I Only Did It For The Freebie

Truthfully, I registered months ago, but I only did it for the freebie. A freebie that I have yet to receive. But I digress. I have taken the leap and am now one of the millions of people that have a Facebook account. It’s not that I didn’t like Facebook. I just didn’t feel the need to participate. Why? I guess I just didn’t get it. But my sister mentioned that an old friend was looking for me on Facebook and had contacted her for help in reaching me. I believe the message was –tell your sister that she needs to get on Facebook –or something along that line. So when the freebie offer came around, I justified signing up (the freebie was not a good enough reason in itself) by telling myself I was also doing so because a friend was trying to reach me.

Setup was basic –as little information provided as possible, no pictures, no location, and only the initial of my first name plus my last name. I located the friend that was looking for me, friended her, and instantly I could see all kinds of stuff from her on my wall. I really didn’t understand how it all worked, but there it was. I posted a quick hello message and that was it.

And after that, I really didn’t do anything –until my sister called last week. Apparently I have another friend that contacted my sister because she couldn’t find me on Facebook. So, I log onto my account and, to my dismay, find 30+ friend requests. But after scrolling through the first 5 or so, I realize that these people are my family and friends and I kind of got excited. I felt liked. I felt loved. I felt connected.

I can visit with my family and friends across the country by simply chatting. Most of it is fun and silly, but I’m beginning to feel like I’m part of something. Instead of having to get updates from my mother and sisters on how family members are doing, I can see and ask them myself. I’m thrilled to see my aunt on Facebook. With her grown kids spread out all over the states, she can easily stay in touch where a daily (or even weekly) phone call to each of them would be difficult and unrealistic. She stays involved.

So I am no longer on the outside of my family’s affairs. I am a part of the big picture. I’ve located a few other long distance friends that I usually only contact for holidays via Christmas cards. I have even edited my name to reflect my whole name and added a picture. And I get more and more friend requests each day. I’m off to a good start.

Facebook. I think I like it.