Thanks for the comment and the link. I just left a long comment there. Also, I'm so happy you're using the search function. I only recently twigged on it myself.

I did check out Karen Smith's blog link. Interesting thoughts on the Facebook Ecosystem. Underlying her three types are the questions of value and adeptness.

Janet

I agree...social networking skims the surface. It's only through the aggregates of the status updates that one gains a more in-depth picture of the person. We've become e-buddies over the course of several years. Using the email chat device has provided at least a typed conversation that's in real time.

Kendra,

“Are you feeding YOUR dog or someone else’s pet?” is a cool Twitter slogan. Does he tweet this over and over again, or...?

Janet

I now have him Tweeting: "Are you feeding YOUR dog or someone else's pet?" It's beginning to build interest in his Dr. Greg's work.

This story is too funny and definitely on the spot.

I've been using my updates to entertain myself as well as track my reading and viewing.

There is an application that links Twitter, Plaxo, Linked-In and Facebook. I think each social networking site is useful if you know how to use it and enjoy it. I am most active on Facebook. Yet, I post on Twitter first now so I know that the character count is under 140.

I've found it's an interesting discipline to condense experience so much.

Janet

Here's another of my social network status updates:

"My computer is why I don't own a sledgehammer."

This is after having our network router stop working. The two new ones we tried which promised to take only 15 minites to set up wound up taking a couple days and over $200. We hired someone to come do it when Jim could not figure out what the problem was. Well, you may know I am legally blind. The woman who came is deaf. I had to get the ISP on the phone, then write down what the snotty tech guy said, she would read it, then would write what I was to tell him, then I would have to write "Larger please" so I could read it, then would report that to the tech guy.

The upshot was that we found out our modem was too old and we had to buy a new one.. from the IDP of course. And two intelligent, proud, capable women were made to feel helpless and inadequate.. partially by the tech guy but mostly by the situation. What a circus.

Social networking: I know a LOT of authors who are on the things.. including me.. who really don't have the time and wind up sending promos to each other anyway... I am sure they ignore mine as much as I do theirs. I also fail to see the purpose of there being so many of these sites. So far I like Facebook best.. the rest seem thinner at worst and clones at best.

So Janet, is this what you were looking for?

Nan
Promo for my book.. tee hee.. An Involuntary King: A Tale of Anglo Saxon England
1-4196-5669-4

Ernest, you would know best about "cutting the distance between people of different cultural backgrounds and distant parts of the world" since you are over on the other side from me.

Pros and cons of social networking/media sites; how these affect and benefit the users; how they relate to art and culture, and so on?

Good topic. Pro: they are revelatory and connective. Con: They are flattening and over-simplifying.

‘Are Social Networking Sites Really Useful?’ Yes, depending on knowing the use you want to put them to and then sticking to that purpose. Friendship? Marketing? Intellectual tickling? Book and movie recommendations?

I've been using my status updates as a record of thoughts, themes and topics I'm passionate about, listing books and movies I see.

In other words: Micro blogging. This has freed me from following up some of these topics in more length on Riehlife.

Janet

- Savoring memories of kissing a pirate.. http://bit.ly/Yha4S

Checking Facebook next.