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June 7, 2007
Facebook - For Parents or Professionals?
For some people, being on top of pop culture -- music, movies, what's hot and what's not, comes naturally. Not so for me. I work very hard at it. I consider it part of my job, both professionally and as a parent. For both of those reasons, I joined Facebook months ago -- way before my daughter did. I was happily participating in librarian groups and making friends when she expressed an interest in joining. Unprompted, the first thing she did when she joined, was to "friend" me -- I was beyond thrilled.
Facebook is an online social network -- I think of it as a graphic representation of six degrees of separation. Teens use it to connect, interact and keep in touch with their friends. In addition to my daughter, some of my friends include my brothers, my nephew, actual friends and colleagues. I leave private messages for my daughter, write on a colleagues "wall," and "poke" my brother. I admit, though that I tread carefully, where my daughter and her friends are concerned. It's not about the technology -- it's about being in her space.
There is an article in today's NYTimes, called "OMG my mom joined facebook!" that is hilarious and worth reading. As a parent, there is a fine balance between being in your teen's space, being aware of what's going on and being interfering and embarrassing. But, I feel totally in my element in a professional capacity when I'm on Facebook -- it really isn't just for teens and college students anymore. And, now our Young Adult Librarian, Susan Owens has a Facebook also.
Find us. Friend us. We're in your space now.
Posted by Michele at June 7, 2007 8:39 AM
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