I have 251 “friends” on Facebook. That’s incredible to me, since I never use Facebook. On my Facebook home page, I also have 103 friend requests I’m not likely to accept, 66 “other requests” I’ll probably never read and four suggestions about which I have no intention of learning.
Once, I probably could be accused of not “getting” Facebook. That’s not true anymore. I get it. I think it’s not only a great way for friends (more on that charming concept later) to keep in touch with each other. It’s also a compelling form of entertainment. In “researching” this post, I spent quite a few enjoyable minutes reading about some of the things people I know are doing.
So why don’t I use Facebook? First of all, I can barely get through my e-mail inbox each week. I definitely can’t finish the three newspapers I get each day, and I really like to read them. They’re loaded with nontrivial information. When I am in the mood for mush, however, I’d so much rather be watching mindless television than spending even more time in front of a computer.
But that’s not the only reason. I’m a really gregarious guy. I have lots of friends and even more acquaintances. But 354 bosom buddies with whom I’d like to share the most intimate details of my life? Definitely not. One thing I’ve considered doing is suggesting to all my business contacts who have attempted to “friend” me on Facebook that instead we be “contacts” on LinkedIn. Then I could manage down my friend list on Facebook to, well, my friends.
Incidentally, it’ll be interesting to see how Facebook does in a rough economy. Jeff Segal at Breakingviews.com posted a compelling piece on how the startup, which is leaking top executives, will likely need to raise more money soon. Smart startups are busy conserving cash and Facebook is distributing it. That’s an effect I’d like to read about in my buddy David Kirkpatrick’s book on Facebook next year.
