Facebook

So I've been on Facebook now for a year or two. Never really got into it or checked my page very often. I was already tiring of MySpace, so why would I need another networking site when Myspace was so lame? In fact, I had the email notifications turned off in Facebook so I never knew when someone was trying to poke me, send me a drink, bake me a cupcake, or give me hug. Once I discovered I had these offers, I had no idea how long they'd been there, so I just deleted them. Then I'd feel horribly guilty afterwards.

Then Jay invited me and my daughter to the Ft. Worth photography shoot with his Facebook amateur photography group. After meeting such nice people during that outing, I decided to check them out on Facebook and even friend requested a couple. Next thing I know, I've got about ten new friends. People are commenting on my photos, and I on theirs. I was like, 'Okay, this is pretty cool!'

Being part of a group makes a huge difference, I must say. Suddenly, I'm sending "good karma" and "Mardi Gras beads", but only to a select few because I still feel kind of juvenile doing it. I most definitely feel stupid posting "status updates", so I don't do those very often. I mean, really, who cares what I'm up to all the time? I don't want to sound rude, but do I really need to know you're on your second cup of coffee? The status update should be reserved for something funny, shocking, or weird, in my opinion. I have enough minutiae in my day, thank you. I don't know...perhaps I just don't get that aspect of Facebook.

It does have some cool features, though. I really like the iMusic application that lets you post music videos and songs to your page. There is also a music challenge game where you try to guess either the artist or the name of the song in under 30 seconds. The faster you guess, the more points you're awarded. It's pretty cool. I'm up to the level of "Music Expert" now, and my best streak is 145 points, with 70% accuracy overall. I also like that Flickr can be linked to my page showing my latest uploads.

Now that you have an idea of how sucked into this thing I am, I'll divulge my latest Facebook interaction. Last week someone from my old high school found me. Next thing I know, I have more requests from high school classmates that I do not EVEN remember. I was forced to unearth my old yearbook to try and put a name with a face. Some I'm remembering and some not so much. This is the same school where I was suspended for 3 days for dropping the F-bomb on Mr. Meador, caught smoking on numerous occasions, and skipped class on a pretty consistent basis. I'm hoping that most of my horrible antics have long been forgotten by these rediscovered classmates.

Most of the kids from the group I hung out with are in the "Lost" category on the school alumni web site. No surprise there. When I looked at the Memorial page, I was shocked that some of my good friends were on there. I found out through the organizer that three of them committed suicide, one died of AIDS, and I already knew about the one drug overdose. Sad.

If you don't want to be found, don't sign up for Facebook; however, I'm glad I was found because I have been reliving my high school years through notes, pictures, and yearbooks, and remembering how many funny, special friends I really had. I miss them all and hope the surviving ones are well.