There’s this thing called Facebook, maybe you’ve heard of it?

Recently, one of the most frequent questions that I have been asked about technology is, “Can I go on Facebook, I hear a lot of people are catching up with old friends on it?”

At this point, the answer is yes. It doesn’t matter who you are anymore, young, old, professional, or grossly unprofessional, Facebook doesn’t discriminate. It used to, but it doesn’t anymore.

Initially it was created for college students to network with other people in their classes. Then they allowed high school students to partake, and then parents joined to keep tabs on their spawn. Soon after, they realized that there were other parents doing the same thing, and they started playing too.

Here’s the funny thing about Facebook, people really watch some of the things you post on your profile. Actually, based on my observation, there are two things that you can pretty much guarantee people will watch: 

1. Your pictures. Especially if you post… how do I put this delicately… “unprofessional pictures.”
2. Your relationship status. Seriously don’t screw with the relationship status.

Just ask anyone who has changed their “In a Relationship” status to “Single” (intentionally or accidentally). Suddenly everyone you’ve ever met give a shit about your existence, your close friends get annoyed because you didn’t tell them before making it official on Facebook, and people who’ve had a crush on you start sending you “casual just catching up” emails. After an exchange or two they ask how your girlfriend or boyfriend is, to which you reply, “I’m single.” Then they act shocked and sympathetic (Side note to practitioners of this method: Not slick. Not slick at all).  

Then there is the discussion with a new significant other. Once you’ve had the “What are we?” discussion, there is the “When do we make it official on Facebook?” discussion. 

Anyway, I’m not a Facebook addict like many of my peers, but it is fun and practical. I like it because I can maintain communication with people from my past without having to keep up with their latest address, phone number, or email address. All of those things change, but I can always find them on Facebook. I can also see which of my friends have good taste in music!

Plus, when you’re bored, Facebook stalking (or spending too much time researching individuals lives via Facebook) is a great way to pass the time.

Don’t look down on me! If you are on Facebook, you know what I’m talking about. If you’re not… don’t knock it till you’ve tried it.

UPDATE:

I wrote a quick followup to this here.

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