It seems that I’m branching out. I’ve done something that I didn’t think that I’d ever do – I signed up on Facebook. I avoided it for a long time, but now I’m in and I can’t leave it alone.
The thing is, I’m not technophobic. Internet technology is my life and my work. I’ve been doing some form of social networking long before it had a name. In college, well before the majority of the world knew what a website was (mostly because very few people had seen one yet), I had found myself absorbed into a realm of online chat rooms and bbs sites and usenet groups – so much so that I nearly failed my second semester. Which is precisely one of the reasons that I have forced myself to be cautious of my involvement in such services since.
I use email and IM, but mostly only as needed and primarily reactively (many of my friends can attest to the fact that I’m not very good at keeping in touch). I’ve generally reserved my use of the internet as an information tool and avoided active engagement. Even this blog is something I do fairly casually and without any strong compunction to vigilance (readership is not a strong goal here – though I do thank those of you who choose to read).
So as I said, I took that plunge. It was initially not intended for dedicated use (I actually created my account to be able to test something for work). But I’m not it now and I’m connecting with lots of people that I haven’t talked to or seen in years (in some cases, decades). I try to limit the time I spend there (it can be addictive), but I’m there and I’m embracing it. I figure it will be an interesting way to learn some things about some of the people with whom I’ve crossed paths (and maybe they will learn a few things about me as well). Maybe my life will be profoundly effected by people I previously barely knew. Who knows. The least I can do is branch out there and see what happens.