The Facebook Revolution

Social media.  It seems that every time you turn on the television or open up a magazine, people are talking about social media and how it's "taking over the world".  And at the forefront of the revolution: Facebook. 

I confess, it has very much become a big part of my day.  I find that some days I am eager to see what new posts people have written on Facebook.  What are all my "friends" doing? All 587 of them. Even as I write this I feel a bit bemused that I am so interested in the everyday happenings of everyone elses life.

587 - to some, this would only comprise a small fraction of their "friend pie".  Maybe your friend tally is in the thousands.  Me? I can't beleive I know 587 people... Okay, I'll admit, every so often a request comes across and I can't remember how I know the person - maybe I don't...  What's fascinating to me is that of those 587 some are my best friends, some are my family and a very large portion are the acquaintances I have met along life's journey.  High school friends, college friends, some I studied abroad with, some I met while living in New York, and even some I have met at functions here in South Carolina. 

I remember when Facebook was first picking up steam.  I was a Junior in College at UC Santa Barbara.  Back then, it was the battle of Myspace and Facebook.  Facebook was limited on the information you were allowed to share.  There certainly wasn't a Newsfeed like there is now (modeled after Twitter), where people can literally write what they are doing or thinking at any second and share it.  I'm not even sure you could post or share pictures.  But the intention of the social network has always remained the same - to change the way we communicate and share information.

From the day I signed up for Facebook it opened a whole new venue of connectivity.  I could send a message to my friend at college across country even if I didn't have her email or phone number.  As long as other people shared, you could keep up on the break-ups and make-ups, who was taking the same course as you and who was working on the same paper you were.  The flow of information was dramatically changing.  Back when it started, Facebook was only limited to college students.  You had to have a University or College email address to register which kept it as a college network of 18-21 year olds sharing the good times we were all having in school.

Fast forward to 2010... my Mother is on facebook, my grandparents are on Facebook.  Now I am able to see friends that not only graduated college but who are getting engaged, married, even having children.  The amount of information seems to be ever increasing and sometimes overwhelming.  I made a Facebook page for our business and from time to time receive requests to connect with other businesses in the area.  I admit, sometimes I am confused by this... what once started as a purely social portal all limited to one age group has now ballooned to an all-inclusive network. Caution is now warranted, I have to think before writing messages and posts and sharing pictures of friends and family.  Do I want to share this with the world? If not, maybe Facebook isn't the best place to share my information...

I often wonder how social networking will change and adapt even further.  It is ever increasingly becoming a part of business, of marketing and it seems to be a place where people go first for the latest information whether personal or professional.  I'm sure there will always be more avenues provided to share information, whether Facebook or another portal, there will be places to catapult personal information across cyberspace.  Although I'm not the most internet savvy person there is, I'll try to keep up with these adaptations.  But for now, I'll just continue to feel perplexed as to how I know 587 people...

To Health Wealth And Happiness

Black-eyed peas, collard greens, spinach cornbread. As I recently found out, these are a few of the southern culinary traditions to bring in the New Year.  New Years Eve is one of the most widely celebrated nights of the year.  Parties, champagne, trying to stay up till midnight to watch that glittering ball drop in Times Square - I still can't figure out why all those people wait there in the cold... This year, my New Years Eve consisted of me and my wonderful husband relaxing on the couch watching a movie.  As my Dad wisely pointed out to me during our conversation earlier that day "It's not like you haven't been to big NYE parties in the past."  Dad, you have a point...

As 2009 came to a close, I, like most other people, began to think back at the year that would soon be in the past.  This time, it was not only the year, but the decade.  Attempting to reflect on it all was at first overwhelming.   The past decade included my high school graduation, college graduation and most recently my wedding.  [see below - you get the idea...]


From Senior Prom to starting my first day of work in New York City, the past decade has certainly been filled with ups, downs, sideways challenges and everything imaginable in between. My ego aside, the past decade was also filled with great loss of very dear loved ones whose memory certainly will carry on.  Through hard times and through joyous times, 2000-2009 is a vault of impressions.
Conclusion: I am infinitely grateful for my loving family and friends who have been there for me through it all. 

What I like about New Years is that it gives all of us a chance and opportunity to not only reflect but to look forward as well.  In anticipation of the next year and the next decade, I can't help but think about the significant moments that happen all the time - what memories will I be reflecting on next New Years Eve? I suppose that's one component of New Year's Resolutions; to think about what is to come and how you want to positively impact it. I would like to think I am constantly trying to resolve as a person... can that be a resolution? To resolve all year and continuously make commitments? That's going to be one of my resolutions.

Since this was a quiet New Years Eve, we decided to cook - and I mean really cook a New Years Day meal.  Walk into any grocery store in the south around New Years and there is an abundance of collard greens and black eyed peas.  In trying to participate in the southern tradition - we cooked up cornbread, chicken casserole (okay, not part of the tradition, but yummy just the same), black eyed peas and collard greens.  Black eyed peas are said to be for health in the new year and collards (or greens) are for wealth (there were a LOT of collards on our table...).  I have to say this was a fun tradition to partake in, one that I think will maintain in my home for years to come.
(left, spinach cornbread. right, collard greens and black eyed peas)


I'm not sure what path 2010 will lead me down - or how that path will wind through the next decade.  But I am thankful for my friends, family and for the memories of the past decade that I will cherish.  And here's to health, wealth and much happiness to come.