Facebook

Okay, this seems a little too petty to post on, but since there's now a MYDD Facebook group and a TPM Fans Facebook group it seems worth pointing out that back in summer 2006 or so somebody created a "Matthew Yglesias is Kinda Awesome" Facebook group. I bring this up because every now and again I get Facebook requests from people I don't know who, I assume, are readers. There's been a big uptick in this over the past few days which I'm guessing is related to the MYDD and TPM groups.

At any rate, in the nicest possible way I'd sort of rather keep my page oriented toward brick and mortal IRL friends. If you only know me and the other commenters on this site through the blog, I'd recommend the group. In other news, is it possible that Jackson Diehl is being unfair to Bush here and congressional Democrats are just engaged in a little posturing?

Comments

Do you use speech recognition software? That would explain a lot.

Posted by jimbo | February 5, 2007 9:49 AM

'Mortar,' of course. Brick-and-mortar. Which is presumably what jimbo is hinting at.

This page keeps getting better and better, by the way. I don't think Belle Waring was wrong in the past to call out the occasionally...mixed quality of the comments 'round these parts, but I think the writing is getting stronger. Well done!

Posted by Wax Banks | February 5, 2007 10:15 AM

I suppose I should know Matt better than to assume "brick and mortal" was an intentional pun.

Posted by right | February 5, 2007 10:17 AM

I'm starting a Faceboook group for people named Lindburg who live in Pittsburg.

Posted by beowulf | February 5, 2007 11:26 AM

Brick and "mortal"? Seriously? You know, I tend to agree because those immortal guys are like, so ponderous. Not the type you can just hang out with on a Friday night.

Posted by pepper | February 5, 2007 2:22 PM

Y'all are nuts. "Brick and mortal" is the typo neologism of the year. All hale Matt!

Posted by JRoth | February 5, 2007 2:35 PM

Re: brick and mortal

Yes -- even Yglesian typos are full of profundity. For those who care to hear, Matt is revealing a deeper truth about the net, social relations and the meaning of friendship.

Matt is saying that the net is immortal. If the user of a nom-de-net dies, someone else can take it up. But internet friends can 'die' if the physical user chooses to abandon the net, or take up a new 'name'. Net friends are immortal, yet easily killed.

Next in the series Matt explains life's mysteries, he tackles the difficult question, What is the mound of one han clapping. We all await the answer with baited breath.

Posted by MattLover | February 5, 2007 3:01 PM

Shorter Yglesias: You Are Not My Friends.

I jest, I jest. But it is a nice example of the weirdness of social networking site 'friendship.'

Posted by X. Trapnel | February 5, 2007 3:06 PM

Friends don't make friends log in to see their friends. Or to put it another way, if you have to log in to see your friends, you don't have many.

Posted by JJF | February 5, 2007 3:11 PM

Sorry. I did it months before other people though.

Posted by steve | February 5, 2007 4:00 PM

"Do you use speech recognition software? That would explain a lot."

No, he uses a spell-checker, which is why his posts are consistently full of properly spelled wrong words, and misspelled names. I swear, I'd proofread Matt's blog for free, just about every day, if he'd let me; it's painful to read his typing, although of course I do it anyway, since he has so many observations worth reading.

But he should think of the children. And never, ever, ever use a spell-checker, in favor of just proofreading, or using someone else as a proofreader. (If it turns out Matt's dyslexic, and I've never realized that, then I'm half-wrong, and I apologise.)

Posted by Gary Farber | February 5, 2007 5:58 PM

Folks, he's just not that into you...

Posted by Petey | February 5, 2007 6:10 PM

Did any of you consider the possibility that Matt is very busy, writes these things in a hurry and just doesn't care?

Posted by MJ | February 6, 2007 11:28 AM

If we're to be treated as anonymous hangers-on, we should at least get our t-shirts-n-mugs.

Posted by otto | February 6, 2007 1:52 PM