If you have read my previous post about Facebook you will know that I am unashamedly an addict. I love being able to chat with friends and family and I am totally addicted to the Defence support groups/pages. One of the best things to come from those pages is the awesome friends I have made. We have just arrived in a new city and before we even got here I had already met new people through Facebook (and I am looking forward to meeting them all ‘in real life’ very soon).
But unfortunately there are a few wives out there who are not making many ‘Facebook friends’. I know I’ve probably said this before and I’m sure I’ll say it again in the future – the Defence Community is very small. If you are continually picking fights and making bitchy comments you are going to get a reputation. Women are a gossipy bunch and it only takes a ‘cut & paste’ here and a quick ‘screen dump’ there and things can spread like wildfire. It’s not just bitchiness that will get you a reputation. Repeated behavior like that from my little list of Types of Army Wives on Facebook can also get you known for all the wrong reasons. For example, there are probably not many of you who haven’t heard about a certain woman whose rise to infamy came in the second half of last year after she became Admin of a certain group (which was already well known due to the previous Admin’s antics). I am not going to detail all her craziness but let’s just say she didn’t win many fans and her name is now pretty well known (even if she has tried to change it a few times!).
Now I’m not saying that everyone should get along and that we should all just agree each others opinions. That would be boring. I would just like to remind us all that outside of these Defence support groups there is a very real world. And you are not going to make it easy for yourself when it comes to meeting new people if your online ‘alter-ego’ has a bad reputation. Just think of how much trouble my above example is going to have when she meets new people! This lifestyle can be tough sometimes so we need all the friends we can get!
So I’ll get off my soapbox now and leave it at that :-P
Until next time,
C.
UPDATE: It has come to my attention that some people are incorrectly guessing who my 'example' may be. Because I don't want any innocent parties to get hurt, I'll just say that the person I am talking about is based in Brisbane and that is the only other info I'll give out at the moment.
I love your posts!
ReplyDeleteIts like your reading my mind !!!!! my mind also says her name has a "-" in her first name like shes some ghetto chick from brizvegas who pines in her pjs for days over her man and gets her tatts fixed instead of her kids teeth (allegedly)
ReplyDeleteIncorrect guesses must mean this kind of thing has happened elsewhere. So really there are no innocent parties to get hurt! A shame some of these forum admins believe they can act like judge, jury and executioner deleting posts and people from 'support' forums, but as you said the reputation they are building for themselves will probably stay with them for their partners entire ADF career.....
ReplyDeleteShe sounds like the type of person that likes to take over every group, so it is all about 'me'.
ReplyDeleteDo we really care about her life, and what she is planning tomorrow, next week, or in March 2013. This woman needs a reality check, a life, get off facebook, find some real friends (if that is possible) and possibly come off the meds too!
Another example would be a army wife who goes out of her way to make up stuff to play the victim and then block people and complain that they cant see what you were saying poor "JB"
ReplyDeleteHahaha, we are not based in Brisbane,(but have also just posted away from our previous location) and I had the person already pinned out! Definatly not issolated to one particular location!
ReplyDeleteThis makes no sense at all????
DeleteI can't believe you would waste your time getting involved in this type of bitching--the type you said you didn't want to be involved in!! No longer interested in reading this blog!
ReplyDeleteWhile I love reading your comments I fear my point of this post has been overshadowed by my example. I only used the example to (hopefully) stop others from making the same mistake, not to be 'bitchy'.
ReplyDeleteThanks
C.
What is the point of this blog? How sad that you define yourself purely by the career that your husband has chosen and spend the rest of your time by putting all the other "Army Wives" in your judgemental little boxes. I'm embarrassed that anyone can read this and may make the mistake of assuming that all wives with a husband in the Defence Force are like this.
ReplyDeleteDo all blogs have to have a point? I am very impressed that you were able to have me all figured out just by reading my blog - well done. So after you are finished feeling sad for me i'd suggest you find another blog to read :-)
DeleteHERE HERE AAW !!!!!!!
DeleteI love this post. I know exactly who you are talking about. I think that is one of the biggest problems of facebook that people forget there is a real world out there and that these women who abuse through facebook forget that they may actually meet face to face one day.
ReplyDeleteIsn't is sad that we live in an age where we can't have opinions anymore. Frankly I don't care who you are talking about; it isn't the point. Correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't the point of a blog to give one person's opinion, viewpoint, or analysis? I also am a member of numerous Defence spouse groups on FB, and have learned that my opinion is generally unwelcome if it differs from what seems to be the highly vocal illiterates who have very little else to do in their days then tell me and everyone else how wrong we are. I've been an Army wife for a long time, and an Army brat my whole life. I also served in the Army as a soldier and an officer, so I'd like to think that my opinion is based upon a wealth of experience. Thanks for your honest blog, AAW. I like reading it and encourage you to keep on blogging. It's your blog and it's your opinion. I have a lovely saying that gets me through some of 'those' days: "When I shut my mouth and walk away, it doesn't mean that you've won. It simply means your sorry ass isn't worth any more of my time". Blog on, baby!
ReplyDeleteTo AnonymousJan 24, 2012 07:53 PM
ReplyDelete"What is the point of this blog? How sad that you define yourself purely by the career that your husband has chosen and spend the rest of your time by putting all the other "Army Wives" in your judgemental little boxes."
AAW does NOT define herself purely by the career her husband or any of ours have chosen, it is simple a way for us to discuss things that are pertinent to people in our situation, being a Defence Wife/partner can be a very difficult lifestyle to lead and we are just trying to support eachother (albeit in a humorous way lol). And I think the judgemental "little boxes" are just eg's of extreme behaviour from a group of people...kind of like caricatures :)
I enjoy reading your blog AAW and please don't stop being honest about how you feel about things. :)
I am new to all of this but man did I forget when I was sent back in a time machine cause I swear we are back in high school with what is going on on FB lol
ReplyDeleteObviously there are a few people out there who FAILED comprehension at school....the poor uneducated darlings that completely missed the point of the blog.! It was just a reminder that the world is bigger than Facebook and that what you do/say there can have effects in the REAL world. Also, if one reader thinks that the blogger is defined by her husbands career - that's a pretty big call...I think the blogger is just delivering what she promised....her honest view on topics that bug/amuse her!
ReplyDelete