Jul 16, 2007 3
Speak to the face
My wife and I differ on our Facebook philosophies. Maybe it’s one of those gender-specific things. Her rule is “don’t befriend me unless you really want to talk to me“. She’s a woman. She wants to connect. To relate. To be more than a status icon on somebody’s hundreds-of-friends list.
My rule is “befriend me. Maybe we’ll even talk“. It’s a sad fact that my daily life is so crowded, with so many actions, inputs, and open loops, that unless I notice you on Twitter, IM, email, Facebook, or “RealLife” (probably in that order of update frequency!), we’re going to miss each other.
So, the big personal advantages of Facebook for me, is my newfound ability to keep in touch with friends near and far, with minimal effort. I’ve found old school buddies, family members, and new friends. I check that handy little mini-feed, and now I know that my cousin is traveling, a friend is immigrating to Switzerland, my sister started teaching again yesterday, and another friend is currently in Peru.
So, if I befriend you, but don’t engage you, I’m not “using” you, I’m “hanging out” with you, mostly in comfortable silence 
(my mom is an exception here – she’s on facebook, and she’s got a 
