Mr Al Young Dot Com

Al is……posting on his blog.

If you have ever spent anytime on Facebook you are familiar with such exciting updates on the lives of your friends and acquaintances. In the past I have found Facebook mildly amusing but now have been officially hooked on Facebook. Not hooked like I am an active participant but more of being on as a lurker. I still don’t think anyone would be interested in what I am doing right this moment such as doing laundry or standing in line at the bank. So I don’t post my status often.  Obviously others do not feel that way with hourly updates on what they are doing or feeling. You don’t even have to be at a computer to send the world updates. You can send updates and photos from your mobile phone. So you can always keep your friends posted on your “status” even to let us know you are standing in line at the bank. Good thing because I was worried that I did not a status from you for a few hours. I was relieved to hear you “just got back from the dentist” and nothing happened to you.

Facebook is like a big party with all your old and current friends. Facebook is a social network or an online interaction but it is funny how closely it is to real life. All the active Facebook participants are naturally the most sociable people. They love the interaction of being together on Facebook. These people take advantage of all the features Facebook has to offer such as joining every group they can, giving out virtual gifts, and playing all the online games with their friends. These people are the most active status posters and love to interact with their friends.  They love parties and Facebook is a party that never seems to end. It is 24-7.

Other less socially adept people such as myself enjoy being at the party but don’t really want to draw attention to ourselves. We are content to hang out against the wall with a drink and just observe. We rarely post a status, play a game or interact too much. Still we enjoy people watching.  We are hooked on Facebook too but as a lurker and an observer.

Facebook is also a forum for the “thinkers” to share their deep or random thoughts.  Kind of like thinking out loud.  Sometimes its good and interesting.  Other times not so much.  There is always someone at a party that dominates the conversations and makes everyone else a little uncomfortable with their odd conversation. You try to excuse yourself but he just goes on and on.  They are on Facebook too.  The same windbags in real life who love to talk to hear hear their own voice are the same people who are always talking on Facebook. They are constantly offering their opinions to a somewhat captive audience. They are always interjecting their opinions in every conversation. The good thing about Facebook is that you can easily avoid them by not engaging them in conversation, unlike real life. Facebook is perfect for this group of people because it gives them a platform to do what they like to do most….talk. Their spouses and friends have tuned them out long ago but with Facebook there is always someone to offer your opinions to…sort of.

The best thing about Facebook is not reconnecting with old friends we lost touch with long ago.  That is great, but the best thing to me is that we are connected in some way through Facebook.  We live busy lives.  Even with all the tools of modern communication such as text messages and email, I rarely communicate or spend time with my close friends as I used to.  Even more so with my friends and relatives who live far away.  With Facebook I actually connected with them when I see their status update or photos.  When my friend in Minnesota updates me that they are doing laundry and its 5 degrees below zero outside I think of them and feel that our lives are still connected in some way.  It does not replace human interaction but in a small way a connection from far away nonetheless.  Even though we are sepaated by great distances Facebook allows us to connect and at least keep each other in mind.  If I am not your Facebook friend yet, hit me up.  I’m always looking to add more Facebook friends but I think I have just about reached my limit of people I can reasonably call “friends”.