Social Networking

Facebook and Twitter are my two main social networking addictions. All around the interwebs this is being heralded by many as the beginning of the end of my social interaction skills. Sadly, it seems to be very popular right now to decry the use of the internet to keep up with each other. Not many people are willing to admit that there are some benefits to social networking. Or if they do, it's a one line sentence in a diatribe against the whole idea.

My voice wants to join the few that find benefit in online interaction. As with anything, too much can be detrimental, however, it seems to me that the "you'll never catch me on Facebook or Twitter" crowd are missing out on a great opportunity.

I love that I can keep up with family and friends that live far away. We've moved a lot and FB has been a fantastic way to stay in touch with and even in most cases learn things I didn't know about my acquaintances. It has also helped me to interact better with the younger generation, as well as with people I don't know very well. (I'm not great at starting up conversations with people I don't know, and having seen some interesting tidbit about them on FB or their Twitter feed gives me something to break the ice with.) It's fantastic to see pictures that people are posting while they're on holiday or just of their daily life. I also think it makes me a bit more relevant to the young people I know. They see me as being interested in them (which I am).  They also get to see that I am just a regular person -- not some old lady that condemns the way they communicate but rather meets them where they are. And, it's fun. :-)