February « 2013 « Off Balanced

Yesterday while taking to my usual social media activities, I discovered an interesting development with Facebook. If you want to message a user not your “friend,” you could end up spending some money. I decided to private message somebody after reading a post he shared on a cerebral palsy themed page. When I visited his profile and clicked “Message,” I saw what the PrtSc image to the right depicts.

Inboxing a Facebook user not your friend will cost you a $1.00.

Did you know the Other folder even existed? Don’t worry, neither did I until I stumbled upon it last week. Thankfully I uncovered the folder because hidden away I found an extremely touching response from a reader who read Off Balanced. To respect the user’s privacy I will refrain from disclosing specific details the message entailed. Instead I will just emphasize how thankful I am to successfully receive the PM.

Generally speaking my aforementioned experience alludes to a current concern I possess regarding the Facebook messaging change. Exactly how likely will a recipient read a private message filed away in the Other folder? Perhaps Oblivion stands a better header name. 🙂

Now please refrain from confusing my above quip as a complaint. I recognize Facebook as a business and I understand the desire to increase revenue streams. Plus I truly feel any judgment made today will prove premature. Personally I believe we should wait and see how the private messaging change impacts Facebook’s culture. Will the Other folder maintain the present oblivious status? Or, will users begin to check their Other folders the way they check their Inbox messages and Timeline posts?

Ultimately time shall reveal all. I can say for certain I plan to keep my Other folder from oblivion by checking it regularly. After all I do not want to accidentally miss out on any feedback from those who read Off Balanced. Additionally I can say for certain I plan to avoid spending money on sending Facebook messages. For instance, rather than sending my originally intended private message I hit “Cancel” and simply friend-requested the individual. Go ahead and call me cheap if you wish. 😀

What about you? Will you routinely check your Other folder? Do you plan to dish out the Washingtons so you can message users not amongst your Friends list? Sound off via commenting below.

A visual indicating where you can find your Other folder, in case you want to check it.

An urge for increased visibility and the yearning to empower others keeps the Off Balanced movement going forward. January 2013 continued building momentum with a new guest blog post, Making My Mark blogger Madison Sanders reviewing my teenage memoir, and implementing vlogs (via Youtube) into my social media regimen. Forgoing further ado, let’s delve into these recent happenings!

Nicole Eredics invited me to write a guest post for The Inclusive Class blog.

The Inclusive Class, Guest Post

Recently I received the pleasure to once again connect with The Inclusive Class audience. You might recall back on Friday, September 28th, 2012 I appeared on The Inclusive Class podcast with hosts Nicole Eredics and Terri Mauro. This go round the medium changed as Nicole offered me the opportunity to write a guest post for The Inclusive Class blog. Hopefully you’ll find my insights enjoyable and more importantly useful, “Three Tips to Thrive Socially Inside an Inclusive Classroom.”

Making My Mark, Book Review

Big thanks goes out to Making My Mark blogger Madison Sanders for making time in her very busy schedule to read and review Off Balanced. Like Madison notes early on, I asked her to review my book months and months ago. I personally found her review worth the wait. Considering she refused to let her cerebral palsy cause her to wallow in self-pity, she provided a different dynamic to her review. Read what she says, “Book Review: Off Balanced by Zachary Fenell.”

Vlogging

In my January 30th post “New Year Resolutions,” I mentioned my intentions to vlog regularly via my Youtube channel. To begin I will upload two new vlogs a month. Initially I decided to pursue vlogging to avoid my channel becoming stagnant on the video sharing site. After my two January uploads I gained increased enthusiasm for the platform. Ultimately I feel the metaphorical stage video offers holds the potential to strengthen connections between creative minds (musicians, artists, writers, etc.) and their audiences. See if you agree by taking 10 minutes and watching my latest vlog post.