 ARENAC COUNTY – One out of 13 people on earth did it last year; 28 percent of the people do it before getting out of bed each morning; and statistics show more and more college kids and middle-aged adults are getting into it. I must confess, I had heard about it before. I wasn’t that naïve. My friends were open about it and always willing to share with me, even encourage me to try it. But I always animatedly said, “No.” I had heard once you tried it, it was hard to stop. I also knew that it was easily accessible in our area, so resisted for at least one year before my older sisters introduced it to me. Sure I was in shock. As I said, I was younger, and here I was with my “older” sisters pushing it on me. So there I was, Turner, Michigan Feb. 3, 2010. I, Roberta House-Forshee, officially crossed over to the “dark side” or that’s what my sister scribed, when she saw that I had converted my ways. Yes, Argentina, New Zealand and Germany, I officially joined the largest social network in the world – Facebook - a place where baby pictures are posted; friends mingle; people dump one another; and employees, on occasion, insult the boss. Facebook is an ingenious social phenomenon, and used correctly with a little common sense, can be a fantastic communication tool, not only for social reasons but job networking and marketing. After all, had I never taken those dreaded and feared steps to enter the abyss of social networking, I may never have been inclined to contact the Funeral Divas to write this blog. Needless to say, I am here, and am in contact with old friends as far away as New Zealand, Germany and Hawaii. I communicate with business associates, and as of last year, the funeral home began posting its obituaries on a Facebook business page. The business page has been a wonderful community resource for obtaining service information on deceased, especially since there has been a decline in print media services – both as a result of a poor economy and the inundation of “instantaneous” news sources, such as Facebook. But while Facebook has numerous advantages, people must understand the scope and reach of their posts before they hit “enter.” According to digitalbuzzblog.com, more than 500-million people are users of Facebook and 57 percent of people talk to each other more online than they do in person. So, what does that say to you? My suggestion to all those who may not have crossed over yet, and for those who haven’t yet figured it out, take heed in what you tap out as your status or post to your wall, because no matter how inviting or at ease you feel with sharing your thoughts and life experiences online, you must know that one click of the enter button, doesn’t send your message into an imaginary world of computer word scramble where Facebook drones obliterate the message into a fiery dust ball that crashes and burns on some remote island near Fiji. No, when you hit that enter button, your message has the potential of reaching not only your friends, but friends of friends and yes, the public, which indeed means if you don’t want someone advertising your personal stuff on the next Jerry Springer show or having it brought up at your next job interview, you may think twice before hitting that enter key. Best of Luck. TTYL ~Roberta |
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