This Is This

One of the nice things about social networking is that it keeps you in the picture without being in the frame. Let me explain.

I was contacted this week by a school friend, Hannah from Bermuda, with whom I probably would not otherwise have stayed in touch.

It would have been weird picking up the phone to the mid-Atlantic, saying: “Hey. Just wondered what you are up to, whether you had a favourites quote, if you were married and what your religious views are, should you need them. Maybe you have a blog or a page on the web where I can see pictures of you.”

Or maybe that would seem weird because we now have other, less intrusive ways of getting in touch.

But things like Facebook and Myspace keep you in touch through less vain methods. I was on an IM with my buddy Iain yesterday. We used to work together and we’re in touch more weeks than we’re not with one thing or others.

We conceded that we’re not big phoners, and without the online networks of former colleagues we would have fallen out of touch, even though there aren’t many other people I would want less be drift away from on the social undercurrents.

The net and personal sites keep us tethered, bobbing along on the mooring until we choose to set sail.

Speaking of online stuff, John Smeaton is being hailed as an “Internet hero” by the newspapers. This is bullshit, because if he’d been celebrated in the newspapers, he wouldn’t be called a “press hero”. If I’d been calling up my mates (doubtful, see above) and spoken in hushed, reverential tones befitting the Smeato, he wouldn’t be a “telephone hero”, would he?

The Internet lets people express themselves, but don’t forget that it’s the singer and not song. As far as the soul, it’s the music, not the CD that does the heavy lifting.

So that’s it about it for this week. If you’re back tomorrow, the weekend song will have you smiling right through until Sunday.

My own religious views, by the way, are somewhere between lay Buddhist and lapsed agnostic.

But like I was saying - it’s the journey, not the road.

Have a great weekend.

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This entry was posted on Friday, July 6th, 2007 at 7:07 am. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed, or you can skip to the end and leave a comment yourself.