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by enrihrts

Enrique turns a critical eye to web video trends.

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The Past That Never Died

December 10, 2008

Categories: Thoughts

Tags: blog died enrique etiquette huertas network never past social that

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Networking sites are amazing communication tools. It's easy to keep in contact with your friends and colleagues. You can also promote your ideas or business ventures in a very efficient & fun way. But when you're like me and you have a weird, sordid past that you don't want to relive or in some cases even remember, social networking sites can be a massive pain in the ass. There is a reason I don't currently live in the place I grew up. And the very last thing I need right now is to be contacted by people that I simply don't want to communicate with.

I think most people can relate to this. You know what I'm talking about. You're sitting there, happy as can be, checking your MySpace or FaceBook page, and there you see it: a friend request from the douche bag who called you "The Antichrist" when you were in Catholic School in 7th grade. He writes, "Hey, it's been forever since we spoke. What's new in your life?" And all I can think about replying with is "An annoying f**king friend request, that's what's new in my life. You know there is a reason we haven't spoken in 17 years, friendo." And then you remember that your page is set to public, so this person now knows the city and state you're living in, what you currently look like, who your friends are and the locations of your next VJ gig. At this point I reach deep inside myself and channel my inner George Costanza, and paranoia starts to set in. "Who else from my discarded past has seen this information? Would they have the cojones to show up uninvited and unannounced?" How does one avoid being rude for rejecting or ignoring the friend request after being put on the spot? I mean, what is a person to do? Someone should write a "Social Networking Site Etiquette Handbook" to teach people how to deal with these situations. Perhaps legally changing my name is the best way to go.

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