Social Networking

I’m deeply concerned about my social network. Deeply. It all started
about 8 years ago, when I began to read tons of books on how to run a
business and how to deal with people. It started to hit home that there
is no truer adage than: "It’s not what you know — it’s who
you know." Looking back, I realize that nearly every opportunity I’ve
ever had in life fell into my lap as a result of a friend or
acquaintance.

Take, for example, every single job I’ve had since I was 16:

1. Sacker at Piggly Wiggly – urged on by my friend’s dad, who was a manager.

2. Salvage yard – my girlfriend’s dad was the owner.

3. Temporary office worker – my mom’s friend worked at the temp agency.

4. Maintenance worker at a hospital – the hospital where my mom worked.

5. News director, later General Manager of KTRM, college radio station – got to know some of the managers first.

6. News reporter for KIRX/KTUF/KRXL – my friend Brian, also a reporter there, recommended me.

7. Public Relations office, Truman State University – I knew Heidi, director of PR, later my boss.

8. Intern at Governor’s Office, Missouri State Capitol – at the insistence of Heidi.

9. English teacher in Japan – at the urging of my friend Matt and his wife Stephanie, who were doing the same thing.

10. Disney MGM Studios – another friend, Neil.

11. Now What? Home Computer support – my dad’s business.

12. Computer Support Tech, Truman State – my buddy Greg told me of the opening.

Not
to mention the magic shows and occasional videography project, which
are all word-of-mouth. Never in my life have I blindly applied for any
job, program or opportunity – there was always a friend involved on the
inside. And the only way I could make two feature films for less than
$500 apiece is by calling for favors, donations and help from the
people I know. We send out a LOT of Christmas cards every year…

So
I’d been looking with interest but hesitation at the germination of
these social networking websites, like Friendster and MySpace.com. A
couple students workers convinced me to start up a Facebook profile, so
I dove right in to see what all the fuss is about.

On one hand,
it’s a great idea. It’s like a virtual Rolodex where your friends and
acquaintances create and maintain their own entries, as well as give
you access to their own Rolodexes (Rolodexi?). But come ON. In a few weeks, I’m already "connected" to 1469 people who I don’t even know.

I’ve
seen people spend a lot of time browsing their connections, leaving
messages for their friends, and updating their profiles with more facts
and pictures. But I have two concerns. I spoke with another friend
about this, who related a story about two guys at a party who had just
met and were showing each other their facebook pages. Huh? Wouldn’t it
be easier and more fun to just talk and discuss your mutual hobbies and
interests, instead of just pointing someone to your webpage?

The
other problem is privacy. There’s so much personal information just
up-for-grabs on these sites. It’s stalker central. Gotta be careful.

So anyway, I’ll give it a whirl for a little while and see what becomes of it. Add me as your friend on Facebook, Friendster, or MySpace and see where it gets you.