The Facebook bandwagon

At first I was a little hesitant to join the Facebook bandwagon, but now I'm a full fledged member. Things like Facebook have changed the way we interact with each other, and do everything from sharing our thoughts, our photos, and our friends. I've reconnected with some friends that I didn't realize how much I missed in my life, and am able to keep track of/keep in touch with those that I can't talk to on a regular basis. It's broken down barriers of distance, as well as lifestyles, and allowed us to really become more "social" people, even if only in a virtual world. We are able to share life's ups ("hey look at the cute picture of my little guy") and down's (sad news of a friends passing). We are able to be there for each other in ways we never thought possible. Being a work-at-home employee, my birthday every year was somewhat of a non-event without the office comraderie that most enjoy. This year, however, I had more posts on my Facebook page in one day than I'd had in a year, and people that I hadn't heard from in years were remembering my birthday. Now I try to check each day to make sure I don't miss someone else's, to give them that reminder that people are thinking of them, even if they don't always know it.

There are the downsides - the one "friend" that asked how far along I was based on a picture I posted, even though I was not pregnant (ouch), and the people that you were once friends with posting pictures that maybe you would have been better off not seeing. But the majority of the Facebook world for me is very positive, a helpful tool in some very important cases. When G had a severe allergic reaction to peanuts, I posted it on Facebook and immediately got responses from friends with kids also allergic to peanuts. I received some valuable information, and created a bond with old and new friends that I might not have known existed before Facebook. So it's not all about just posting pictures (those they are my favorite thing to look at!), it's about connecting. And in this world of technology when few people these days know their neighbors, I'm all about rebuilding connections and relationships with those who have touched our lives.

And hopefully it serves as a reminder for many that no matter where you are, who you are, or what you are doing - you can connect to a world of friends in a matter of minutes. So come join the bandwagon and start facebooking.