I have been working in the computer industry for over 10 years and until recently I hated the idea of Facebook and other social media sites like MySpace and Twitter.
At first I didn’t get Facebook. It looked like junky old web site pages with basic information about that person. I didn’t understand the attraction. What I didn’t get at the time is what it evolved into. Facebook is the best way to stay in touch with other people who you know and care about.
Is a lot of the content your friends post junk? Yes, yes it is, but the fact is when a buddy of mine from out of state posts anything, I can see it.
This is the important part. I wouldn’t normally talk to my out of state buddy on the phone or even via email. Why you ask? Because there just isn’t that much important stuff to talk about. However this is where Facebook becomes valuable.
Facebook allows people to post the insignificant parts of their lives for all of their friends to see. Not everyone can see what they post, only the people they allow to be their friends. Do I need to know my best friend is cleaning her room right now? No, probably not, but it’s nice to put a virtual marker out there. It allows me to know she’s ok and also allows me to share in her daily life, and vice versa.
Here’s a good example. I was once on my way from South Florida to Tampa on a business trip. While in the car, I posted to Facebook that I was “On my way to Tampa for another business trip.” Well a friend of mine who I didn’t know had even moved to Tampa shot me a message and we ended up having dinner together and catching up. I would have never thought to call her, but since she was scanning Facebook at the time we were able to connect.
Basically, Facebook is a passive way to stay in much greater contact with the people you wouldn’t normally bother actively calling or emailing. It allows everyone to be just a little bit closer in this era of overly busy multitasking we all find ourselves in.
If you haven’t tried it yet, go ahead and give it a shot. You don’t have to post a thing. Find your friends (and trust me they are probably already on there) and just see what happens. Facebook won’t email you everything people are doing. When you have time you check it and catch up with friends.
