Facebook

Facebook is dangerous. If you allow it to, it will take up much of your free time and, quite possibly, much of your productive time.

These computers have had an interesting effect on multitasking. The availability of web-based software combined with the necessity for people to work on computers both at home and at work creates an environment conducive to slacking.

But it doesn't feel like slacking at the time. When I log into Facebook, I think I'll just check it out for a couple of minutes and be done. You know, see if I have any messages, that sort of thing. The next thing I know, ten or twenty minutes have gone by. I start responding to messages, leaving status messages, responding to status messages, commenting on photos. . . and the list goes on.

Like most of our home entertainment, it's a lot of fun, but takes away from productive time. For instance, I don't think I've written a blog since signing up with Facebook. Maybe I'm just gathering material.

Pumpkin bread. I have made a couple loaves of that. Yummy. Did I write about it in Facebook? Just as a status message, but not in the elegant and lengthy way I could on my blog, a way to exacerbate my creative writing skills.

Another thing about Facebook. Who are some of these people Friending me? I mean, there were a few people that I shared a class here or there and we were friendly. I'm interested to see how they're doing these days. But there are several people with whom I'm confident I've never had a conversation. Not one. We have two things in common: Deerfield High School and a Facebook friend. Do some people simply Friend everyone in their graduating class? Or everyone they've ever heard of?

Fortunately, there are some perks. You get to see how cute or ugly people have become. I get to show off JD and his awesomeness. I see what people have been up to for the last several years. And yes, I do get to hear about people's day-to-day. It's all very interesting. That's the attraction.

I guess it's all new to me. I'll be obsessed with it for a few more weeks, then it'll get boring and I won't care as much. Or I'll have so many friends and have to respond to so many messages that it will continue to call me to the computer at every opportunity.