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A More Peaceful Path
Facebook is an incredibly important part of my life. It allows me to stay connected with people who I care about. When I hear people who are not on Facebook say, “I am too busy for Facebook,” it just makes me laugh. It’s like saying I’m too busy to have a phone. Facebook does not take away from my life, it enhances it — just like a phone. I want to hear about important things that go on in my friends’ world, so I can offer a shout-out or words of encouragement depending on the situation.
Having said all that, I feel like Facebook has gone from being a fun, intimate dinner party to a keg party in a field crashed by acquaintances who brought friends I don’t know that well. I have 821 friends on Facebook. There is a subset of them who I interact with regularly and I love that experience. Others are just a name with whom I have little to no interaction. I am a minimalist and Facebook makes me feel like I am living in a flea market. I know I need to cleanse my friend list and remove people. I also know I need to downsize my home now that three of my kids are in college, but the steps required to do that are a bit overwhelming — I feel the same albatross around my neck when it comes to a Facebook friend cleansing.
Fortunately, I have found a more peaceful Path that has allowed me to start with a clean slate. Path is an app for the iPhone and Android that “helps you share life with the ones you love.” Sound like Facebook? It’s actually not. Regardless of how big your heart is, realistically, you probably don’t “love” 821 people. You probably like them and may even buy one a beer if you bumped into them in a bar, but love is a whole different emotion. Path limits your social network to 150 people, so you need to think hard about who you want to connect with.
Path is remarkable in its simplicity and jaw-droppingly stunning in its design. Think of it as a journal where you share life’s moments in a minimalist yet breathtaking environment. To some degree Facebook’s new timeline approach is trying to be more Path-like, but Path’s interface trumps FB at every point. Path describes version 2 of the app perfectly when it says, “Path is now a journal that writes itself. Less effort from you, more stories in your Path.” The most un-Facebook-like feature is that Path doesn’t allow friends to post on another friend’s path. Let the peacefulness begin….
For me, Path will not replace Facebook — for now it will co-exist with it. Today, I use Path as my aperture for the social universe. If I choose, I can share my moments with Facebook and Twitter through a simple click in Path’s interface. And Path’s photo filters are simply brilliant, so I choose Path as my starting point for every photo I take with my iPhone.
Robert Browning is credited with the phrase “less is more” in his 1855 poem Andrea del Sarto (the faultless painter). Since then architects and others have used this approach to bring a minimalist-generated harmony to the visual aspects of life. Path takes the “less is more” approach to a whole new level via a new medium. I love walking this new Path. Do you have any plans to pave a new Path?
December 29th, 2011 at 12:20 pm
I’m with you on this one Kel. I love Path for the same reasons. I live my life in public 99% of the the time but I need a place for sharing with the people I trust and respect most.
December 29th, 2011 at 12:21 pm
I “like” this post
. “Less is more” has been on my mind a lot lately. I’ve been thinking about making that my New Years Resoulution 2012 (along with the obligatory lose weight). Path sounds interesting. Happy New Year!
December 29th, 2011 at 12:30 pm
i couldn’t agree more mike. i literally hear the sound “ahhhhhhh” when i am on path. i expect it to bring me much peace in 2012 and beyond.
December 29th, 2011 at 12:32 pm
check it out anita. you are one of the people i enjoy interacting with on facebook and would love to connect with on path. regarding the weight loss, try insanity. i swear by it. no weights, bands, bars or balls and you never need to leave your house. on a side note, i think you look terrific.
December 29th, 2011 at 12:46 pm
My only issues with path seem to be that very, very few of my FB friends are on it. None of my close personal friends. The site claims just over 1 million users; I think we’re likely in the “early adopter” category, and maybe that will change? Agreed on the interface, though.
December 29th, 2011 at 12:49 pm
meagan, i am trying to pull my close friends and family over to it. biggest challenge will be resisting accepting friend requests from people you don’t consider close.
December 29th, 2011 at 12:59 pm
I’ve invited a few but have been ignored so far. Blog posts like this, I think, will serve to convert people!
December 29th, 2011 at 1:04 pm
meagan, well by all means, “use me, use me, make me feel cheap.” haha.
December 29th, 2011 at 2:25 pm
Kel, this was brilliantly written… I’ll be checking out “Path” now. It is a much easier sell to me than FB was… OK it took you a few tries before I finally gave in and you were right, FB was everything you said it was and became a part of my life… unfortunately it is everything you said it IS now in this blog too. Thanks for the blog and Happy New Year !
December 29th, 2011 at 2:30 pm
I think the interface is elegant and gorgeous and it allows true integration with my other favorites, FB, Twitter and FourSquare. Plus the photo filters are so cool. I’m already converted to less is more.
December 29th, 2011 at 2:56 pm
happy new year geopath! thanks for taking the time to comment.
December 29th, 2011 at 2:56 pm
tom, “gorgeous” and “elegant” are great words to describe path.
January 23rd, 2012 at 7:16 am
Kel – I got on FB, after a whole lot of resistance, because my son wanted on it. I’ve purposely kept my friends list to only people I’m close to – maybe 30 people in all. I have it set up so no one can friend me.
You know what? I love it. It keeps everything sane.
I think a lot about social media and all this pressure to “connect.” I do know a fair number of people but that doesn’t mean I have to have them all over to my house for a 24/7 cocktail party. I view my FB personal profile the same way.
Not sure I’ll check out Path, but wanted to comment because your post struck a nerve.
January 25th, 2012 at 5:05 pm
dianna, i applaud the limitations you set for fb friends. must be a completely different experience. i would encourage you to check out path simply because it is stunningly beautiful. i literally hear the sound “ahhhhhh” when i use it.