I set up an account on MySpace a couple of years ago, at the invitation of my daughter. A complete novice at social networking, I neglected to fill in the details on my profile, so in the space after the question, "children?" the default response was "no." Of course this sent my daughters into peals of laughter. I think they said they were lol or something like that. As soon as I figured out how to edit my profile, I changed it to "proud parent." For quite a while I used MySpace as a way to "network" with my own family. When they didn't answer the phone for example, I checked their MySpace page for updates and the latest photos. MySpace has been a lot of fun, and has allowed me to explore some things I did not know how to do. It was here that I learned how to "blog." I started blogging book reviews, in the hope that I might connect with other readers. And here that I learned how to upload photos, and I even created a slide show. Once you try it you'll be hooked. And don't worry about safety issues. It isn't that hard to become your child's friend on MySpace. The one thing that I do not like about MySpace is the commercialism that crops up -- I know that nothing is free, and the ads probably pay for the site maintenance. But I'm talking about the so-called "friends" who seek you out and then, once you've accepted them as a friend, they try to sell you some Omaha Steaks! I really don't need to purchase food on a social networking site, so these friends will be deleted.
Here's a recent photo of my little granddaughter, Grace, hamming it up with a pair of sunglasses. Her Aunt Leah took the photo, uploaded it to MySpace, and I was able to see it, save a copy, and print it immediately. How cool is that???
Facebook came next. I don't understand why it is so popular, really. It's about the same as MySpace, but it is easier to find people you once knew. Not for me, because many of the folks in my age group are not into social networking. But the software apparently looks at your friends' friends and gives you suggestions on who you might want to add as a friend. I'm not too fond of this feature, but must admit that I've added some friends as a result of it. Of course, most of my friends here are also related to me. We've even added a family reunion group just for us, that cannot be viewed by the public. So far the only ones to sign up for it beside myself are under 40! Come on, all you baby boomers, get with the program and set up your own social networking page! You can be my friend!
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