My wife called me out today. It is a rare occurrence, and so it was startling and jarring
to me. “What are you doing?” she
barked at me. Whoa. What’s the big idea? I was doing exactly what I am doing
right now: Sitting at the dining room table on the laptop. I wasn’t typing,
though. I was scanning the New York Times. This is pretty much standard
operating procedure around these parts. Heidi was calling me out because she
feels I spend too much time on the computer. She’s probably right, of course. I
have become more aware of my computer time, because of subtle comments she has
made in the past. Today was not so subtle. The message was received, loud and
clear. Guilty as charged.
The thought has been weighing on my mind for weeks, as I am
agonized over whether to join the Facebook ranks. I poach Heidi’s Facebook page
frequently – I was even doing that this afternoon, shortly before she called me
out -- so I am somewhat aware of the Facebook world. But I have been resistant
to join for the very reason Heidi accurately points out: It will be another “thing”
for me to check, to read and to scroll down endlessly. More laptop time. I know
I will be sucked into the vacuum that is Facebook. But I also know that it can
be a valuable networking tool with our very loyal alumni base.
This has been my rationale: Use Facebook solely as a way to get and stay
connected to Marist Running Alumni new and old. I could use Facebook as a way
to spread the word on the Red Fox Trot 5K race, which is coming up in a few
weeks. It would be the smart thing to do, right? Right? Again, I have been
wrestling with the decision. I know, though, that it would not be limited to
staying connected with Marist Running Alumni. It could very well spiral out of
control. I’m very conflicted on this topic; there are many good reasons to get
into the social network scene, but I have survived on the
outside of that social network sphere just fine without it.
For a few years now, this blog has been a way to stay
connected to alumni and friends of the program. But is it possible that blogs like
this are passé anymore? Is the concept of a blog like this becoming outdated,
like e-mail, snail mail, real phone calls (not texts) and actual face-to-face
interaction? Are blogs not instantaneous enough? Do they not feed the
all-consuming, 24/7, instant-gratification beast that our world has become? I
don’t know. I really don’t. So anyway, I take Heidi’s mild scolding today as a
sign for me not to take the Facebook plunge yet. If I ever do it at all.
And so, I ask you, the faithful followers of this blog, to
do me a huge favor and spread the word on the Red Fox Trot 5K. Share this link to the race, where there is a link to sign up for the race. If anyone prefers a
PDF file application, I can email it to you. Just email me at runhed246@hotmail.com (there I go with this outdated form of
communication!) and I will send you the PDF immediately. Lastly, if
interested, let me know your thoughts on my moral Facebook dilemma. You can
email me, call me, text me or leave a comment here.
No matter what: I sincerely hope we have a great turnout at the Red
Fox Trot 5K on Saturday, September 8.
1 comment:
Ironically, I'm trying to get back into blogging and spend less time on Facebook. I also find that I prefer Twitter over Facebook. Its quick and easy to get information across.
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