August 9, 2010

Is a Facebook Friend a Friend?

I am not a big user of Facebook. I am a member, or client, or user - whatever particular phrase they use for their participants. BUT I do not check it every day, and I don't post many things on it.

The best (absolutely best) thing that I have got from Facebook recently was that a young woman who worked for me back in 1993/94 contacted me (she lives near Caracas) and we had a great conversation about Capitalism and Socialism and how loaded each of those terms are in our respective countries. There is NO way that I would have been able to contact her, or her me, without Facebook. There is not way we would have been able to talk about Hugo, Obama, and Sarah and how their foolishness affects the general population without Facebook. But it was on their Chat service, not their "What's on your mind" query.

I value that interchange, and I look forward to another with her (and her kids?) in the near future. THAT is value.

What I don't particularly value is old "friends" who have easy access to me here in town via e-mail, or, god forbid, telephone, who try to "Chat" with me when I am not near the damned computer, and then get all hussy and fussy when I don't reply.

I usually don't reply to "chats" if I can actually chat.

And don't go thinking that I am any sort of a Luddite. I am the CEO of a software company! I have had a computer in my house since 1984. I have soldered together my own modem cable!

But I like to talk to people. I like the interaction that is spawned by face to face conversation. I live for witty repartee! and I am damned good at it. I don't have to worry about a la repartee de l'escalier because I am not ON the stairs when I come up with my reply.

There are not many things that I am good at, but that is one of them.

So, if you are my friend, be my friend, not my "Friend".

And don't spend hours on a reply that will fade with the morning light. It won't impress me.

(edit - a computer in my house since 1984, not 2004. Thanks, bro)

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