Confession: I'm Among That One Billion

This is a bit tough to admit, since I'm a genetically disposed non-conformist.  Generally, even when I'm not trying to be different, I stand out in a crowd, choosing the wrong color, style or opinion.  So for me to be one of those one billion 1,000,000,000 people on facebook, it makes me rather nervous.  Has the internet dulled my uncontrollable innate individuality?

It was via facebook that my cousin's daughter discovered my flight plans for this past summer and convinced me to detour to Philly from Newark Airport, when I had planned on going straight to New York.  I had a great time in Philadelphia with cousins, saw almost a dozen, some I had never even met before.  Yes, most of the arrangements were via facebook, plus some emails and a phone call.  Yes, I can fully thank facebook for that great day.

My jblogger friends and I have been relying on our Havel Havelim facebook page to keep HH going, seeing who will volunteer to host, publicizing editions and messaging our posts etc.

We even had an excuse the expression "tweet-up" which was partially organized via facebook communications aka friends.

There's a group of us planning an f2f in a few days.  We have a closed facebook group.  It's our little "coffee clatch" group.  We chat about all sorts of things.  Some of us know each other in the real world, but I don't think everyone knows everyone outside of facebook.

I must admit that I only signed up with facebook because I was told that it was a good way to promote my blogs.  Other people are involved with facebook to promote businesses. 

I can relate to Ruth Eglash's article in the Jerusalem Post about the panic when she was locked out of her facebook account, I was also locked out, though not as long.  I didn't thought that I had become so dependent or addicted to it.

I guess when it comes to communication, it makes sense to be part of the masses, or with whom will you communicate?