Stationery Scoop: the blog by paper company CEO Heidi Reimer-Epp

In Praise of Facebook

Maybe it's a sign of my age and stage but my friends and I sometimes talk about the pros and cons of Facebook. Many of my friends are enthusiastic adopters. Some take pride in not having an account. The discussion centres around the problems (over-sharing), the annoying (another selfie), the gross (pictures of animals being slaughtered, seriously?) and the banal (do we have to see what you ate for dinner). I agree that all of the above are challenges of the Facebook community.

And yet....

There is a good side to Facebook. How about the friend who enthusiastically Likes my comments and photos. I really appreciate that little bit of affirmation in the middle of a challenging day.

What about when I posted the question "I'm going to the Yukon. What should I see/do?" and several people shared their suggestions and best moments? It felt great to get some help with planning and it was awesome to read about my friends' adventures. I had no idea that my friend Pam had hiked the Chilkoot Trail.

And it was awesome to have a university friend come to a seminar that I hosted this week. Thanks to Facebook Events, I was able to share the seminar with her and others in my network.

It feels good to share experiences, engage in discussion and stay in touch with far-away friends. Even chatting with a cousin who lives in the city means that when we see each other next, it's easy to pick up with conversation.

As with many things in life including ripple chips, red wine, and hot yoga, Facebook moderation is my rule. I don't want to overshare, overpost or overdebate, but used with care, Facebook can be a wonderful tool of connection.

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Written by Heidi Reimer-Epp, co-founder and President of Botanical PaperWorks. This blog post originally appeared in Stationery Scoop under In Praise of Facebook. Check out the cool seed paper that her company manufactures.

How to be a responsible iPhone photo-taker

I wrote a blog post about my decision to keep my children and husband out of the social media channels in which I hang out, including Pinterest, Facebook and Twitter.

A new situation arose this past week when I was attending a conference representing another company in my capacity as director. We spent four days with other directors and management, often in meetings but sometimes dining or touring.

We had the chance to pose for a photo and as a picture was snapped on my iPhone, one of the directors said "I'd better not see this on Facebook Heidi!".

There was absolutely no way that I would be posting that photo. But he didn't know that. And it got me thinking about the impression I make when I take a photo with my iPhone. I know that I'd never post it, but the people with me don't necessarily know that. If I'm snapping pictures here and there in my iPhone, am I make people nervous about what I'll do with the photos?

I think the answer is yes. There was nothing confidential about the photo but I know how I hate it when I'm caught in the crossfire of someone's photo or when images of me appear on Facebook without my knowledge. It's bad enough that my in-laws take a cottage photo every year that gets photocopied and mailed out to friends far and near in the annual Christmas letter (I've learned to make sure I'm looking semi-presentable when that camera comes out).

This experience created a second personal rule of social media:

Always ask before taking a picture of someone else, including people I know, and always explain that I won't be posting it on social media.

I want to be a responsible iPhone photo taker and a good friend and colleague. I don't want my companions wondering or worrying about what I'm going to do with the photos.

Sometimes it may be better not to take any people photos and help everyone feel comfortable. In those cases, I'll stick to scenery and photos of me and my food. It may not make for the most interesting set of photos but I care more about the comfort of my companions than the interest of my social feed.

What do you think? What are your personal rules about taking pictures of others and posting on social media?

Check out my photos of The Yukon on Instagram. 100% free of other people. Just food and mind-blowing nature. Also see my Pinterest board called Yukon Travel for some of the places we visited and some ideas for planning a trip.