My Facebook Obsession

I am obsessed with Facebook. I absolutely LOVE that I am able to connect with people that I haven't seen in years, as well as keeping in touch with people I see with a little more frequency. I love it. It has been suggested that I am too old for Facebook...To those people I say, whatever! I spend enough time stressing out over how old I am, I really don't need you reinforcing it, thank you very not-so-much. Where else on the Internet can I build a cyber-city, send virtual Starbucks, give and receive happy looking plants for my Facebook Garden, buy my friends, and generally be nosey...All in one place! Why, nowhere but Facebook! I have recruited several of my friends to join, and can now see what my technically-challenged sister is up to at any given time...Although she still hasn't put out her "profile picture" as of yet...That's mine there on the right (yep, I am totally cute)...As far as my sister goes, it's okay, I know what she looks like. No pressure, Bridget...I am just thrilled you have figured out how to use your computer! Baby steps, I suppose...

Just the other day, I listened to some people debate on whether or not employers should be allowed to use information they find on social networking sites like Facebook and MySpace. Lots of different viewpoints, but I think the bottom line is this...Don't put anything out into the ether that you wouldn't want your Momma to see. Common sense, my friends. Common sense. It would make common sense, then, that the same principle would apply to blogging. Don't put anything out there that could come back to haunt you. Don't give up too much...But where is the fun in that? I have spent a lot of time looking at the blogs of others (think you have a good one? Leave your link in my comments section), and I have determined that very few of us actually have any common sense. Those individuals who have chosen to blog about personal experiences do a pretty darn good job of putting it all out there. It's those who blog about completely innocuous (and oddly hysterical) subjects like real estate listings and food products are the ones who likely will not to do any lasting damage to their ego or psyche. I have enjoyed the freedom and potential for complete ego destruction that has come with blogging on my personal experiences. It's always interesting to see the direction a life can take, even if it is your own life, and you feel like you are viewing it as some out-of-body, transcendental experience.

Facebook is like a life blog. People put all their personal experiences out there for their "friends" to see. I have pictures of my beautiful children on my Facebook profile. I have random Pieces of Flair buttons on my page, that I feel truly capture my essence (like the one that says, "I am crafty. I make people", and "Bacon, the candy of meats")...I have joined countless groups that represent me to the letter (like the "I love champagne and champagne loves me" group, or the "I say fuck a lot, but I am still classy" group). It's really quite fun. If you haven't yet had the opportunity to join Facebook, or if you have (up until this point) not really ever seen the need, please do so now that I have enlightened you. Shoot, you are on the computer right now, I am assuming, so once you are done reading (or re-reading, as the case may be) my blog, bop on over to www.facebook.com and sign up. Then search for all the people you know that figured out Facebook was cool long before you did.

Maybe we can be Facebook friends.

Maybe even BFF's...You just never know.

Oh, and just in case you don't know what side of the employer curiosity/Facebook privacy debate to stand on, just watch this: