Present meets past on pages of Facebook

By Robert Blankenship The Leeds News

LEEDS — I’ve always been a bit behind the time when it comes to the latest trends and fashions. That meant the timing was right for me to finally check out all the jazz I’d been hearing about Facebook.

It all started simple enough, it took only a couple of minutes to enter my email address and a password to get my account up and running. Then it got only slightly more difficult with the answering of typical questions like, what do you do for a living, are you married, how many children do you have, what are your hobbies, etc. I filled it all out, being mindful not to get too personal.

Then I hit enter.

Next thing I know, it’s 30 minutes later and I have a handful of “friends.” Even my pastor let me be a “friend,” which was surprising considering my recent church attendance record.

Another “friend” just happened to be my best friend in high school who I had not spoken to in at least 12 years. He called me in to “chat,” which is where I spent the next couple of hours.

Now, a few days later, a have more friends than I ever knew a person could have and I still don’t know anything about most of them. Of course, that’s not the point. The point has been opening the lines of communication between you and the people who played a role in your life, even if that role was not center stage. It has been a unique experience to say the least.

I can’t help but to think of all the people, older people, who dig through archives and old newspaper bounded editions looking for information on a certain event or person. With new technology, those searches are changing dramatically. Through technological social networking people can instantaneously communicate, share stories, pictures and almost anything else in the blink of an eye. I have already found two pictures of myself with my friends from my high school days. Talk about a blast from the past! Suddenly being confronted with the 16-year-old you with your hip friends dressed from head-to-toe in 80s garb is enough to make the hairs on your neck stand straight up.

These social networking sites have a strange way of using modern technology to help people rekindle the memories of their pasts. It’s like your computer becomes a time machine.

While I have spent my first few days catching up with old friends, I can certainly see other advantages of Facebook, Twitter, etc.: Non-profit groups can increase their support through having more people learn about their purpose; Parents can provide a network of support for each other; and clubs could increase membership by reaching more like-minded people.

If you are ready for the brave, new world of Facebook, come by and visit The Leeds News and become one of our “fans.” We update periodically with a few notes and tidbits from the day ... things you won’t necessarily see in the newspaper.

Well, it’s time for me to go and see if I have any new “friends.” Talk to you later ... perhaps on Facebook.

 

– Robert Blankenship is the editor of The Leeds News. He may be contacted at editor@leedsnews.net