Blogetary (Weblog + Commentary = Blogetary)

BFB – (and I resisted for a while, and even ignore my profile when I first got it), I used to actually surf the internet. Remember that? Remember the days when, instead of camping ourselves on Twitter or Facebook or even MySpace or any other social network, we’d actually EXPLORE the internet? Follow a link to another link to another link and so on? Remember those days? We learned new things. We found odd articles. We got together over coffee face-to-face (shock) to talk about it, or emailed it to friends. Sometimes we got together on forums and discussed what we found.

AFB – Now we have services that find all those things. Services that have a link to Facebook or MySpace and *click* you not only can have all the odd news stories sent to your email box, but you can share them with your entire FB community!

BFB – If what you thought when you woke up was, “I need a cup of coffee!” then you got up and got yourself a cup of coffee.

AFB – Now, when you think that, you reach for your phone or stumble to your computer and type out “i need coffee. lol! “  or something like that.

BFB – You visited blogs, reading and commenting on ideas and thoughts. Sometimes a few times a week, sometimes once a day. Sometimes you actually read the paper and magazines, too.

AFB – You play Pirates of the Caribbean, comment on everyone’s status, play Mafia Wars, comment on everyone’s status, play Street Racing, chat on FB, comment on everyone’s status, send a few smiles and/or drinks, check statuses again and then realize, “Oh shit! I need to get to work!” Check the online news and magazines and zoom on.

BFB – You exchanged phone numbers and emails.

AFB – You exchange Facebook profiles.

BFB – You feel sluggish and don’t feel like going to work out. So, you feel sluggish. You might tell a friend, a co-worker, or just your cat.

AFB – You share your sluggishness with the entire FB community and get a mix of thumbs up and “stay home, dude!” and “keep at it”.

BFB – You wrote your passing thoughts in a journal to look over them and think about them. You had an internal life.

AFB – Most of those thoughts get splurted out on the FB screen, commented on, “liked” or ignored. And you’re internal life, or what’s left of it, is nothing but a lot of blurbs and bytes from yourself and your friends.

BFB – You looked forward to sending out pretty invitations, sending cards, sending regular snail mail. Looked for pretty stationary and thank you notes.

AFB – You go on FB and type “Hey Dudes!  Having a party Friday night! Come by and see me!” Followed the Saturday after by, “Great to see everyone!” And a few private messages to the people who actually showed up.

I guess that’s progress? Of a sort? Exchange of a possibly deep private life for an active, social online life? What do you think? Let me know on Facebook.