I’m sitting here scratching my head…
The only reason I am relaying this information is as a warning – and perhaps some empathy – in case any of you find yourself in the FB hotseat.
You see, I posted yesterday’s blog on the Horse and Man Facebook page, as I always do. But this time, I titled it rhetorically. The title of the FB post said:
(8/5/12) SHOULD I CALL THE VET? HMMMM… IT DOESN’T LOOK THAT BAD… (PS: Call the vet.) Click here: http://www.horseandman.com/?p=23638
And then it showed this photo of Wrigley’s wound from yesterday’s blogpost.
This is the photo that accompanied the rhetorical title of yesterday’s FB post:; (8/5/12) SHOULD I CALL THE VET? HMMMM… IT DOESN’T LOOK THAT BAD… (PS: Call the vet.) Click here: http://www.horseandman.com/?p=23638
OY
I had no idea that not only would no one click on the link and read the post… but they wouldn’t even read the entire title of the FB entry!
Most people just looked at the pic, saw my first sentence and reacted – badly. They thought I was posting a photo of my horse’s injury and seriously asking FB readers if I should call the vet or not.
Understandably, many of the comments were not pleasant.
And I suppose, if I was actually taking the time to post a photo of my horse’s urgent wound and waiting for responses from strangers on FB to tell me what to do, I perhaps might deserve some backlash…
But I wasn’t… except the way I wrote it and that photo made a large percentage of people get the wrong first impression.
Lesson learned.
I even tried to defend myself as this was happening. I wrote a few comments in the middle of all of the other comments saying that Wrigley was fine and that I did call the vet and ‘calling the vet’ was what the whole blog was about…!
But, no one read those comments either – or very few did.
So, learn from my error and use FB carefully. Don’t mistake its power. It can do great good… and it can also skew information and spread that false info far and wide.
THE COMMENTS
Here are the first several comments. You can see the pattern.
(I actually wrote back privately to the one woman who called me an IDIOT. I wanted her to know that she had simply misread the title and probably not clicked through to the linked story…)
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
THE MORAL OF THIS STORY…
Keep is simple, short and easy to understand on FB.
FB is a GREAT communication device and it is a very useful venue – however – when speaking to the masses that only have time for glimpses, it is prudent to be very clearly written.
The other piece I learned is that if people don’t think they know you, they can be really harsh.
But, more often than not, especially with the Bucket Fund, I’ve seen it go the other way… the kindness of FaceBook strangers has touched the HORSE AND MAN blog very often and that makes me smile and forget the nasty of today!
Speaking of tomorrow – a new Bucket Fund story is coming!
HORSE AND MAN is a blog in growth… if you like this, please pass it around!
Copyright
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.
The MORAL of the story should be a cautionary tale for everyone with even a modicum of intelligence: STAY FAR FAR AWAY FROM FACEBOOK! Not only is FB geared primarily toward the lowest common denominator of human IQ but it is an open invitation to stalking (cyber and otherwise) and identity theft – not to mention cyber abuse of the type you got. No – Dawn – I am surprised that you didn’t catch this clue before now but most people do NOT read! And IF they “read” most of them do not, will not, or cannot read for comprehension. I have worked in higher ed for years and hands down the biggest complaint of most teaching staff is that most students under the age of 40 do not, cannot or will not read for comprehension. The older students seemed to have benefited from life and all its salient lessons or perhaps from a marginally better public school education from decades past – or best of all a private school education where “the system” actually valued education and strove to impart certain basics to learners. Today?? Not so much!!!
The only surprise here is that YOU were surprised at how you were attacked.
If someone as talented and as wonderful a representative of the United States can win gold medals at a young age only to be widely attacked and vilified all over the internet (and of course in broadcast and print media) for her hairstyle (gymnast Gabby Douglas, for heaven’s sake), then NO ONE anywhere is safe from the IDIOT HORDES that comprise the majority of internet commenters and FB users! IMO and increasingly in the opinion of many others, Facebook is not in any way, shape or form a safe place to “be.”
If you have to use FB then make it private for family, known business associates, and REAL friends not “FB friends” who more often than not have an agenda that is at cross purposes with your own and can do you intentional, extensive harm.
Too funny-but not in a good way I guess. If you haven’t read the article or the research paper a post is talking about the best way to go is not to comment. I read the very first part of the title of your blog and I knew that it was either a rhetorical question or one that every animal guardian asks themselves. Let me take a good look, now let me take a second look. ‘Should I call the vet? Ah nuts, if I’m even thinking it I should do it.” I go in and tell my vet my fur friend is either suffering injury or illness or I am suffering the dreaded NOS-otherwise known as Neurotic Owner Syndrome.
That is very frustrating. People don’t read, can’t read and know it all without the facts. Keep up the great work, love your blog and posts!
Dawn–unbelievable. I always read every word you write. I love your sense of humor and how you read what your horses are saying to you, putting it into imaginary conversations.
The Facebook, Twitter, and other types of online forums can be a great tool, or a complete disaster when it comes to comments and opinions. I have been through a few online arguments because;
1. the person reading the text didn’t get the intent of what was written
2. the person reading it has strong views about subjects, so sometimes even the smallest thing can trigger an onslaught of harsh comments
In both cases if they read everything that was written, they possibly could have understood what was going on….but in a world where the attention spam has been reduced to 3 seconds, I’m not surprised.
I don’t understand how so many people could have missed so much in your Blog.
I thought that your blog on Wrigly’s injury was very informative and although my friend was a vet tech I thought there were things she could learn. She too, appreciated the good information.
I enjoy Horse and Man the first thing every morning!
Mary Lu
P.S. I thought my horse had laminitas so I bought the Anti Flam. It turns out that she does not have it so I returned it without a problem to Dover Saddlery. Nice Compnay. Thanks for all of your good information.
i did read all u nwrote yesterday and i thank you 4 trying to tell people to mconsider danger of being close to mjoint etc. we meet opposition when we do good. blessings and strength in jesus
Even when people read they don’t understand
Hi,
just wanted to let you know I still love your blog, even though some people get overly excited about nothing. I try to remember that whenever I put anything on FB. I also learned that if you memorialize a very aged horse (40+) on FB, even if she’s shiny to the point of blinding the camera – no one notices anything but that she’s skinny (which the vet said there wasn’t anything else we could do)…so yeah, be very careful…that said, knowing the whole story (because I read your blog) their comments sorta cracked me up. Oh, and I do like Vetricyn!! My mare got a small “slice” on her leg (husband left trailer in pasture) and it was cleared up in 2 days.
*sigh*
I will admit I actually SKIMMED that article yesterday (in my mad rush to do a bloggie catch up) and *I* even saw the part about the joint and the vet! (Plus, the title gives the ending away…………) Duh.
In any case, people posting have no right to bullying and name calling.
If anything, gently educate or zip your lip.
But, I knew it was YOU (of all wonderful horsey people!) so, yeah, I was all good. ;)
Not long ago I was in BN bookstore and asked for Yeats. The girl looked at me like I ordered a steaming plate of hosre poo and a fork and said: “I don’t *read.*
So lovie, there you have it.
Better day today……healing energy being sent your way!
*huggies*
Mimi
The Goat Borrower