Facebook

It seems that facebook is taking over the world. First of all it was myspace (never could get into that!), then YouTube, then blogging and now it is facebook. I've had a few chuckles this week while talking to Kylie B who has just joined up with facebook in the last week. I think her words were 'a whole new world has opened up to me' as she is so excited to find old friends and talk to people she hasn't seen for years and years. She even told me she is loving her computer for the first time ever! I laugh at her status updates that refers to how much time she is 'wasting' on facebook, or that she needs to hurry and clean the house before Corey gets home!

Today it was Mum's turn. I told her that she is getting good on commenting on people's blogs now, and if she really wants to keep up with the net she needs to join facebook. Mum and Dad came to visit today, so I took the chance to join her up. The first step was getting her another email address! Mum gets one every six months or so as she signs up for it, uses it for a week and then doesn't use it again and it gets closed down as it's inactive!

I was very impressed that a couple of hours after Mum and Dad left here, Mum was actually on facebook - commenting on photos, commenting on my status and tonight I even noticed that she posted a photo!!! Go Mum. I did try to chat with her, but it seems as though I was chatting to myself (what's new!) as her messages back to me got lost in cyberspace somewhere. She cracks me up as she is so nervous on it and thinks she is going to blow up the computer, or that she won't have any friends. She is hoping to find some old friends and missionaries that she knew years ago.

I love facebook as its so easy to keep up with what everyone is doing. I love it when people post photos and tag them, letting me know that one of my friends is in them and I can check out what they have been up to (some people call it stalking - I call it catching up with people!). I love that I can chat live with my friends in the U.S. or across the other side of the country, or even just 5 minutes away. I love reading all the status updates - especially when people like Declan jump on to tell us that he has updates his blog with pics of their new son, just hours after he is born. I love that if I am stuck at home with a sick boy, that I can still feel like I am in touch with the world a bit.

I don't care much for all the applications and things you can play with others on it, but I do find myself being sucked into those stupid ads on the side now and then - you know the ones that advertise how to be as thin as a celebrity in no time (I'm sure its called lots of money, liposuction and anorexia!), or the ones that will send me free samples of everything and anything!

I think Sam H. referred to facebook as being faster than the Relief Society grapevine in spreading news. I have to admit it is very true - I have found out many things via facebook - who is 'now single', who is 'in a relationship', who got a job, who is sick, who forgot to record their favourite shows on a Thursday night because they thought cleaning the kitchen was more important (isn't that right Joe?), and who has finished their exams for the year.

What did we do back in the day before the internet!? Oh that's right - we would actually talk face to face :) Got to love it though.