When done right, a good status update or twitter post can make your day or the day of someone you call “friend.” Instant karma, instant love, instant attention. This society loves instant gratification and I’m no exception. I’ve noticed over the months that one small inspiration, witty phrase or cry for help written between the lines of a friend or co-worker never goes unnoticed. I like that part of social networking. Matter of fact, there’s nothing I don’t like about it. I can be as personal or superficial as I choose to be. I can choose to check in or check out; I can status update or I can sit back and watch stories unfold all around me–it’s entertainment and friendship at its best!
Many people still say, “I just don’t have time for Facebook.” I challenge them by saying they don’t have time NOT to get engaged. In our busy schedules, a 10-minute glance into the world of virtual relationships via twitter or Facebook can bring us closer than finding the time to place that phone call or set up that lunch date.
It may seem impersonal, but it has actually made personal friends out of once business-only relationships; it has allowed for 237 birthday wishes to a friend that a year ago, I would not have even know when their birthday was; it’s made for an automatic pick-me-up during a lull; it’s magic!
Social Networking (Facebook, LinkedIn, Plaxo, Twitter), have allowed me to connect and reconnect with old friends, new friends and business acquaintances on a more personal level than I would have imagined. I believe I’m more mentally in shape because of it! I get to vent, mope and inspire in 140 characters or less. And it doesn’t matter if anyone reads it because it’s MY outlet; my cure-all; my sanity!
But the fact is, they DO read it, and I read back. I am all for ways to connect to people that are unique to them and our relationship…and of course, easy to engage. It sounds so clinical, but I believe my days are richer because of the brilliance of some of my “Facebookies,” and I don’t even mind their political quips or “What Song Am I” games. I hit ignore if I don’t have time, but the fact they included me and it was important to them…matters.
My “viral networking” guidelines are simple: never post anything I wouldn’t want my mother or my priest to read. And even though I post a colorful read here and there…I still would represent myself as such at the alter…it’s a very transparent way to exist…and I like it! Facebook is like a face-lift for a crappy mood. It’s like taking two asprin and NOT calling me in the morning! It’s like Phen-Phen for your busy calendar; it’s like psycho-therapy for your fingers!
