when I should be going to sleep!
Clare,
Spending hours scrolling when you should be going to sleep… Oh yes! I know all about that. I’d visit FB before bedtime, sign out and then if I didn’t get to sleep quickly, I’d hop back online again. I have a lot of trouble sleeping and I knew FB wasn’t helping. Unfortunately, I don’t have a lot of will power. I get sucked in very easily. I don’t like how that happens either.
I’m so glad leaving Facebook has been good for you. It certainly will be good for all of us if your book is published! No pressure though – these things do take time. 🙂
I’m still on Facebook, though scrolling through the feed for even a few minutes often leaves me feeling overwhelmed. I’m only on there to know what homeschooling/unschooling events are coming up so I can ask my girls if they’d like to join in.
Alison,
Yes, FB is a good place to find out what’s going on. We don’t join in with many unschooling/homeschooling events. There aren’t many of them within travelling distance. So I never used FB to hear about upcoming events. But I can see how useful it is for you to be connected to the various networks within FB.
Thank you for your kind words about my book!
I see a common thread which is that people are on FB for information.
I too left FB and then rejoined for the groups. This turned out well for a time, but I ended up with my head full of others’ lives and ideas instead of my own. Because my time is so limited, and I am a person who likes to do things deeply, I left FB again.
I occasionally miss it especially when I want to broadcast a special creation (like my latest video), but I have come to terms with the fact that my work will not be seen by many until I can put my time into promoting it in some way.
I need to prioritise creating the work right now, and maybe later when I have more time, I can promote it!
I’m so glad your book is exciting you again!
Xo Jazzy Jack
Jack,
I’ve also wondered how I’m going to promote my work if I’m not on social media. Maybe that’s why I lingered for so long before making the decision to leave. In the end, I realised, I wouldn’t have anything worth promoting if I spent most of my time on FB etc. Like you, I like to do things deeply and I don’t think that’s possible when we’re involved with social media. Everyone likes things in bite-sized pieces that can be consumed very quickly. I found myself trying to write the perfect caption instead of a longer blog post with deeper thoughts. It wasn’t satisfying!
Your videos… Could you add a playlist of your videos to your blog’s sidebar in a similar way to how I’ve added Imogen’s videos to my blog? They’d be very visible and accessible. I rather like the idea of gathering all my work in one place on my blog instead of having some of it on social media. But will people come to my blog looking for my work? Or will they only read things that are on social media? It’s a problem!
Excited for the book!
I’m so glad, Venisa. Thank you!
So excited about your book!!!
Nancy,
Thank you for your excitement and also for your comments. I’m a bit slow replying to them all, but I do appreciate them. They’re helping me to get my thoughts into order. Hopefully, I’ll get caught up with everything very soon!
I’m so excited to read your book! I’ve dropped Facebook and happy. Too many voices and left me feeling confused and unworthy. I wondered why I seemed happier as a younger mother than I do these days. I think I fell into the comparison trap or trying to be something that we are not trap. Too much social media and not enough of real life. I’m enjoying the calm and silence. And diving deep into good books.
Kim,
I’m glad leaving Facebook has worked for you too. Yes, too many voices! I’m also diving into some good books. There never seemed enough time to do this when I was on Facebook.
Hopefully, my book will be worth reading once I finish it. Thank you for your interest and excitement!
Never had a FB account for the reasons you describe. I’ve considered joining for the information about homeschooling activities, but decided against it. My time in real life is more important to me than being in the know. Searching the Internet or reading blogs is a little different for me. I search for ideas, and that in turn fuels my own ideas, and helps me analyze and come to my own conclusions.
Sue, you develop your ideas, ponder, and that’s what brings me back to your blog. Hope you are able to advertise without social networks. I think if someone has something important to say, word gets around, and people will find it and read it no matter what.
TL,
Yes, I agree that searching the Internet and reading blogs is different from social media. And now I’m no longer on Facebook or Instagram, I have more time for reading articles that make me think and contribute to my growth. Yes, they fuel our ideas!
I’m amazed at how deep unschooling is. There is always something to ponder and learn about. That’s probably why I can’t quite say goodbye to my blog. I think I have nothing more to add to the conversation and then I get just one more idea that needs exploring… and then another one… I’m glad you enjoy pondering along with me!
Thank you for your kind comment!
Great post, Sue. I am in a couple of groups on FB which are faith related….and there are a dozen or so people I don’t want to lose touch with, but as for the rest, well it is so time consuming as stated above. I think I will start paring down my friends’ list, and setting a daily…maybe werkly time limit. Being a news junkie, it is all too much for me to handle. I think I stopped blogging about the same time I joined FB ?
Patricia!
It’s so good to see you here on my blog! I want to write you a longer reply to the comment you left on the teenagers’ post (So wonderful to hear all your granddaughter news!), but I’ll jump in here and answer this one first.
When I left Facebook, I knew I’d miss you and other friends in our group. However, I also have your email addresses so I wasn’t worried about losing touch with you. And I know where your blog is. Why aren’t you writing? You have so many valuable insights and thoughts to share. I do miss reading your blog. I visit every now and then to see if you’ve returned. Yes, set a time limit for Facebook and then return to blogging. We need you!
Thank you so much for taking the time to visit me. This is just like old times. Not so long ago, I was chatting with another friend about how blogging has changed. Most bloggers have moved onto social media. Perhaps it’s time to bring back our blogging communities. Sending much love to you. Please pass on my love to Joan as well. xx