Connecting on Facebook

How do I explain this without sounding arrogant. Well maybe I don’t. Not that I want to sound arrogant but when you set up your own Facebook ‘fan page’ it does seem somewhat cheesey and self serving. I get that, but that’s not what it’s about. I’m not looking for fans. I’m simply wanting to stay connected with a wider group of friends.

So why would an ordinary bloke ask people to click the link that says they ‘like’ him? Overinflated ego? Umm … no. A deep cry for acceptance? No again.

The truth is that I jumped on board with Facebook some time ago and have built up quite a number of Facebook friends. Some are family, some are close friends, some acquaintances, some are old school friends, while others are those I’ve ‘met’ online.

I’ve been torn between wanting to accept every friend request I receive and keeping Facebook for those I know personally. Having a wider group of friends means I sometimes can’t share as much as I like, while keeping a very closed Facebook page means I can’t share stuff with as many people as I’d like.

While it’s not a perfect solution I’ve decided to set up a new Facebook page that’s completely open to everyone. You don’t even have to make a friendship request, just click the button and add yourself as a friend.

I don’t really know how this will all work. I may only end up with a handful of friends at the new page but I’m hoping that it’ll get a little busier than that.

If you’re already a Facebook friend and you feel you’d fit better with the new page, feel free to ‘unfriend’ me and join the new page. You’re also welcome to stay connected through both pages. I won’t be removing people from my existing page at the moment.

I’ll still be posting a lot of the same content on both pages but the ability to share things a little differently will allow me to protect my privacy and especially my family’s privacy a little better.

Thanks for your understanding. I hope to see you at my new Facebook page soon.



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About the author

Rodney Olsen

Rodney is a husband, father, cyclist, blogger and podcaster from Perth Western Australia.

He previously worked in radio for about 25 years but these days he spends his time at Compassion Australia, working towards releasing children from poverty in Jesus' name.

The views he expresses here are his own.

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2 Comments

  • Great idea Rodney. I was always torn between wanting to share more (including photos of my kids or personal stuff), but holding back because many of my friends on FB were online friends only.
    The other thing is you are a radio star on the best radio station in the world, so you should have a fan page 😉

  • I actually have two as well 🙂
    One is my Aussie one on my married name where I keep friends I personally know only, work or ex work collegues, family and personal/good online friends.
    If I don’t know some one in real life personally I don’t accept just any request, but I have a few that know me via my blog and real name.
    The I created one on my maiden name which is for my old school friends, I share less personal stuff and photos there since I haven’t seen or spoke to some of them in 20 + years, but it’s nice to be connected again.

    I totally understand your “dilemma”

    Good luck with the new page.

    And .. thank you for your wise comment on my prev post, I truly agree with you.

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