Social networking through your computer: is it really? Worth it?

I admit it. I have a Facebook page. And a MySpace page. And a Plaxo page. And a LinkedIn page. And a Classmates page. And a Xing page. And . . . I think that’s all. I think. Have I become a social networking junkie? Umm . . . I believe the answer is a qualified yes. I (so far) categorically refuse to be a tweeter on Twitter. So far.

With the “digitization” of the world, are we in danger of really losing touch with each other? I’m not so sure. I have connected with people I haven’t heard of, or from, in many years. That’s cool. My wife thinks its nuts to spend any time at all being on these social networking sites. Do I spend a lot of time on them? Not really. I check my Facebook page a couple times a day. MySpace gets a visit from me about once a month. The rest of them see me a couple times a year.

Do others spend too much time on Facebook? Sure. Let’s face it; there will always be people who need to get a life. I know a younger couple (late 20’s, no children) who play some kind of online game most every night for three to four hours. And now that cell phones have Internet connectivity, you can be online even when you aren’t in front of your computer. Don’t even get me started on people surfing the Web while they’re driving. Can you say “distracted driving”?

I gotta admit, I really do like Facebook. I get a chance to hear about what other people (only those on my Friends list of course) are doing. I get a chance to promote the live performances of the acoustic trio I play in. And I get informed on things that are going on in my friends’ life that I might not have heard about for a while. Wow, look at this: Mike’s baby boy just had a baby boy, and now Mike’s a grandpa? No kidding! On the other hand, I do NOT participate in every invitation I get to join a cause, or send a “hug”, or “throw a snowball”. C’mon, people, if you’re going to hug someone, then hug ‘em when you see ‘em!

Social networking is a big deal. Life is about networking, and life is a big deal. People used to do their social networking through service organizations, through churches, at work, on the weekends. Guess what? They still do! But don’t spend so much time catching up with people online that you forget how to do it “offline”. That’s digitization at its worst.