#22 Social Networking

I viewed the U-tube video on this topic and also listened to Newsweek's Facebook Challenge (as well as having read the Newsweek cover page article on social networking, since I get Newsweek.) I read the first couple paragraphs of Why I Love It. And also, Why I hate It.

I am not a member of Facebook or MySpace or even Friendster ( a new one on me). One makes time for things they like and making time for something as time-consuming as social networking would be a monumental endeavor. But besides the fact that it is very time-consuming, it's also a culture I'm not interested in. I'd rather be involved in the real world rather than the virtual. Face-to-face interaction is more my style. In fact, I'm not even that fond of the telephone. So for me it's purely a personal preference. Another hesitation I have is that it appears unsafe and to go a bitter farther on that thought, it seems it could be very dangerous. So much of you could get out there to the world.

On the other hand, I see its value in being able to make contacts so much easier-- for things like finding jobs, new friends, partners, etc. I can also see its value as a learning tool. But none of my interests would motivate me to pursue Facebook as a tool.