Facebook my Friend

So, in case you haven't noticed, I am a prolific Facebooker. I login anywhere from 4-12 times a day to check messages, send messages and update my status. Facebook has become as important a part of my daily communications as email and that is unlikely to change anytime soon. So why is Facebook so important to me? Why do I feel the need to broadcast my thoughts and feelings to several hundred 'friends' on a regular basis? Am I an addict, a sad lonely middle-aged has-been, a cyber slut? Well, yes to some of those (cyber slut in particular) but for the rest - no. So what makes me different from the thousands of other sad, pathetic souls who spend countless hours socialising on their computers? Quite a bit I think.

First of all, I am a writer. It's who I am and it's the label I most identify with. It's about as concrete as me being a woman and a mother. Facebook is without question, the most useful broadcasting tool I've had as a writer, performer and artist. I've met some of my best contacts via Facebook, done most of my best marketing via Facebook and have even gotten some pretty sweet freelance contracts via Facebook - no shit!

So for the sake of a good debate, I'm curious to know how much people think is too much when it comes to time spent on a networking site like Facebook. Since I actually put a value on every activity I partake in during a day, including the mundane, it's interesting to me that I feel so immensely comfortable putting a positive value on the time I spend on Facebook. So how much time in concentrated value do I actually spend there? Not nearly as much as one might think. For example, I'm not there now. I am however logged into my email from the moment I wake up in the moring and put a steaming cup of coffee to my lips. My email immediately starts loading up all of the messages and comments I have received from everywhere I belong online- including myspace, youtube, Facebook and this (my blog). And then I start responding. Some people might think this is a waste of time, but to me, it is work and I assure you that each and every time I post something on my Facebook status, I have put something of myself into it. It's like a mental exercise. Or, a series of mental exercises. Think about the person who writes in a journal (I do this too), only these are journal entries you share. And why not? I love reading other people's statuses. And, I like to think I'm in a slightly more interesting position than the pregnant ladies who talk about their cervixes and the people playing Bejewelled Blitz or Mafia Wars. Slightly. I don't participate in online chats or msn because I find these too distracting and I am actually working. I know this is a concept which is hard to accept, but just think of me as the salesman who has to take a client out to dinner and then calls it work. I am taking you all out to dinner!

But seriously, prolific use of anything to the point where it is labelled an addiction is a dangerous thing. And like most other subjects, I actually know quite a bit about addiction. So do I think I am addicted to Facebook? No, absolutely not - Cherry Blossoms maybe, but Facebook? Nope. And here's why. Aside from me considering my status updates to be actual work and all (snicker if you must), I have an average day which looks something like this:

I wake up at 6.30am and go to bed somewhere around 11.00pm. In between those two times, I have managed to look after my child, get her off to school fed, clothed and smiling, made at least two meals for the 9 people who live in my house, do my work, run any errands and socialise. I never leave my house wearing pajamas or looking like a heroin junkie. I dress well, look after myself and I think it shows. I'm a speed reader (no joke) and plow through anywhere from 10 -20 books a week. That doesn't include the newspapers, periodicals and magazines I like to sift through as well. I can hold a conversation without a hitch and have been told my company is very entertaining. If you haven't seen me perform on stage, you should. I work really hard not to let you down. I hate wasting time. I am confident, but not vain. And while I do enjoy the company of others, I often prefer my own. Did I mention I live in a house of 9 people? Anyway, I feel like I am making justification for something which doesn't require it, but there you have it. I make no apologies, read my statuses or don't, it's entirely up to you. I love a good debate, it's good for the brain. And this is a subject I could talk about all day long......

P.S. - It's true about the book, I am writing one, it's a fictional account of a lady's year of status updates, a bit like Bridget Jone's diary but for the web geek. And remember it's fiction, so if it ever does get published and you ever do read it and you see something which remarkably resembles something you wrote many moons ago on Facebook as a comment or a status, I made it all up. And you can speak with my lawyer.