What I'm Thankful For -- the Website Edition

The end of each year is a poignant time for me -- as December hits, my emotion moves first to enthusiasm (I'm a huge Christmas freak fan), and then, right after, it becomes more melancholy, as the end of the year really begs each person to re-evaluate their previous year (and, by extension, their life).

So, with that in mind, Thanksgiving is really the unofficial kickoff to the avalanche of emotions that the end of the year brings for me.

There's a lot to be thankful for -- my health, wife, friends, family, pets, etc. -- all that is a given. I'm not going to spend this post going through those items, necessarily. Instead, I'm going to give thanks to the websites that make up a large part of the way I spend my online time -- each of which scratches a different itch.

Facebook - Anyone who says real life is boring needs to spend more time on Facebook. In the span of a day, I can be sad, amused, angered, impressed and moved. The "chat" function is a great way to kill time (too great). I make a point of reading *everything* on the site (really, with rare exception, I will read everything people post, just so I'm consistently updated on what's going on in their lives (and, in response to those who say Facebook is too invasive...)

LinkedIn - I wasn't an early adapter of this site, but I've grown to really appreciate it. Like most social media, you really get what you put into it. And, as I posted last week, when it works, it really works (I was able to find a friend who connected me directly to the hiring manager ... okay, a week later, the hiring manager was terminated by the company, but still -- in theory, it worked). Again, if I'm not already connected to you on LinkedIn, feel free to reach out to me.

BoardGameGeek - I've been a member of this site for many years, and -- for boardgaming fans, there is no better resource. That being said, I've started to find the administration of the site far more oppressive (interestingly, BGG was probably one of the earliest "social media" sites; but, they are trying, desperately, to control the conversation, which means, ultimately, it will fail. It will.) Imagine that you posted something 'questionable' on Facebook -- and, one of you friends took offense. Here, that friend would simply unfriend you (or, possibly, engage in an online fight), on BGG, though, you could be banned or suspended. Sorry, you can't control the social web that way; so, I make a point of grabbing EVERYTHING I can. This is a direct result of the site becoming a "for profit" site, as compared to a hobby site. Ah well; onto more things I'm thankful for!

ESPN Fantasy Football - I have a love/hate relationship with this site. 'Nuff said.

Slydebslog - This is my friend Andrew's blog, and his purpose is quite different from mine. He does snarky/self deprecating as well as anyone (and, don't let his occasionally overly risque subjects freak you out -- it's just compensation). For a sample, read this post about an email exchange he had with a coworker where she argued that mentioning a reptile when making a request indicated urgency....
Video Game Walkthroughs - I enjoy playing video games sometimes (not nearly as much as boardgames). Most of the time, I end up playing co-operative games with a good friend. I am constantly amazed/scared by the amount of details that go into video games (and how many things I would easily miss if I didn't have someone else to point them out to me). I'd certainly rather find the stuff on my own, but sometimes, you have to have pure divine intervention (for example, here's a game we're currently playing struggling through: Project Eden). Sorry, I don't have a brain that works this way...

TMZ - Because no site does a better job of reinforcing the point that all the money in the world can't buy common sense or class. My daily dose of "laugh at the upper class."

Hope your holiday is enjoyable! (and, for the record, 25 straight days of postings! More than 80% of the way through the month!)