facebook wisdom, pt. 1

Facebook is the dominant online social network and we are to bear the light into the world around us. Can these two statements come together somehow? Can Facebook be more than superpokes and virtual snowball fights?

In this post and the next I'll share one practical (by me) and one thoughtful reflection (by another person) on Facebook usage.

First, a recent Facebook note of mine:

Don't mean to be a downer, but:

Just a word to the wise, particularly all my new Good Shepherd adult face-booking friends...

Don't take it personally if I don't return thrown snowballs, plant a 'lil green patch, receive bumper stickers, or engage in mob wars.

It's nothing personal - I'm just cautious. Each one of these is an application that comes from outside Facebook. That means a 14-yr. old whiz kid could have written it. It means a marketing company for ping-pong balls could have written it to collect your personal information and that of your friends. They are fun, harmless looking applications that turn over your info to someone you don't know.

And sometimes... like "mob wars" apparently (a blog friend of mine was hit) - they can share a computer disease with you and all your friends and even take down your hard drive.

I continue to enjoy sharing photos, comments, and other Facebook-written features with you, but wanted to share with you my choice to say 'no' to all the rest... for what that's worth.

Let me know what you think!

Robert