Facebook: Why I'm even on it

Yes, after so long of scowling, scolding, and even snarling at friends, family, users, and random people I've stopped in the street (okay, I don't do that, at least not that I'm aware of), I have finally gone to the Darkside. Predictably, the response from those who know me has been comparable to catching Jane Fonda on a wild midnight binge at Krispy Kreme. I have also promptly been the recipient of various requests, invites, and gifts (I intend to speak privately to the old friend who offered me a goat - there is a hidden message there, I am sure of it), none of which I have accepted. I do appreciate the spirit in which these communiques are made (sometimes perhaps more than the sender intended), and I certainly don't want to hurt anyones feelings, but that's not why I joined Facebook.

I actually joined Facebook after being reunited with a longtime BFF, who urged me to sign up to see her family photo album. So no, I didn't finally lose it, I got conned by pictures of cute kids. I do have a soft spot here and there (I keep trying to patch them, but duct tape gets expensive). Once I had set foot on Enemy Territory, I figured I might as well do some reconnaissance and get a better feel for this wildly popular phenom that, coincidentally, is often a source of business for hubby 'n me. Anyone who knows what we do for a living ought to stop and think about that for a moment.

Although I don't try to hide the fact that my tinfoil hat may be a little tight, I'm not saying Facebook is going to infest your home computer with a dozen backdoor trojans and browser hijackers hosted by identity-stealing cyber-criminals the minute you sign in. I'm also not saying you're immediately going to get run off the road on the I-264 interchange by distracted, iPhone texting teens in beat up SUVs. However, both of these environments are inherently hazardous.

If you're careful and alert, you CAN safely navigate both Facebook and rush hour traffic. Like just about anything else, a little common sense goes a long way. Me, I can't avoid the interchange no matter how hard I try, so I'll just keep driving defensively with my seatbelt on and my thumb hovering over my horn. At this point I can't completely avoid Facebook either (not without missing out on future cute kid pictures), but like all lanes on Al's Information Superhighway, I'll be driving defensively there as well. ;-)