Facebook, you say?

Of course, besides the compelling and alluring -- and yet highly addictive -- qualities of the internet and computers that can easily become a sad replacement for what's really important in life....

Facebook has a LOT of T.O.S. aspects that are disturbing! did you know they "keep" your account long after you close it (which also means your pictures and personal info). And that they "own" your information. Among MANY other things. Does anyone read the fine print?

Then again, google has pictures of your car in your driveway, for the world to see, and they also keep your search info and internet history for 6 or 9 months, which is months less than what the mega-monster Microsoft does. Besides taking up a LOT of resources for companies like this to perform and maintain the backups (i.e., an expensive and unnecessary "hobby" for any of these companies), it also means your electronic footprint is forever entrenched in the ether-world.

Sure, having information at the fingertips can be fun and helpful, but beware! It comes with a HEFTY price. A price that many don't understand, or see, or perhaps they just choose to ignore it and the potential ramifications.

Big brother keeps on keeping on...

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For me, Facebook (FB) is confusing and exciting at the same time. Exciting, because it could potentially open up communication on a new level between some that have been searching for a way to connect. Sound too vague? It could be that some people are unable or unwilling to (1) call on the phone, (2) visit, (3) tell you in person that they really like you or something that you do or did, or what they need, or (4) that they really mean to tell you to go to hell -- but they can safely lurk on in an online neighborhood such as FB. They can then send messages or engage in imaginary interactions (such as "throwing food at this person") that can spark reactions on an odd level, or it can be a haven that prohibits deep and meaningful relationships. Perhaps for many, it is an easy and fun way to find lost souls you once knew, some you are related to, and perhaps some you were curious about but didn't "really" want to get back in touch with. Do you send the invitation to join you, or do you resist? FB may be a vehicle for more stress and dilemmas in a lives that are already in the midst of chaos. Unorganized lives, unfocused lives, lives that may not honor truth and the sanctity of the home unit. Seems like it could be a catalyst for the inevitable. Perhaps that's a "good" thing, as in hurry up and get to the point, why delay what's gonna happen anyway? I don't know. It's more confusing than exciting. But, I've been wrong before. Maybe this is a blessing in disguise. Maybe I'm too careful or been burned to many damn times before and will before ever doomed to being cautious or eyes wide open to be tricked. Which steers me, persoally, Back to Confusing.

It is also entertaining, in the sense that the online neighborhood is always changing, you can see pictures and comments between various people and you can add in your own comments and such. I do like to see glimpses in the busy lives of people I know, that I like and some that I know and like, and love. For that, I say thank you.

Confusing, because WTF! Have we lost all sense of face-to-face or voice communication? What happened to the weekend bbq at a friends house or planning a reunion. Not that all of our family "believes" in reunions, or course! Are we willing to spend hours upon hours online and in a make believe neighborhood in lieu of making a project in the garage with our kids or baking cookies, or going to a museum? Perhaps we can do both, but considering the "highly addictive quality" of the internet and places like FB, it can be a precarious situation.

Confusing, because why the hell do people I don't know want me to "be their friend"? Are they so starved for being the center of attention that they must have 500 friends to be "OK"? I use this example, because it has happened twice in the past week. "Friends" of someone on my list...guys I do not know, will probably never know. And, they never answered my comments to them about "do I even know you?" Are they unintelligent? As in, just smart enough to request a connection, but too stupid to reply to a direct question? Or are they embarrassed to being called out? Are they afraid of the truth? What do you do when that "former friend" comes knocking, or a former co-worker or neighbor that you once tolerated but was glad to leave in the dust? For me, it's easy, "Ignore". But FB is invasive. You can see the friends of friends of friends of friends. Which keeps the lurking aspect attached.

And...if you have any investigative tendencies or skills, places like FB are like hitting the jackpot.
Did I mention about how employers often visit places like MySpace, LiveJournal, FB, and such, digging for info? I know they do, I have friends who are required to do this as part of their jobs.

Maybe I'm jaded because I've worked too many places, and moved a few times, and have picked up and left behind those I've liked and those not so much. With those I like, I welcome the reconnections! That's the fun part. FB is a venue opportuntity for everyone who wants to be anyone. I just really don't get the part about needing 500 "friends" that include me, when you don't EVEN KNOW ME and you never even met me. I'm sure if I thought about a minute, I could find another hundred reasons why this is such a weird social experiment thought up by someone with nothing to do and a desire to make a lot of money.

Confusing, because I have a habit, of which I've been accused, of "thinking to much" about some things. But, so what! That's what makes me who I am. I think, and therefore I am Virginia. I have to question that which crosses my path, and I seriously question FB. And other online resources. Even this blog. I know it's available for the world to see, but at the moment, it has a very limited viewing audience. If weirdos started to flock to it, I'd shut it down.

But back to FB. Lucy recently said, "Yes they are very creepy indeed. Reminds me of jars with brains in them lining a scientist's shelf in one of those 1940s science fiction horror flicks -- and they all talk to each other." I have to agree with her!

So, we are all part of an involuntary science experiment. Whether we participate in FB or not. Whether we read blogs or journals, or not. Whether we resist or dig in with all our hearts. We are just some freaking science experiment. All that someone else needs to do is mention your name or do something like write a story about you or include you, and there you are! Part of the fun.

If I had my druthers....If I could influence the actions of others...
I go back to my old standby, the mantra of my life: live the truth! Stick with the truth, stick with love, and you have nothing to worry about. It's not a joke that "the truth will set you free" and that "love is central to all that is". I welcome an online neighborhood that is void of all manipulations and judgments, whether by friends or family, or by strangers. For, really, who CARES what I think? And if no one really cares, then let me BE! So WHAT if I think too much? So WHAT if I find humor in things that you find serious, and vice versa. So WHAT if I make life decisions that make no sense to you, because they either work for me, or I live with the consequences and learn from any mistakes. You live, and I live, and be as happy for me and my possibilities as I am for you. If I need help, I will ask, and I assume the same for everyone else. The truth is this is not how things work out, because everyone likes to carry around unnecessary baggage. However, it is how I roll and how I will continue to roll. I hope our paths can cross in the physical world, and in the ether world, as it is meant to be, and that it all at the highest truth of the moment. No baggage for me, I want no baggage from anyone else.

And now, that doesn't mean things can't be discussed, or worked out, or, God forbid, LAUGHED about or cryed about, for that is part of a journey to anywhere. And anyone who knows me, knows...I just might write about it.

I think I'm just really tired now. It's been a LONG and TIRING weekend! Sick boy and all. He's resting now, before the next dr. appt, but doing better, thankfully!