Hilarie: Taking Facebook more seriously

Oct 31 2009 by Hilarie Stelfox, Huddersfield Daily Examiner

ABOUT two years ago I set up a Facebook account after an old friend sent me an email suggesting that I join the 21st Century.

I typed in the barest of details, not bothering to include an image of myself, wrote an article about the social networking phenomenon and then washed my hands of the whole business.

Since that time I have neither checked on my profile nor updated it. I have not invited anyone to be my ‘Friend’. I fail to understand why anyone gives up their valuable spare time ‘chatting’ to people they’ve probably seen that day.

And then a strange thing started happening. Despite the fact that my Facebook account has been all but abandoned I started getting email requests from people who wanted to be my friend. This week there have been at least two a day. Some I have clicked on to accept while others I have ignored. But it matters not anyway as I never post any news or views on my ‘Wall’. I must be a disappointing ‘friend’ indeed.

Firstborn and Secondborn are quite sneery about the fact that I neglect my Facebook duties.

“I spend all day on a computer,’’ I say, defensively. “I’ve no desire to sit at one all evening. If anyone wants to speak to me they can ring me up.’’

This is also sneerworthy because modern telephones are not for actually speaking to people, they’re for texting, Googling, emailing and other fancy things. Even landlines can be texted.