Facebook

I'm just going to come right out and say it.


My name is Andrea and I LOVE Facebook. There. I'm not embarrassed to admit it.

There are people that feel Facebook is invasive to their private life. There are people that think they are too sophisticated for Facebook ( these are usually the same people that insist they DO NOT watch TV, but have one hidden in a back room). Then there are those who say it is narcissistic. Well, that one I would agree with but so is twitter, instagram, and personal blogs and biographies. I get all these opinions,it's just not mine.

There are times when I am on Facebook more than others. When I'm traveling, I pop by for a quick update where I am and to check messages and then there are days when I'm on it more than I should be. I've been thinking about Facebook alot with all the format changes and all and why I love it so much and why I'm, well, kind of attached to it. Here's my thoughts about Facebook.

I joined just over 3 years ago, a few months before I moved abroad. I knew people that had been on it and really didn't see the appeal. I have been converted in a BIG way. These are all just MY opinions :)

When you live abroad as I do, when you travel as much as I do ( primarily for work) Facebook is the best way to keep my family and closest friends in the loop all in one place and to stay in their loop. It's the best way for me to stay in touch with both old friends, new friends and re founded friends( ok not sure that is a real word, but you get the idea so I'm stickin with it)

About 2 months after I moved to Italy I was on Facebook one night and received a message from a woman named Arlene. She wrote that she came across my profile because she was searching mosaics and my profile pic at the time was of a mosaic I had done ( my previous occupation). She wrote that she too had gone to Syracuse University and was also a mosic artist AND also lived in Italy ( although 3 hours north). She asked if I'd be interested in meeting half way one day for a cafe and to shoot the shit about mosaics. I wrote back, sure and added her as a friend ( which I don't normally do with people I don't know). Something told me to add her, just a feeling. She accepted the friend request. When I went to her page to check it out and saw a photo of her I almost fell off my chair!

I wrote her a new message, that said:

Hey Arlene,

Xxxxxxx is your married name right? Are you originally from Sri Lanka?

she wrote back:

October 4, 2008

And I'm not from Sri Lanka, but my parents lived there! :-)
Did you work with me in Chasers?

Yes, I knew an Andrea Brody once

and I wrote:

Yeah, and that would be me! SHUT THE FUCK UP!!!!!! How crazy is that! ARLENE! OMG! As soon as I saw your picture, you have not changed!

How weird we both ended up mosaic artists and living in Italy! Well now we must meet for coffee and talk mosaics and catch up! Facebook is wild isn't it!

I had met Arlene during my first senior year at S.U. ( I stayed for 5 years) We waitressed together at a 50's bar/ restaurant where we had to wear cheer leading outfits and do the hand-jive. We had been pretty close friends in college and the lost touch soon afterwards. Twenty years later we found each other on a fluke via FB. She is now one of my closest friends and am so thankful to have her back in my life. 

Gone are the days for me of setting up an online photo account or sending photos through email and cc-ing 10 people in. I just post it to Facebook. My parents, who live in Vegas are on Facebook. They are 70 years old and my dad has 235 friends, half of which he went to high school with. The other half friends of mine and my siblings. How cool is that! He planned his 50 year H.S. reunion with the help of Facebook. My 84 yr. old aunt is on Facbook, she has no children but can follow her nieces and nephews and grands nieces and nephews and she loves it.

I know there are people that say it makes people interact less personally with each other, I think it's just the opposite. I have come to know people from a travel site that I often wrote on not only by their screen names but now know what they look like, know about their lives and because of that have met quite a few and formed new friendships. No, of course they are not the deep rooted friendships of your closest friends but they are friendships of a different level and they enrich my life. They are people who I share the common interest of travel and art with.

There are the people I have met doing trunk shows on cruise ships. The staff that work in the shops, the passengers on board. I spend weeks at a time with these people, come to know them and Facebook allows me to keep in touch, make plans to meet up again some I have become quite close with.

There are friends from camp and high school and even grammar school that I am back in contact with. My very dear friend Helayne who I had lost contact with just because I moved so much and life gets in the way, I found again through FB. When I'm going to be in NY, I post it, then I can make plans to see anyone who is around and Helayne is usually one of them. My friend OB fought FB for like EVER! Guess what she's posting pix of her kids in ballet class now and I love that! I love that I can see that. I love that I can see every ones holiday cards ( cause the post sucks here).

Sure there are people on my friend list that I am not close with and don't have much interaction with. There are those who preach religion, politics, air their dirty laundry, to each his own, I try not to judge. With all the new settings you don't have to defriend someone and hurt their feelings, you can just tweak how much interaction you want. and how much info you want to share.

For me I try to keep light. I post my photos ( incessantly) with no apologies, those who don't want to see them don't have to look. I post my status updates which I try to keep lighthearted. I for one try not to post anything too personal or negative. Yes, when Bear passed away 18 months ago I posted that . Last night while stalking my self for the past three years with the new timeline feature I came across the post about Bears passing and had a good long cry. The outpouring of love and support was truly amazing. So many people knew of him from previous writings or from meeting him and I recalled how all that support really helped me during that time.

I launched my jewelry business on Facebook, I launched my blog on Facebook. Would I have wanted FB around for my 20 year old self, probably not. BUT, used responsibly I think FB is the greatest way of connecting and reconnecting people.

For all the nay sayers, stay where you are, don't join or deactivate. I'm more than happy to say I'm a fan! I love that I can see new baby pix, and hear about engagements and what university my friend's kid has been accepted to. I love that I get to see my nieces and nephew in their Halloween costumes and video of school plays. I love that I can chat with friends 5,000 miles away. I love that in one place I can get the news, and sports scores and travel advice. I love that on any given day someone has posted at least one thing that makes me laugh aloud. On top of all that the thing I love most of all about Facebook is no matter where I am in the world it makes me feel like I'm never that far away.