Confessions of an Unintentional Facebook Junkie

I'll be truthful. I originally went on Facebook to promote my articles on Associated Content and that was it. Why? Because I'd, up to this point, had much less than helpful experiences on networking sites. Two that I tried just aren't all that interesting. Another won't let you connect with anyone unless you pay, and another one, come on, my nickname's Mrs. Motormouth. I can easily write articles longer than 400 words and I talk in my sleep as if I don't have enough to talk about during the day.

I'm just getting started when this one site says I'm finished, unless I want to break up the thought into 100 little pieces or more. That would be interesting. I expected no more from Facebook and left it as a posting site only.

Then, one day, I received an invitation from someone I work with outside this country, and I accepted it. I don't remember what happened next, except that more invitations showed up from friends, family and people I didn't know yet. I accepted most of them. I then started getting notifications of conversations and virtual gifts. Somehow this thing snowballed where I would check Facebook as much as my email, often through my email from notifications. I'd even run right in after I get up, still in my pj's to check on any messages. It would also be one of the last things I'd check before going to bed.

Then, I started getting invitations from people I had never talked to before, but had known in the 70's and from others whom I've either worked with in year's past and had lost contact with or have never met before and now have contact with.

Now, what did Facebook do for my friendships? I stepped into a world that I knew about but hadn't been able to access before. The world where we're all on a huge party-line, just as when my family and I were on the farm, except that no one needs to break in to get their turn. I get to be a part of the conversation whether I'm actively involved or just listening in.

I learned a lot of things about my life in the 70's that I wasn't aware of at the time. I got to find out that I was more involved than I had thought and to learn other's view and thoughts for the first time. I've found out that we had more in common than we had known at the time.

I've been able to connect with several whom I've known more on a professional level and now through our Facebook conversations we're connecting more on the personal level. I've had the opportunity to read the other conversations going on and learn more about some of the people I'd only known on one level and I'm getting a clearer insight on how their thought processes work. This is helping our connection and our understanding of each other. Which means that the next time I'm in their area to do a job we'll have a better understanding of each other. Especially, in my line of work, that's a very good thing.

I've also been able to connect with others, whom I've been sending emails to on common goals that we're working on together. Facebook is a much better platform for this since everyone gets to jump into the mix and collaborate and get a lot more accomplished in a much shorter amount of time. We don't have to wait as long for a response or an action.

Several of our friends who are also on Facebook know that if they can't get me on the phone they can try Facebook if they can't get me by email. Because they know that I'm on-line a lot.

I'd read somewhere that if Facebook were a country it would be the fourth largest country in the world. It's truly international. I'm connected with some of my friends in Belgium, a friend in Indonesia, another in Israel and in Wales and England as well as others in Alaska and California and I don't even need to get out of my pj's, let
alone buy a plane ticket or pack my bags. This has been a great way to keep connected when I can't actually be there. Facebook has been a great help and connector with our far flung relationships.