To Facebook Or Not To Facebook

That is the question.  You see, I don’t have a Facebook page.  Nope, not a one . . . no writer’s page, no personal page, no family page, no nothin’.  I’ll pause a moment here to let you get over the shock.

*Imagine a field of long grass rustling in the breeze and take a few deep breaths*

Okay, as I was saying . . . I don’t have a Facebook page.  There’s no simple reason why I never joined the Facebook revolution.  I suppose in the beginning, I didn’t enlist because it seemed like a kid’s pastime and to some extent it was.  That is after all how it got started and who’d have imagined a game of computer tag would somehow become the electronic blitzkrieg of the new millennium. 

The more time passed, the more excuses I had for not jumping on the band wagon.  I had my little blog and it seemed enough of a virtual life for me.  I didn’t have the time, didn’t know anyone there, didn’t understand how it worked and for sure, didn’t see the potential.  There are people out there that, frankly, I’d rather not know anything about my escapades.  You know the types . . . ex-husbands, old rivals, jilted lovers, guys that dumped me, my stalker from the 90’s, even the girl I went to summer camp with in junior high school and most especially my family.  Besides, does anybody really want to know that I shaved my legs today or that the dog gacked on the new rug?  Oh yeah, my life’s just one big adventure.    

Then there’s the “friending” and “unfriending” dilemma.  I hate rejection and tend to be uncomfortable rebuffing others.  How is that going to work for me?  Or worse yet, what if I did have a page and nobody “liked” me?  The thought of being discarded by the electronic hordes is crushing.  I’ve never been very good at working popularity contests and let’s face it there is that element to the endeavor.  I would, at this point, be just another Johnny Come-Lately to a party that has grown so large as to dwarf even the most high profile attendees.  Do I really need another ego delimiter in my life, especially right now?

I will confess that last night I stuck a toe into the Facebook ocean.  I have gone far enough in the registration process to have received an e-mail from the “Facebook Team” with a link and confirmation code necessary to seal-the-deal.  I’m curious, what is the “Facebook Team” and does anybody believe anything but a computer program is responsible for this correspondence?  It informs me that I too will be able to “communicate and stay in touch with all of my^(sic) friends” as well as “share photos, plan events, and more.”  I’d like to sign up for the “more” please, like maybe a little fame and fortune, mostly the fortune. Anyway, I’m one of those people that have to ease themselves into the cold water slowly and clicking on that link feels like plunging in to me. 

So I’m right back where I started.  Am I missing an opportunity to get more exposure for my writing by not participating?  Am I just a big chicken or getting too old to try something new?  Or is it just one more thing that takes time away from my already overwhelming life and actually writing?  How long is that link and code good for?  I guess the only real question still is . . . To Facebook or not to Facebook?