Thursday, August 09, 2007

Faceless on Facebook


Yes, I am still “faceless on Facebook” and I have no desire to show up there anytime soon. Sorry folks (please, no public stoning outside my building for this honest admission). I’ve declined so many invites lately I feel as if I’m the world’s biggest party pooper. Fact is, whenever I ask someone why I should go on Facebook, I get the same answer: “You can hook up with your friends and find your old schoolmates.” Honestly, if my friends and school chums wanted to look me up, I’m not that hard to find.

I’m relatively virtual right now. I have a LinkedIn account (which is great for business contacts), a Flickr Pro account, and I am an active blogger (ok, semi-active). Do I really need to be a virtual social butterfly and get swept up on Facebook? I’m busy enough thanks. I also run a business, raise a daughter, love spending time with my partner, and work very hard on improving my back swing on the golf course. I really don’t have any spare time to look for live bodies that want to get in touch with me again. I’m sure there is a ton of other stuff on Facebook, but who has the luxury of that much time to go Facebook orienteering?

I think Facebook is extremely valuable for anyone under 30. After all, these folks haven’t figured out how to use a phone yet and Facebook (and IMing) is their lifeline. It’s a perfect medium (and time waster) for teens and 20-somethings whose badge of honour is how many friends they can brag about having on their Facebook site and reporting on the mundane goings-on of their friends.

So, if I really needed to get in touch with old acquaintances, I’ll do it on my blog. Here goes …. If you hail from Azzano Decimo in the Northern Italian province of Pordenone, call me – we’re probably related. If you went to Madonna High School in Toronto (stop laughing, it’s a real school) circa 1977, get in touch with me cuz I want to find out what happened to all the cool FCJ Sisters who whipped us into shape. If you are Mr. Chindemi, my old drama teacher, or you know where he is … Sir, I didn’t become an actress, but I’m happy and successful and at least I’ve never been to rehab. And if you owe me money, call me. Or better still, just send me a cheque.

Who needs Facebook when I can put an APB out on my blog? I’ll sit this one out for now.

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

It has been really interesting to see how companies have started to leverage Facebook as a platform and thereby part of their PR efforts. Hmmm, maybe there is a major shift coming...

Anonymous said...

Funny post, Julie. You went to Madonna???
I went to CWJ, which is close by, and I recall many Madonna girls coming around our school and flirting with all the boys. We'd hide our boyfriends in fear they would be seduced by the chiquitas in the blue minis (they were blue, right?), ;0).

Julie Rusciolelli said...

Dave, we recommended Facebook to a client recently and they are taking us up on that strategy ... as a medium for me personally ... it holds little interest.

Buket ... you're right, we wore blue plaid kilts and ties .. we Madonna girls had a bit of "boyfriend stealing" reputation... not me of course! I loved my high school, especially the wonderful nuns who ran the place. I will encourage my own little girl to go to an "all girl" school when she's older ... but no boyfriend stealing .... promise!

Casa said...

what is your IM account address?

Julie Rusciolelli said...

Sorry Casa .. along with FaceBook, I don't have an IM address. Good old telephone, snail mail or simple email still works for me!