Sharing&Caring:
Making the World
A Good Home for All
Even the Smallest Ripper Moves the Ocean
It Takes Only One to Make the Difference
You-Tag. I-Tag. We-Tag.
You-Tag. I-Tag. We-Tag.
If you are on FaceBook, you must have been tagged by your friends, or have tagged
them on your photos, videos, or, even notes. After all, sharing is a big part of social-networking.
We are only human, although I hope we are also somewhat understanding, making us compromising and able to tolerate. Like a coin,
there are always two sides to things, and here I will discuss both sides of the photo- video- and note-tagging business.
Have you tagged your relatives and friends in the photos of your latest family vacation to the corn field in the middle of nowhere? I have.
This is all about "sharing" and getting in touch with friends and family who are long-distanced -and whom you have not seen for a long
time- so, yes. I take my time, however, when tagging people in some of my personal photos -after I have made sure to go to the photo
privacy setting and set the permission level to where I'd like it to be for the particular album. I am thoughtful because of what tagging
entails. Once you are tagged it shows up on your wall and a notification tab will inform you. All comments and "Likes" from friends of the
person who has tagged you also will show up on the notification tab, and if the friend who tagged you has a lot of friends -it doesn't
matter if they are tagged or not- you will be notified each and every time someone takes any action at all on that photo.
Sometimes, you enjoy re-visiting the photo, especially when you know most of the friends who have made comments on it. But, at other
times it can get under your skin.
Taggers: Please keep these facts in mind, and be mindful when you tag. Be understanding, and do not take it personally should your
taggee remove her tag. It could just be because she came (as she was invited by your tag), she saw (what you tagged her with), and
then she was done and had no furthur interest in being notified every time your other two hundred fifty-four friends you also tagged
"Liked" or made comments.
Taggees: When you are notified, go to the photo where you are tagged and act according to reason. Sometimes, when "friends" tag
you in some silly wall of icons or words (have you been tagged on those?), which to you has no personal meaning or any meaning at all,
you may choose to "Like" and remove the tag, or just simply remove the tag. If it's clear that you have been tagged for a commercial
reason, "Feeling FAT lately? Lose 50 pounds in 10 days or we guarantee that we will make a public apology and return your hard earned
money with interest, plus clean your bathrooms for the rest of our lives," and if you don't want to be a part of that, just remove your tag
without making a comment. Because if you do make a comment, whenever someone else makes one you will still be notified. Whatever
action you may or may not take with the friend who tagged you is up to you. Use your own judgement.
If your close friend or a relative puts a tag on you and you have seen the photo but no longer wish to be notified for every comment, just
remove the tag. If you have made comments and "Liked" it, you may want to remove these also -but not before thanking the person -via
private message- for sharing her beautiful photo with you.
All the photos in which you have been tagged since day 1 of Facebook will be found under the "Photos of you" section on your profile
wall. If your friends happened to tag your really bad photos from a friend's "Girls night out" album, perhaps you'd like to go to each
photo and remove your tag. Please keep in mind, however, that if your photo comes from your friend, then she is the one with privacy
control. Ask her, again, through a private message, to set the privacy setting to just you and her. -But, if it bothers you that much, ask
her kindly to delete the photo from FaceBook.
This pretty much works with video tagging and note tagging. I usually skim down the note in which I'm tagged. If it's not interesting
and/or not relevant to me and what I do, I just remove my tag. Or, I leave and never come back, even when I'm notified about other
people's comments.
Recently, I made two videos for this holiday season. I posted them on Facebook and tagged close to a hundred friends that I felt cared
enough to enjoy them. I received nice comments and warm wishes from my good friends, and I returned the favor. Soon enough, my
friends started to get "irrelevant" and began to talk about other matters within the same thread. I am always the one who's big on being
proper, and I found myself with the urge to set up a new thread and to steer the conversation there. Then again, these friends are very
dear to me, and the reason they are all "talking" under my "Season Greetings" videos is only because I invited them and they felt
welcome. I think I'll let them hang out for a while, until I tag them in my next photo or video; or, when they tag me in theirs.
We are an American father who has lived many years in Thailand, a Thai mother who has lived many years in the United States,
and four children- the eldest born in America- who spent the first parts of their lives in Thailand and then moved to the USA.
This multiculturalism provides a unique perspective and affords each of us the opportunity to approach things from new directions.
We follow our hearts wherever they take us. We also believe in sharing. If another is enriched then so, too, are we,
for the betterment of one is the betterment of us all. We share our ideas, thoughts, knowledge and opinions with the hope
that others will find value in them, as well as in the hope that they will pay it forward to make the world a continually better place.
