Face To Face(book)

Facebook is amazing. An incredible opportunity to meet people you might never otherwise encounter, to catch up with old friends, to get news of an event out quickly to many people at once.

Facebook is sick. Just a place to stalk strangers, obsess over what your friends are doing minute by minute, and avoid contact with the real world.

Odds are you come down near one of these. Fact is, they're both kind of true.

I've enjoyed using facebook as a way to catch up with college buddies, to send out the weekly Inklings invites, and to update a bunch of folks if my cell phone is going to be off because I'm taking an R&R weekend. I've even been known to add "friends" who are not, admittedly, people I have ever met.

What we all need to remember about facebook, myspace, and the internet in general is that they are tools meant to provide us with information and some level of connection.

But they aren't meant to be our main source of connection. This online Inklings blog is great, but it can't compare to Tuesdays at Opal Divine's. Facebook is a fantastic networking tool, but it can't compare to a face to face sitdown over a cup of coffee.

I mention this because I had the chance, last night, to attend a concert at Emos where I met a couple of people who had, previous to last night, been facebook friends. Both really nice folks, both people I'd like to try and grab a beer or a cup of coffee with sometime soon.

This is what the connectivity of the internet is meant to provide, an enhancement of connectivity outside the internet.

So don't be afraid if I come adding you as a friend on facebook. But make sure you're out there getting a more face to face.

Oh, and stop having an online conversation with someone you're sitting across the table with. I've seen this in coffee shops and it's freaking me out.