Thursday, December 31, 2009

Jane: Now a Facebook user


So yesterday, I started a project I had on my list for Xmas break: set up a Facebook account.

Although most people just think of it as socializing, Facebook is so much part of the online writing world--especially for those who need to know about guerilla publicity and public relations--that I figure I better figure out how it works! (I teach an upper-level writing workshop class that lots of PR majors take.)

When I got to my new Facebook page, it feels like I'm stepping into a lively party, populated by my friends. Some of those friends are people I haven't seen or heard from in years, some live far away. It's amazing to see them all in one place.

Like a party, it's loud. That's the only way I can describe it. Everyone's talking at once, and about all different things. I overhear conversations my friends are having with other people, and some people try talking to me amidst the hubbub. Some people don't seem to care if anyone's listening, some seem to need a response, others seem to be asking for a response from me in particular!

It's exhilarating. But it seems exhausting, too, like many big parties are. You have to be in the mood for it.

So I don't think facebook is going to replace blogging for me. I like the quiet of blogging, the time to think, the time to formulate some ideas and maybe come back to them. I like reading the blogs and long e-mail messages that my friends write, too--it's kind of like having a quiet one-on-one conversation with them. Actually, I am the sort who likes quiet one-on-one conversations more than parties!

Still, I'll check into the FB party now and then. And if you're there, stop by and say "hi." Or, as they say, "friend" me!

1 comment:

Ken said...

Isn't there that creepy feeling of eavesdropping, hearing things you don't want to hear, or meeting up with a goofy ex-boyfriend that you never wanted/needed to hear from again?