The weird and wacky world of Facebook appreciation groups

To be honest, I’m surprised I get any work done. Ever.

Legitimately, I have to use the Internet to do what I do. Scribble stuff. It’s called research and I’m very distracted by it.

But I’m only human. I write something, I have to check it, often, it turns out, on Facebook. Only a couple of years later, I’m back doing what I was doing in the first place if I could only remember what that was.

Mainly, it’s the groups, the appreciation societies. How could you ever go back to a normal life once discovering there is a Corrugated Iron Appreciation Society on Facebook?

I love that three of my Facebook friends were already members, disappointed that they hadn’t already signed me up. Turns out they have about 7000 members and you know they love what they do because they affectionately abbreviate Corrugated Iron to CI.

It’s a UK site but it has contributors from as far afield as Iceland – and soon, Yass. The BBC, yes that BBC, has even commissioned The Tin Roof Symphony.

Yes, you probably remember the Paul Keating Insult Appreciation Society – “If you want a friend in politics, get a dog”. But did you know there’s a Whippet Appreciation Society? It has a whopping 34.6 thousand members world-wide. I love how it really tells you how it is in its “About” column: “Whippets are the best dogs in the world. If you agree, join the group”.

Understandably, there are a gazillion or two other Appreciation Societies for almost the same number of dogs, so we couldn’t possibly poke a stick at that. Just throw one.

But we can at the food groups – no, not those ones, the much messier ones, with their own Appreciation Societies. Of course there would be a Sydney Pizza Appreciation Society, but did you know there was also one for almost every member of the dumpling family? Love the Toasted Sandwich Appreciation Society, which seems to feature mostly lots of squashed up stuff, always meat and eggs, between two pieces of bread, and the South Aussie Schnitzel Appreciation group – crumbs, they have more than 52,000 followers.

We were also blasted by the Carburettor AS, laid low by the Coaster AS, and caught unawares by the Mediocre 90s AFL Players AS (9K).

But what really blew us away was a fluffy little number called the Cloud AS. Not only does it post great cloud pics, but it also asks lofty questions like: Is this cloud a 1. Roll Cloud. B: Storm Cloud or 3: A Lentil. We voted, naturally, for lentil.

Someone with clear marketing nous also saw the potential for this sort of cloud cover, by posting an ad for their cloud-shaped earrings on the site.

We also came across the Hardcore Appreciation Society in the UK which we thought was something completely different, the #FBAS (Fatties Burger Appreciation Society), the Self-Appreciation Society and the Moss Appreciation Society – it has more to do with grass than any guitarist from Cold Chisel – even though our vote would go to the latter.

But what came as the biggest surprise was the lack of an International Snowdome Appreciation Society. Not a thing about how tasteful, non-tacky, ideal-as-gifts they are. Stay tuned, sometimes you just need to shake people up when it comes to determining how important certain things are in this world.

As far as Australian Appreciation Societies are concerned, we could well have missed a trick. There’s one for Kath and Kim, noice, but not one for Bert Newton. And there are also rather a lot for bevvies – beer, gin, whiskey, rum – and again, many of them list our Facebook friends.

So have we missed your favourite online Appreciation Society? Let us know and we’ll probably join up too – just for the sake of research mind.

Send your suggestions to [email protected]

Appreciate it.

Original Article published by Sally Hopman on The RiotACT.