Living in a Facebook & Tweeting World
During Hurricane Ike, my sister-in-law was frantically looking for us. We had evacuated and she did not have my parents’ phone number. A couple of days after everything settled down she urged me to get on Facebook or Twitter. I refused. I had enough on my plate; one more thing was going to make me crazy.
When we visited during New Year’s, she talked me into it.
Now, 5 months later, I admit it. I have become an online social butterfly sometimes even without a cause!!
Some say it is just a waste of time, that the virtual, social network can hurt your career. And in some cases, they may be right. There have been jobs lost and marriages broken because of people’s lack of boundaries and common sense.
But in my line of work, I discovered almost all of my co-workers, bosses and peers are on Facebook or Twitter or LinkedIn. It is a sign of the times.
When you first sign up, you want to approve everyone. I did that. Until I started thinking about it. I then began to delete people from my site and reset some rules. Here’s what I came up with:
1. No ex-boyfriends or single guys unless I am working with them for the SNL show or if they are family.
2. If I do approve males, I have to have their wives as my friends, even if I don’t know them.
3. Only approve listeners who are female. (exception is rule #2–if they are male, I want to be their wife’s friend too.
It may be “silly” to some people. In fact, some of my high school friends were offended that I took them off. But, that’s okay. My marriage and family are worth more to me than any social network. Plus, I need to set an example for my 10 year old, who will someday want to do this on-line social networking thing. If I can’t set and follow rules, how is she going to do that?
The good side to this social network: I reconnected with my old college roommate. I’m going to pick her up at the airport in a few hours!
The other good side to this: I am getting to know some of the wives of the guys I went to high school with….one of them is super cool. We seem to always have something in common. Can’t wait to meet her someday!
So, just because you live in a Facebook, Tweeting world doesn’t mean you have to throw out your principals or approve everyone. It just takes some boundaries.
So, I’d love to get to know you…follow me on Twitter….SundayNightKSBJ….