I've left Facebook

I'm not sure if it will be permanent, but after finding that the changes they've made will require me to do a lot of work, and I do mean a lot, for each person on my friends list, I'm not interested. I made a note when I was deactivating my account that when they change it back to how it is, I'll come back. I don't need Facebook, really, but it was a nice little relationship while it lasted.

I'm not the only one who is disappointed by the latest 'improvement' and along with the others who feel the same way I do, I can't understand those who think the new changes are beneficial. Less control over what I am exposed to is not beneficial, at least not in my opinion.

Some of the people who say we just have to go with the flow because we don't pay for the service forget that we users do, in a way, pay for Facebook's operation, through ad revenue. The majority of people who posted about this latest change are not happy. Those that leave might, in the long run, make things better, IF Facebook changes things back. The ones who complain and then stay, I think of them as sheep. Big Brother Facebook says 'here, read this story and that post, and you will be happy, we decide now what you will read, unless you tell us about each individual who posts.'

Another thing I found is that everything you post is ok, it's still public, private, however you set that part up, but when your post hits someone else's page, and their friends who aren't on your list, well, they do get to read your posts, even if they are private. There really is no 'private' any more at Facebook. That, right there, was the last straw with me.

What do you think of Facebook?

Phone Tree

This guest post from Lenny Mcknight

When was the last time that you spent thirty minutes on the phone holding and trying to work your way through a phone tree? Today everyone has them. Some are worse than others. They phone trees that are the worst are the ones that cut you off, don’t call you back, and don’t have an option where you can speak to an operator. I was surprised to hear a phone tree when I called the gas station to track down my lost credit card. I even think I would pay an extra dollar a month to be connected to a live person when I call somewhere than having to navigate an impossible automated system. Luckily, for some of the businesses that I call often, I have memorized the navigation choices and am able to cut at least five minutes out of my wait time. I did have a good experience when I called about a television package . direct tv customer service was much more streamlined than the natural gas company that put me on hold for forty-five minutes even after I had been cut off twice! Maybe I should start billing these places for my time!

For My ESL Readers Doing Business in Canada

There is a site I found that has several products listed, that you might be interested in using to buy Canadian-based items. It would save you money on shipping over sites that are USA-based, which is where I am. eBay is just getting too complicated, and isn't very user-friendly, especially for Sellers.

This site is good for finding office supplies at excellent prices, and for those teaching ESL classes, there are school supplies also available. The first page is pretty bare-bones, but I've found that the search engines on the site return several excellent products. One of the search formats is a comparison guide that works rather well.

One thing about this site that several of my readers might be interested in knowing is that you can sell your products to other users here, as well. eBay is just getting too complicated, and isn't very user-friendly, especially for Sellers.
Office supplies are not the only category you can list in, either. There are several, including fashion, books and other media, and even musical instruments.

Take a look around, and let me know in the comments section below if you found this site helpful. ESL isn't just about reading, it's about writing, too!