Social Media and Me

I am NOT a social media guru. Sure I am on Facebook, Pinterest  and  Twitter (my tweeting skills need some help but I can follow celebs like a pro!).  I signed up for Google+ last week (after asking 5 people what it was and how to do it) but that is it. I do not have my own mommy&everything Facebook page with a custom timeline (huh?) and I have no idea how to attend a “twitter party.” The only time I feel like a pseudo guru is when I am telling my mom for the 100th time how to login and send a message on Facebook .

I remember my first invite to Facebook back in 2008. It was from a sorority sister and I thought she was NUTS. Why the heck would I want to “friend” people I hadn’t talked to in years? 

Well that didn’t last long. Before I knew it I was on Facebook trying to accumulate as many “friends” as I could. There was the co-worker from down the hall, the girl from high school who sat behind me in home room and let’s not forget the fraternity brother of my brother who I hadn’t seen since 1998. Heck, I even looked up an old boyfriend AND hook up from college (DUMB!).

As the months and years wore on I began to get bored with Facebook. I didn’t really care about all my “friends” and their daily posts about trips, significant others and their overall fabulous lives.

I started to really look at my “friends” and weed out people I truly didn’t want in my life. It has made all the difference. Now my “friends” are people I want to keep in touch with and hear what they have to say (most times). The weeding is a work in progress, however,  since I know understand that relationships change over and that is a good thing.

I like getting to see pictures of my cousin’s baby in NY and hearing how well my god-daughter did in her swim meet.  I like being able to ask a dorm-mate from college his opinion on self-promotion (btw JP I am still waiting for an answer if you are reading this) or how the construction on my high school friend’s house is coming.

Life is so busy it’s hard (for me at least) to keep in touch with friends and relatives but social media has helped. I know it isn’t the best way and a wall post does not replace a phone call but we do what we have to do to get by.

Yesterday I got messages from 2 people I love. One is a dear friend from high school and the other a friend I met at work years ago. We haven’t seen each other in years but I know what they have been up to and what their kids are doing all thanks to Facebook. When I saw their names come up in my notifications yesterday it made me so happy and to me that is what social media is all about.

Image via CrunchBase

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