i am not your friend

i'm a rule setter. i like to set boundaries, develop strategies. i usually don't try something new without thinking about it, and so when i decided to sign up for a certain social networking site, i had parameters. 

and i've held to them.

the implications are varied:

1. i don't download applications. i have truckloads of stored up karma, hugs, green patches, and a grab bag of good wishes. i assure you that each gift was heartfelt, i just can't accept them through the vehicle provided.

2. i don't accept friends who aren't friends. this one may be a bit tough for some, but if i don't hang with you, i likely didn't accept your friend request. (however if you read my blog, i'm happy to make an exception. sorry i ignored your request!)

3. i don't offer up much about myself. true, a visitor can cobble together a decent story by reading updates and such, but i keep my profile fairly spare.

i told a friend about the structures i have in place, and she thought we should have recorded my soliloquy for a spoken word. perhaps i'll include it in my profile.

i don't think it's my space

a couple days ago i found a college roomie through a social networking site. no, not through facebook or myspace, but through the more eloquent, more grownup site: linkedin.

linkedin is the slower paced, more austere cousin of its over-hyped freakout raver siblings: facebook and myspace. it's true, i feel more at ease using linkedin, more able to opt out when i'm not feelin' it, and take advantage when it works for me. i didn't feel guilty or dirty using it to find mariah. i found out where she works and what her married name is through our alumni magazine, and i simply typed her name into the search box. since i'm a member, i could reach her, and give her my email address. there. done. i used linkedin as a surrogate; albeit not for the use case scenarios they likely revised and ruminated over, but still. i'm a happy customer. i'll come back.

i shared my reunion with the remaining roommate in our threesome, and when i openly mocked myspace, she admitted she has an account. she giggled while she recounted the reason behind her membership: it was the only way to get in touch with a famous person she and her husband met on vacation. and now? her 39-year old husband is berated with countless requests a day to be his "friend." her account will expire soon.