Grant Sidaway - Dad…You need to be on FaceBook

 Read more from Grant Sidaway.

“Why!!!” Said I.

“Then we could be more in-touch” She said.

“But I e-mail and we text and we talk on the phone” Said I.

“This is different, it’s like we will be living in the same house again and you will know more about what I am doing and you will be able to meet more of my friends this way”. She said

“Blimey”!! I thought

Anyway that was three years ago when my daughter was in living in London and like an obedient father I did as I was told and signed up to FaceBook, albeit with some reluctance as from what I had heard this stuff seemed better suited to the younger ones.   

I am not going to tell you how to get started with Facebook, it’s easy enough to do, like most things with the internet just follow steps and you are done within minutes. Yes.. its free to sign up! Go to www.facebook.com the first page of the site will get you started.

Facebook is a Social Networking site. To be fair is one of many Social Networking sites on the internet, other popular ones are:




         
But Facebook with over 250 million unique monthly visitors is more than twice as popular as its closest rival, myspace. Over all it’s the fifth most popular internet site in the world, Google not surprisingly, is the most popular.

What is social networking anyway!

According to Wikipedia…

“A social network is a social structure made of individuals (or organizations) called "nodes," which are tied (connected) by one or more specific types of interdependency, such as friendship, kinship, common interest, financial exchange, dislike, sexual relationships, or relationships of beliefs, knowledge or prestige.”

Phew! Is that what it is!!! Okay shorten definition  - “Meeting of likeminded people” Hang on a minute I have been doing that all my life with the numerous clubs I have belonged too and friends that I have… this social networking thing is not new after-all!! The new bit is… how it’s done – via the internet and from the “comfort of your own home”, in the office and now on the bus, or train etc.

I guess Facebook’s strapline says it all:  

“Facebook helps you connect and share with the people in your life”.  

So how does it and why should you bother, and anyway do you really want to “connect” more than you do at the moment?

Well, I can tell you it is worth the effort of becoming a Facebook member, but like most things in life the more you put into something like this the more you get out of … something like this!

For what it is worth these are my pros and cons, the straw polls I have done with others of my own age would suggest much the same.

The positives (useful bits)

• Being on the same “wavelength” as my kids – a communication form they enjoy has got to be a positive as they are more willing to share what’s going on in their world
• Finding long lost mates from my school days and early working life – gosh we have not changed a bit!
• The posting of photos, this is such a positive and far better than receiving huge attachments from friends by email – actually an overall less clutter in my inbox!
• Having a genuine feeling of being more part of the lives of people I care about through better contact.
• Extending my network of friends – I wonder if the philosophy “six degrees of separation” is now more like four degrees, or even less with internet social networking!
• Being notified when friends are on line

The negatives (not so useful bits)

• Having notifications about daft things that might be going through the mind of a slightly daft contact – come-on I am not really interested that a friend of friend has just burnt the scones and is feeling devastated.
• Being invited to join groups that my friends would clearly know I would not be interested.
• Being rejected as a contact – okay I need to get over that not everybody like me!!
• Can occupy a lot of time and interrupt your time online. – Man thing perhaps, no more than one thing at time!

So for me (middle aged Kiwi male) Facebook gets a pass mark, it’s a useful addition in my life, it’s not just for the YUNGERs’ (Young Unattached Nubile Geek Educated and Rampant), we all can socialise in a networking way.

So if you haven’t done so already - get to it.

“Participate in the age in which you live”
 

Published 17th Aug 2010

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