Social Media: THE REVENGE

Many moons ago (oh, who am I kidding, it was about a year back) I wrote about how many sports figures were going to outlets such as Twitter and Facebook to get in touch with fans and basically see what they do in their everyday lives.
You can read that little number here.

Facebook and Twitter are awesome tools. You can talk to people, write about what's going on, and meet new people. However, you know how there's always those one or two individuals that go an abuse that privilege of having nice things? That is happening right now. ESPN is (expressively) having a cow, a few horses, and a couple of chickens over the developments of this story. Personally, I wouldn't blow it up to astronomical proportions, but it is a big deal in the sense that people are being a little too... free when it comes to their freedom of speech in the social networking world.

Over the past few weeks or so, numerous football players have been under fire for the questionable content that they have been posting on their Twitter websites. I don't exactly remember what they were word-for-word, but I know one of them had something to do with guns. Yes. Oooh scary scary scary. On Twitter, I don't tell you stupid stories on how I'm driving in the car and I blast Buckwheat Boyz while eating a chocolate chip muffin from Dunkin' Donuts. Ohhh wait, I already did. But yeah, did you care about that? I highly doubt that you did unless if you're my mother, since I would technically be driving her car and I'm eating while driving and doing a massive 808. You see, if I ever tweeted that, I would fall into the category of the stupid uses and abuses of Twitter.

I like to call something like this the "TMI Principle." As mentioned above, I don't go on Twitter or on my personal Facebook talking about extremely personal details like what my parents do or what I own or do or anything of that sort. There are just some things I want to keep to myself and to the people I personally know around me. I'd hate to say this, but not everyone is meant to be an open book. I would think you should at least know the person and speak to them in person in order find out that stuff. I remember news from a few months ago saying that every tweet in the Twitter-land is being archived in some way. Oh, well guess what, looks like there are some people that pulled a Plaxico Burress and shot themselves in the leg while having too much fun.

Should these guys get penalized for it? Yes, but not in the way it's usually handled. Fining someone isn't always the best approach. Some of these guys have enough money to pay about 50 fines and still do the stupid stuff they do. If the sports leagues can get into contact with the Twitter administrators, maybe some bans or penalties could be put into effect. That would probably be the best way to spook them. If you really want to vent and talk about questionable stuff, they still sell diaries with the little locks and keys on them. Hello? Dollar Store + one dollar = Dear Diary, -- that simple.

I don't care who you are...please have the self-dignity of sparing the rest of us the extra details, okay?
TMI dude, TMI.

Just listen to Thumper; he's got the right idea going...

--AZ