Thing 19: Other Social Networks

What, we're moving past Facebook? But, I can't. I'm stuck there. I j u s t c a n ' t p r y m y s e l f a w a y f r o m i t . . .

Okay, back to reality. I looked around for a few social networking sites that might interest me. It seems like Ning offered quite a few interesting sites. I didn't join anything since I didn't have too much time to look around (since I was stuck in Facebook - just kidding.) I will definitely come back to Ning later since I registered and find some interesting networks to join. The Library 2.0 network looks like a great place to share/read information. This could be a great place for librarians to get more information about the ways other libraries are reaching out to their patrons and how they are using today's technology.

Thing 18: Facebook and MySpace

So, I finally did it! I joined Facebook after countless times of being asked, "Where are you?" I decided to wait until I reached this point in the 23 Things to create an account. I have been thinking for a while now about how scary it could be. You basically can't hide anymore once you exist on Facebook. Everyone goes looking for you! Will people I don't remember, don't know, or don't want to know want to be my friend? UGH! I don't want to mess with all of that. I just want to friend a few people (real friends and family) and that's about it. I guess that doesn't work here.

I added a few friends (people I talk to often), joined the Library 2.0 Interest Group, and posted my "I'm here" stamp on my wall. Now I can be as cool as everyone else (Ha Ha)!

p.s. I have come back to edit this post because I have more to say after my journey through Facebook yesterday and today. I can't believe how many "Friends" they suggest! Anyone from people who went to my college to friends of friends of friends friends! It was fun to see everyone that was related to my profile in one way or another, but truly overwhelming! The funny thing is that there are way more people out there that I could search for (that I really know) that Facebook wouldn't pick up on. The problem is that I could be here for HOURS looking for friends (which is what I think a lot of people do). Hopefully the answer for those that want to spend loads of time socializing on the Net is Twitter. I guess they will leave me in the dust as they speed off to the next big thing on the Net.

I should add a bit about why Facebook is the fastest growing social network. Since I am just a beginner, I haven't had the opportunity to explore all of the bells and whistles of Facebook. But, just from my early experiences I would say it's because of how easy it is to connect with EVERYONE! The question is where do you draw the line? Do you befriend EVERYONE or only specific people and will he/she be mad if he/she finds out you are there and don't want to be his/her friend? This could be fun and dangerous all at the same time . . .

Thing 13: Library Thing

I had a lot of fun at LibraryThing. I created a library and played with my profile a bit. I also added a My Library widget to this blog sidebar. The first idea I had in my mind when I read about LibraryThing was to create a place for my book club members to keep our books (virtually). We can never remember the titles and authors of the books we have already read nor the titles of any of the books we want to read in the future. So, I added all of the books we have read so far with the intention of creating a group and inviting my book club members to join. We can also read reviews of other books and help get ideas for future reads. Finally, a site I might use every now and then!