Social Media
NAME: Z
STATUS: Chatty
GOAL: Keeping an eye on Troy
PEEVE: Facebook updates that say nothing
GLEE: Connecting with old friends
Troy is in sixth grade this year and wants to get on Facebook. Many of his friends are social media masters already but Troy hadn’t shown much interest until now.
Did You know?90% of Internet users know at least one social network.
The average Facebook user has 130 friends and is connected to 60 pages, groups and events.
The very first video uploaded was called “Me at the Zoo”, on 23rd April 2005. By June 2006, more than 65,000 videos were being uploaded every day.
He will set up his Facebook page this weekend and I will be in his first round of friend requests. That’s the House of Z rule. In a few years, after he turns 18, if Troy wants to “unfriend” me and post stupid stuff on Facebook that could jeopardize his career or college scholarships or relationships, he is free to do so. Until then, I’ll be watching.
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Trust me, I will not spend hours stalking my son on Facebook. I just want to know what he is up to and with whom he’s hanging out, virtually as well as literally. We had the same household rule when Sheri was in high school, though she was the one who taught me how to use Facebook.
Sheri and other young adults in their 20s grew up with social media. When Facebook makes big changes, as it did recently, they just roll along with them. Me, I struggle, but it creates a great excuse for Sheri to stop by to visit and straighten me out.
During a few wild college years, Sheri unfriended me. It was probably for the best. We are Facebook friends again, though probably not BFFs. I’m fine with that because, honestly, most of what she posts makes no sense to me. And I just don’t care that she “checked in” at the yogurt place for the fifth day in a row.
What I do love about Facebook is when old friends from high school or college find me and we reconnect, if only in the cloud. Locally, a few of us from church created a “private group” on Facebook where we talk about God and prayer, which can work like a virtual prayer circle.
Social media site help me make connections but I don’t live for my time on Facebook. I do keep to my own personal Z rule, though. No politics. Ever.
Let expert Laura Creekmore walk you through some of the major social networking sites.
All the above information has been reviewed by this week’s expert.
