Twit-Willow or The Face on The Bitroom Floor

Social Networking, 
Old Skool

Well, they got me. Social Networking. I knew I could resist, but I finally succumbed. made a solomn vow long ago to resist as long as I could and never register on MySpace (I heard too many bad things about it and besides, there's too damn many adolescents there), but, in the end, I fell to Facebook. Seems all my theater friends were Facebooking and, after checking it out, I took the plunge. It's sort of like plunging into a vat of hot oil as opposed to a vat of acid, but the die is cast. I was also talked into joining Twitter.

As one of these kind of sites go, it's pretty good. It's a lot tidier and I feel they screen folks better so don't worry about talking to some pedophile or mass-murderer. I also don't get propositioned for sex-sites and such (hey, they gotta make a buck too, but not off of me).

BUT, it's also a time-vampire (yeah, like I got anything better to do). Another thing you gotta watch out for: when you register, the floodgates open and everyone comes out of the woodwork. Remember Uncle Succotash who's always trying to borrow money or that jerk in the office you studiously avoid? I'll bet my last Somalian they're on Facebook somewhere and if they don't have the radar to ferret you out, the website helps. It runs up a red flag to all those folks and says "HEY! WE GOT ANOTHER ONE!"

Now, as way of disclaimer, I don't mean the folks I have as friends now. I was lucky enough that all the folks I talk to on FB are the best. I'm just warning you that EVERYBODY on FB will know you're on FB. Caveat Emptor.

Yes, you can always deny their "friendship", but that gets a bit tiring after a while (and nothing like how I used to get hit on for a "friend" on Orkut - seems they were all from Brazil, too - coincidence?).

So, you can find me on Facebook under my real name, Glen Hallstrom. You can also find me as Smokestack Jones on Twitter, a service I don't get at all. I own a really old cell phone, so it's practically of no use to me and I can update my status on FB, whereas Twitter, that's all it's for. Oh well, Mad Dogs and Netsurfers...