Facebook vs. Face to Face

Let me start by saying that I’m not a Facebook/Twitter hater. I use both and so does my wife and daughter. They’re great tools for staying in contact with friends that live far away from us. GREAT tools for communication. I’m just not convinced that their great tools for community.

Recently I hid someone on FB. I got tired of looking at their inane comments and crude sayings. So with a click of the button, I hid them. I didn’t “defriend” them, I just hid them. That way they’re still in my friend count and they’ll still be able to read my nuggets of wisdom.

Don’t end the relationship. Hide the relationship. No prob, except for the fact that there is no RELATIONSHIP! How many friends on FB or Twitter do you really have a relationship with?

Remember the front porch? or the ring of the doorbell? Remember when you were glad when a neighbor would stop by? Yeah, I don’t either. The reality is the first house we bought had a two car attached garage and one of the first things that I bought was a garage door opener. But I do remember Grandma’s front porch and how it always seemed occupied with friends and family.

Can we ever go back to the “good ol’ days?” Nope! But that doesn’t mean that we can’t do something. Time to hit the reset button. Remember the Ma Bell ad: Reach out and touch someone? That’s my challenge to you. Find someone on your Facebook list that lives close to you that you haven’t seen in a while and reach out to them. Have a cup of coffee. Do lunch. Invite their family over for dinner. Instead of Facebook, go old school…. Face to Face. It’s the best form of wireless communication ever invented. Never underestimate the value of Face to Face, Eye to Eye, or at the very least Ear to Ear.

Have a great week! God bless you.