Facebook has its uses

Tags

connections, contacts, postaday2013, writing

I have to admit that after being on Facebook for some time now, I have come to appreciate some of its features. It is very handy when it comes to remembering birthdays, Facebook often lets you know first thing when you log on, otherwise I would have forgotten a few here and there.

Another aspect that I like is when you find an organization that interests you, they inevitably have a Facebook page that you can “like” and voila, you are linked to the latest news and events.

What I especially appreciate are the schools or universities that have parental groups designed to be closed so that the parents can freely discuss their woes, concerns and questions. Various school administrators peruse the thread because they will come in and provide answers to many of the questions that are thrown out in the comment sections.

What I like best about Facebook is the instant connection I get with my family in France, just the fact that they click “like” on something that I posted, puts a smile on my face.

I know that to most these are the most obvious and basic observations but to an anti-techie like myself, this means that I have come a small way into the tech universe.

Standout

When was the last time you really stood out in a crowd? Are you comfortable in that position, or do you wish you could fade into the woodwork?

Once, when I was a senior in high school, my English teacher, Mister Faust, who was the best English teacher, our class was dedicated to Shakespeare and he had the gift of dimystifying the language. He had made plans to take us to the theatre to see A Merchant of Venice with Derek Jacobi at the Gotham Theatre in New York City. The idea was for the class to meet in the lobby a half hour before curtain call. My father still had his second restaurant Le Chatelet two blocks away from the Gotham theatre so I made the point to have dinner with my father. After dinner my father gave me a glass of champagne and sent me off wishing me a lovely evening.

As I walked towards the theatre I felt a presence following me and when I looked behind me, there was a man and he gave me a very bad feeling. I got to the theatre and the whole facade of the lobby was floor to ceiling glass. I could see my classmates and Mister Faust standing amongst a huge crowd of people, the lobby was packed. I quickly went to the revolving doors with two thoughts on my mind; getting away from the bad man and getting to my teacher. I went through the revolving doors and crashed through one of the glass doors, and burst into the lobby.

The entire lobby fell silent and I was in shock, followed by a tremendous embarrassment. I wanted to fall through the floor at that moment.

I still went to the play, I couldn't miss Derek Jacobi now could I?

To this day I would always rather melt into the background then be in front and possible be the focus of attention.