Following and Befriending People In Social Networks

OK, I'll be your friend on Facebook, follow you on Twitter, and comment on your blogs.  But don't ask me, please, to follow you everywhere you happen to have an online presence. In the real world, I forget faces, but if you say “hello” to me, I will answer back because I don't forget voices. Online, I usually forget people who never say anything (the voyeurs), people who only talk about one topic, or people who seem to force me or everybody to respond to their too-one-sided-point-of-view (like people who are too republican or too democrat). If you don't have your own online voice and identity, I may not follow you.

To be clear, if I become your online neighbor is because,

1)IWe know and like each other,

2)You are my coworker or a member of my family, and not having a virtual relationship sounds fishy,

3)You are or were my student, BUT you are a good student, 

4)I see that there is a certain value on what you do and I want to learn from you,

3)You are an important piece in my Personal Learning Network (PLN),

4)You are from a far away place, and it is always cool to have the opportunity to know what people in other parts of the world are doing,

5)You are famous and important, and it is always interesting to hear what you have to say.

BUT, if we are friends and it seems that

A)You are stalking me--by following to every single social network or online service--and we're not even good friends or acquaintances ,

B)You hate a group of people because of the color of their skin, their religion, or their culture/language,

C)You never interact with me, but you want me to comment and praise your online presence,

THEN, I will stop following you.

Also, if you believe that I am not a good online friend, follower or contact, then stop the relationship. I will not force anybody to follow me, because that doesn't feel alright.

If you feel that you need to rest from my reading my comments and looking at my photos, go ahead, take a break from following me. Unless, of course, you're my husband... that's something that can be discussed off-line.

It Is Melting Time

Well, the snow is melting... But more snow is coming according to guy on TV. Snow for Christmas? It would be funner than snow for final exams!

Art Appreciation - Dalí

Art Appreciation - Dalí, originally uploaded by Lulú De Panbehchi.

There are several photos of the same painting--official photos that are used for brochures, websites, books, and so on. Maybe that's the reason why when we think about a piece of art, we visualize the piece by itself. If we--or at least, I, myself--imagine that piece in a museum, we tend to visualize the gallery's opening night: pretty people with expensive jewelry, drinking martinis or champagne; eccentric people wearing jeans, etc.

Lately, I have been thinking about how we act and react when appreciating art. Do we talk to ourselves? Do we see art with friends and family, or alone? Does it matter what we say about art, after reading the museum caption for a piece? Does the capiton start the conversation, or is the caption irrelevant? Why do we go to a museum if we can find a photo online? Why do we photograph a work of art, even if there are tons of photos of that piece? Why do we photograph people we don't know looking at a work of art that we have already dissected by taking 20 photos of it--which is, by the way what I did?

I don't think this is a good photo, but I think it's a good conversation starter. What do you think?

Note: you may post a comment on this blog, or on Flicker [ http://www.flickr.com/photos/notascari/5241293859/ ]

A Kiss On The Wall

A Kiss On The Wall, originally uploaded by Lulú De Panbehchi.

Somebody kissed--or perhaps pretended to kiss--a column near my office, at Virginia Commonwealth University (Richmond, Virginia). I hope they clean it soon, because it looked funny at the beginning, but now it looks kind of pathetic. By far, this is the best type of graffiti that I found in Richmond.


iPhone applications: Format126 & Lo-mob.

Pop Trees

Pop Trees, originally uploaded by Lulú De Panbehchi.

This is an analog photo taken with a toy camera called "Pop Cam."

Un caracolito

Un caracolito, originally uploaded by Lulú De Panbehchi.

I found this snail by the front door. My favorite snails are the petrified snails from the Chihuahua desert in Mexico.

This photo was taken with a 10X digital lens.

Where's My Cat?

Where's My Cat?, originally uploaded by Lulú De Panbehchi.

In this photo Van Helsing the cat is in the driveway. He didn't want to move. He's blended with the leaves and all the beautiful colors of the fall season. If you don't see Van Helsing, look at the center of the photo.

En esta foto el gato Van Helsing está en la entrada a la casa. El gato no quiso hacerse a un lado y le tomé la foto, en la cual se encuentra mezclado con las hojas y los colores bonitos del otoño. Si no lo ves, búscalo en el centro de la foto.