Facebook, Twitter, MySpace, LinkedIn … Somebody Stop the Music!

No, I am not a hypocrite. I, like millions of people, participate regularly in social networking. I am a proponent of social networking and appreciate the implication of its value. However, what prompted me to write this article was a little bell going off in my head. That bell rings out: “So you come into work two hours early every day to get your social networking elbow greased up for tweeting, re-tweeting, updating, Inmailing, posting, tagging, poking”… well you get the idea. So what is it about these virtual coffee shops that draw me to them like a moth to the flame?

The intriguing part of this is that I actually look forward to it. I enjoy connecting with people. Some I know very well, a few I know somewhat, and fewer still, I barely know at all. I feel like a tourist visiting people in countries I have not toured and, in reality, may never. It’s fun and certainly interesting. I guess that’s why I have many followers on Twitter from Great Britain and Australia. At first blush, I can’t help but be a little amazed thinking about why they would want to be connected to me and what value they get from my updates. I am flattered and amazed.