Making a logical case in favor of Facebook

While some have joined us on Facebook, I see there is no rush to join us en masse, so rather than simply say "join us, the water's fine," I'm going to lay out a (hopefully) well thought out, cogent argument which I believe will convince the toe dippers to jump the rest of the way in.

First and foremost, Facebook has all the elements that allow for effective self-promotion, whether it be for a business venture, professional networking, sharing a hobby with other like-minded individuals, or simply grandstanding in a way that would make Mom proud! I've seen authors, musicians, actors and other professions enlist the masses to view their talents on a scale that would not be possible without spending large sums of money. I belong to several "groups" related to business promotion and entrepreneurship that have given me a mountain of information on the subject I would not have had access to had I not joined Facebook and then the respective groups of people with whom I have a common interest.

OK, even with that having been said, I know for many that is still not enough to get us to join Facebook. So let me tell you now that in this day and age, your kids have two primary means of communication. They are texting, and Facebook. Do you sometimes feel like your children are not as communicative with you about what's going on in their lives? Well that's ironic, because their entire list of friends on Facebook knows exactly what's going on in their lives. Why do the know when you don't? It's because your kids are regularly updating their "status" to tell everyone in their network of friends what's up. Even though none of my children read this blog, I'm not going to embarrass any of them by naming names. But to illustrate the point, one of my children wrote a status update that helped me to understand they were feeling down and discouraged. Had I not been on Facebook, I would never have known what they were going through, and consequently I would not have called them to find out what was going on. I had the opportunity to share some similarly discouraging events that had occurred in my own life when I was close to their current age, and I told them how I handled it. That conversation brought us closer together, and even prompted that child to hang up the phone and immediately update their status with "I'm thankful for my Dad's advice." It warmed my heart to know I had been able to have a positive impact at a critical time.

Sharing pictures and videos is an engaging and fun experience as people "tag" each other's photos and comment on them as well. There are several applications (they're called APIs) which make the interactions more fun. Giving someone a "piece of Flair" which is a graphic in the shape of a button (you know--like a campaign button) is a nice way to let people you care about know that you are thinking about them. One of my favorite applications is the "We're Related" application where you invite family members to install the application and connect to other family members through the family tree. The company that's created that application is also building a way to turn that into a GEDCOM pedigree chart.

Those who are on Facebook already have received an invitation to a family group I created for us. Some current family Facebook members have joined, and some have not. Through that family group, I also sent out an invitation to an "event" that Dad and Harriet are sponsoring--the annual post-Thanksgiving family feast, which allows for RSVPs as to whether or not you can make it.

I understand there are those in the family who are technology adverse, and would rather write on paper than type on a computer. If that's you, there's probably not much I can do to convince you to join EVEN IF you clearly see the merits to all the reasons I'm sharing for joining.

No man is an island. Or woman for that matter. We are all connected and need to be able to regularly share that connection. Our Heavenly Father has blessed us to live in this time where we have some amazing tools to help facilitate that connection. Some might argue that those same tools also are responsible for keeping families apart. And there is truth to that. Until I joined the networks my kids were on in order to monitor their activity I had no idea of the positive power these tools can have to bring us closer together.

I love you all. Thanks to each of you for the impact you've all had in my life. I have learned to modify my focus from the negative to the positive. Rifts that may have existed between us in the past have been because I was telling myself the wrong story about the events that occurred in my life. For example, I used to be mad at Mom for not letting me play football. Now in my 50th year, I see others my age limping around dealing with a body that's quickly wearing out, while I feel fit as ever. My perceptions had to change in order to learn to appreciate all of the positive things our family has to offer. It's never been your problem, it's always been mine. So join me on Facebook and let's take our family relations to the next level!