Thursday, January 22, 2009

The Great Facebook Debate


I got a text the other night from a friend of mine that I used to work in sports with-back in the day. We reacquainted a couple of summers ago at Fenway, he's a camera man for the local sports network and we picked up right where we'd left off. He's a great guy, funny as hell, married and has teens, so we have a lot in common. Sometimes, during crazy, exciting Sox games-we text back and forth about the games highlights. Sports and history being our common threads. My exchange with CameraMan, as I will call him, started out like this:

CAMERAMAN: you on face book?

ME: no, I'm too old. that would just be creepy. I do have a blog though.

CM: where?

ME: blogspot.com. I post daily.

CM: about what?

ME: *Whatever. today I blogged about Barstool Sports and how I want a job writing for them. Lots of bloggers tell me that are plenty of people my age on it.(facebook) I have a 14 year old on it. I don't think that would be cool.

CM: there are a ton of people our age!!

ME: isn't it a picture sharing site?

CM: nooo so much better than that

ME: What makes it better?

CM: networking. meeting old friends yadda

ME: That's what Ive heard. When did you join?

CM: couple of weeks ago.

At this point CameraMan calls me up. (us old geezers just decide to talk to each other rather than text the conversation any longer) CameraMan tells me that he has talked to a bunch of people he hasn't seen in years, people from high school, the town he grew up in and all kinds of friends of friends he hasn't seen or thought of in years. He said he's really enjoying the networking on Facebook. My immediate response is, "yeah but what about my daughter?" CameraMan tells me his teen step-son is on Facebook and he's cool with it and even checks out his page every now and again and inquires about people in the pictures. He invited me to go check his page out and join as one of his friends.

This now marks the second time in a few weeks that someone has approached me about Facebook. My best friend, who lives in NYC, and I had a discussion almost verbatim about Facebook a week ago. At the time I dismissed the notion, firm in the belief that Facebook was not for me. Hell-I spend/waste waaaaaaay too much of my day as it is on Blogger. Why add another log to the fire???
What's the deal with this Facebook thing?? I will admit I am intrigued at the prospect of seeing who is out there and possibly reaquainting with some ghosts from my past. The fact that my daughter has an account and I always considered it "her thing" prevents me from doing it.
Give me your Facebook wisdom.
EDIT: Scope and I also had the Facebook discussion a week ago-which makes THREE. Are the Facebook Gods trying to tell me something??
*there's that word again!

28 comments:

Unknown said...

Do it!! Everybody has a Facebook! It really is a great way to connect with people you haven't talked to in forever.

Bella@That damn expat said...

I've been using facebook for two years. I love how private it is, only the people you approve as friends can see your profile. That means, if you don't befriend your daughter you won't see her profile and she won't hate you.

Other than that, it's just a networking site. But yeah, it's great to find people you haven't seen in ages. For me, it's a way to stay in touch with all those people who don't fall into family and closest friends category.

Scope said...

Wow, deja-vu! ;-)

The daughter arguement holds little water. It would be like saying, my daughter is on blogger, so I can't have a blog. That's her thing. Also, as a parent, it may be your obligation to friend your daughter just so that she knows you will occasionally swing over and look at the "public" content.

And I use FB a lot. It's fun to play quick hitting tag games with friends, fellow bloggers, etc.

Even have the local app installed on the BB.

Give it a try. You'll be surprised.

Andy - Instafather said...

Considering you can make your FB profile private, it shouldn't be an issue. And really, if you already blog, what's FB really going to change? Might as well.
At the same time, my gf refuses to join FB. She thinks it's the devil.

Thirtysomething said...

Hell why not... :) I haven't branched out to Facebook yet, still trying to figure out how to run two blogs, check my myspace once a week and still cook dinner for my daughter. LOL- somehow I think you might be superwoman, and you could do it. HUURAH!

Dr Zibbs said...

My 3 things are:

Blogging: Spend tons of time on. Only a handfull of real life friends know about it.

Facebook: Only have bloggers on as friends. And 1 real life friend.

LinkedIn: Mostly business associates but I also have about 3 blogger friends on it.

Verdant Earl said...

I don't get Facebook at all. I don't understand what people use it for. I've apparently turned into my father.

Heff said...

I've said it before, I'll say it again...Facebook BLOWS.

Piece o' Coconut Cake said...

I have a FB account. Tova and I are friends. My sister (former fat chick) is there and so is McMommy and Scary Mommy. We also all have our blogs on there. I belong to a group of our high school (which is in Colombia, South America) and since my parents and one sister live in Central America and all my friends are literally scattered across the world, it makes things easier keeping up with everyone.

SkylersDad said...

I am on facebook also (friend me baby!) I also thought "eew, I am too old", but it is pretty cool, not at all like myspace or any of that crap-a-tola.

will said...

FB, not interested - and not "everybody has a FB".

If past friendships faltered and dissolved, for whatever reason, why the need to grope them into an artificial relationship? Current friends? They have my phone number, home address and email address.

Blogging is good enough for saying whatever you choose - or being as anonymous as you like.

John D. said...

"...firm in the belief that Facebook was not for me. Hell-I spend/waste waaaaaaay too much of my day as it is on Blogger. Why add another log to the fire???
What's the deal with this Facebook thing??


Nail. Head. Yeah, I don't really get it either. Must be a generational thing.

Nice to meetcha Candy. Starting a conversation...about anything. : )

words...words...words... said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
Jennifer and Sandi said...

Been on facebook for some time now. I LOVE LOVE LOVE IT!!

Works kinda like Twitter too. It's very COOL!!!

Julia@SometimesLucid said...

Most people succomb to Facebook sooner or late. You can keep in touch with people, play games on it, etc... Once you sign up you won't know how you lived without it (ok - maybe I am over selling it just a tad).

BeckEye said...

Facebook is supposedly the thinking man's MySpace. I don't know about that, but it's at least the non-pedophile's MySpace. Just join.

ItchyBits said...

I am on facebook and like it...it serves its purpose...connecting with family, old school friends and new internet friends. So much better than my space which I think is kind of trashy these days. Facebook is very clean looking too - no garish backgrounds etc. Your daughter would have to add you as a friend in order for you to see her page. Just tell her not to add you if it really matters. Twitter is good too - I have more fun with that.

mike said...

I just got on the ole' facebooks. I signed up only to see some pictures my brother posted, and now I get 5 to 10 friend requests every time I turn on my computer. These are people I havent seen or heard from in 10 years. Facebook is like a 24 hour a day high school renunion. (Good and bad)

MJenks said...

I'm not on it, either. I'm holding out as long as I can.

Scope said...

mjenks - Offically, that's what SHE said! And by that I mean my girlfriend in high school!

Tash said...

I don't have a Facebook. But that's only because I didn't like 90% of the people I met in school, so I sure as hell don't want them finding me.

will said...

I just took a look at FB... pathetic.

And I totally agree w. TishTash but make that 98% not 90.

sage said...

As I see it, Facebook is mainly a way to get family and friends around the world off your back for not sending pictures of the kids--keep your site private except for those you know (and want to keep up with), put the pictures there and tell them to help themselves.

Cora said...

Woah. Deja-vu here! My best friend, my brother and my sister all joined a couple weeks ago and they love it. And a cousin I haven't talked to in about 25 years emailed me and asked if I was on Facebook yet so we could be friends. And even my ex-husband's sister sent me a card with "join Facebook" scrawled on the inside. (kinda weird on that last one.) I haven't joined yet, but like you, I think the Facebook Gods are kinda getting angry with me that I haven't. But, gosh, as a single mom with a blog and an 11 hour a day job, I just don't see how I would have time for Facebook too.

Oh, and I've been told a blog is like pot, while Facebook is like crack. So, I'm still deciding too. Have you made your decision yet?

Fancy Schmancy said...

I originally joined to keep on eye on MY 14 year old's page. He didn't have a problem friending me, as long as I keep to myself. I almost never have time to go on, anymore, but sometimes it's fun. And I connected with a LOT of fellow bloggers.

Joe D. said...

Do it, do it, do it. . .

LYDIA said...

Oh come on Candy - I looked for you on facebook a few weeks ago. I hope you take the plunge soon.

Gwen said...

I've had it since last spring and love it. Do it.