It was in late 2008 when I leaned over Joe’s shoulder to first lay my eyes on Facebook.  Never a big MySpace person, I took only slight interest in social media at the time.  I decided to start up an innocent little account.  My first status updates reported exactly what I was doing, “I am watching T.V.” or “I just fed seven children”. I posted a bunch of pictures and used it like a scrapbook.  Perhaps the combination of being pregnant with my fourth child in 2009 and suffering insomnia would put me slightly off the edge and make Facebook become an outlet for me.  I’d impulsively post snapshots and sometimes witty daily observations…I have my fun.  

So…when I decided to give Twitter a shot I was met with this question, “Who do you want to follow?”….Follow?  I don’t know…who should I be ‘following’?  After I transfered the five friends I could easily identify from Facebook, I was left to a list of categories of actors, musicians, comedy, Nascar, etc.  Never one to be too big on celebrity idolization, I quickly retreated back to my comfort zone (a.k.a the blue box with the white F in it).  I mean…o.k…I’m not saying that I’m so cool that I’ve never written a fan letter before…but I never did mail one.  I mean, Facebook is criticized for making ‘fake’ friendships…but my Twitter ‘feed’ makes me laugh.  I scroll through and see…Oprah…Parents magazine…Ellen….Patricia Heaton…Justin Timberlake..Mindy Kaling… Joyce Meyer…

Obviously, the thing that is worse than realizing that celebrities aren’t like the rest of us is realizing that they really are.  Sometimes…I don’t even know what they are talking about…with all the hashtags# and the @ signs.  It’s like I’m overhearing a conversation that they are having to their friends…their ‘real life’ friends.  Other times, I’m not even sure if it is the actual celebrity tweeting or their second cousin who is in charge of their social media.  A couple times I @ ted them.  I sent them a specific message giving my 2 cents.  There is no ‘like’ button…and this unnerves me.  What results are recycled Facebook statuses that are just sitting in oblivious cyber space on Twitter.  But in the meantime…Mindy Kaling thinks Eucerin lotion rocks and Parents magazine is reminding me how to parent again.  

I feel like I am doing something wrong…isn’t there a way to FaceTweet?…I mean say the same thing twice with one push of a button…it’s too much work.

And really…what’s so wrong with Facebook friends?  I like my conveniently distant friends.   I’m much too busy to put too much effort into a friendship…I get constantly interrupted on the phone…I hang with the kids when I’m not working…Facebook works for me.  But, there are definitely times that I would like to transfer a couple Facebook friends into my daily routine….like when realizing that I am on the brink of putting ‘Magic Mike’ in my Netflix queue…or when I had to explain a P.M.S. moment to my husband earlier today…you get the idea.   Just like my sorority ‘sisters’ who bid on me after being a transfer student…I know we aren’t really ‘sisters’….we are just at the same place at the same time having a few laughs and a little fun.  Soon, we will graduate and I will have trouble remembering your last name….but in the meantime, let’s sing chants and paint paddles.  

Justin Timberlake sends his love