are you on facebook?

i'll own up. i've been facebooking.

yes, facebook is quite addictive.

it started when i decided to fight vampires, werewolves, zombies and slayers.

completely senseless and nonsensical, i know.

then i got hooked sending roses, ice-creams, hugs, smiles, eggs, plants and water globes, not to mention super-poking friends: throwing them obamas, hilarys, ghosts, pies, sheep, cows etc.

there're a zillion other applications which i've added and removed along the way (stuff i find totally meaningless / boring / useless), and others which i keep receiving but have completely ignored (stuff i find totally meaningless / boring / useless). actually i'm equally guilty of sending invitations and requests asking friends to add the ones i like.

but that's just the tip of the iceberg. the real fun (at least for me) was to find out what people were up to these days. i trawled friends' list and discovered other long lost classmates/friends who were somehow connected - the usual six degrees of separation situation. when the list was exhausted, i turned to networks and groups to continue my search for old friends, schoolmates and - gasp - the ex!

it's a terrible confession to make cos i'm actually admitting that my curiosity has gotten the better of me and i'm indirectly spying on people!!!

oooooooooo. nasty, NASTY mumsy!

but i reconnected with friends i've lost contact with over the years, and have been playing the "catch-up game" with them. i've added some of my cousins, students (past and present), ex-colleagues, workmates etc to my list too.

naturally, there are individuals who are quite expressive and won't hesitate to broadcast and post their daily activities on facebook. some others are a teeny-weeny more reserved and inactive, and have opted to guard their privacy with restriction settings to prevent unauthorised viewing of their profile.

personally, i don't fancy the thought of total strangers prying into all aspects of my life either so i've limited my profile to allow access only to friends.

ironically, the hub's kept his distance from these technologically driven attempts to get people connected.

we're talking about a guy who's got a degree in computer science and spent his early career days as a systems analyst, living and breathing IT. so far, he's remained msn-free (much less own a blog) and thinks facebook is overhyped and overrated, and a waste of time.

ah well.

but i can see his point. facebook can be a tad distracting especially when there're deadlines to meet. i doubt bosses will appreciate delays and lapses in project management because their staff have been too busy super-poking their contacts online to work effectively.

facebook may be red-hot until the "next big thing" usurps its position and it joins the dethroned myspace, friendster et al.

before that happens, let me go spread some love and monster hug some 20 people online. and i think i'll try to persuade a couple of friends to join me as sith in the battle against the jedi.