Abandoned Babies and Cities in Ruin: Apps Gone Wild

Like you, gentle reader, I’ve left a good many in my wake. No, not lovers: Facebook apps. Membership in the social networking site means not just networking and “poking” but also trying out the new apps at my disposal. Friends and colleagues know I live for this stuff.

But last week, I got a message from Facebook that shamed me: I was being reported for neglecting my "baby." Yes, the child I had self-created using the Make a Baby app was hungry, unhealthy, and definitely unhappy. Seems I had not looked after poor Zora since, well, since I made her in February. What’s worse, Jungfern, the city I created using the My City app, wasn’t faring any better; and my Green Patch? Weedy and ravaged by angry squirrels. Take a picture. Snap!

Unlike banner ads, these apps have me hooked on Facebook—they get me to visit and hang out for a while. When I’m done feeding and entertaining a baby with growth issues and a nasty attitude, I drive over to Jungfern to add a new citizen. I'm partial to Mad Virologists. I like to check out the apps because I get a sense what folks are developing and how these mini programs could someday develop into something interesting, or even, important. I think the scuffle over Scrabulous was but one example of the kinds of conversations that can and need to emerge—and should lead to broader discussions about intellectual property, imitation, and flattery (or not), particularly in an increasingly open-source, Web 2.0 universe.

I've come to realize, though, that there is a danger in being “app-happy.”What gets neglected in the process is the very thing for which I joined Facebook: my social network. Inundated with plant requests, whining babies, and gardens in ruin, I barely have enough time to look over a friend's new photos, post an "atta boy" to a colleague, or sneak a peek at photos my students are *not* supposed to be posting.

So, what am I doing about my apps gone wild? Well, I’ve resorted to employing some of their functionalities. Although I would rather not say what specifically I’m doing, I can tell you this: my friends will be glad I’ve done it.

Enough about me, though. Are you “app-happy” too? C’mon, you can tell me…

This entry was posted on Tuesday, August 26th, 2008 at 3:53 am and is filed under blog. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.