Facebook and SecondLife

I was still in college when Facebook emerged and was all the rage on campus and generally among people my age. I initially felt that it was a good was to stay in touch with classmates, during school and after, and was a good way to keep abreast of social on-goings. It is a site that allows a user to set up a profile with as much or as little information as he chooses. This can include email or phone numbers and pictures. If you include the college and high school you attended, you are linked to a network of other users who attended the same schools. In order to view the full profile of another user, you have to be admitted as his “friend.” You can send a message to someone else, requesting confirmation as this person’s friend. When he confirm, you can view the full profile.  I have used it, although not as extensively as others, and I have found it somewhat useful. I usually go the the Facebook site to see what my former classmates are up to. It is a good way to stay in touch with other people with whom you attended high school and college. I do find it frustrating that some old friends will send me a message through Facebook, rather than sending me an email directly. However, when someone sends you a message, you are notified through your personal email account; you can then go to the Facebook site and view the message. So it’s just an extra step. But it’s also another site you have to check. The main reason why I even bother with this site is because I feel “out of the loop” if I ignore it.  If I were a college librarian from a different generation I would probably check the site as a way of accessing the students and conversely, making myself more accessible in manner they could relate to.

I also took a look at SecondLife, and I am not sure of its purpose. It consists of an online, virtual world created by the users. It almost reminds me of a 3-D video game. I think those who are interested in the high-tech computer video games would enjoy this site the most. I don’t see it as a site that would organize or disseminate information that is relevant to my life, professional or otherwise. In my opinion the site is not really worth the time to explore and use.