I Guess We're Lucky it's called Facebook

I admire persistence, at least in theory. Actually, I admire my own persistence which, from a distance looks to others like 'this guy's really dumb' but it's an act (not all of it and not all the time, but I like the idea of being a man of mystery and you'll have to guess the exact when).

I have joined a couple of the social networks (I'm not even sure that's the correct term, that's how much of a dweeb I am), twitter and Facebook . I've steered clear of myspace because I have the distinct impression old people are not warmly welcomed and as an old person, I know I'm not the welcoming type, so we're even. And did you notice this past week the number of thrash rock guys with myspace pages who bought the farm? I bet Metallica is happy they went mainstream or they'd never get the chance to spend their Napster royalties.

There are scads of these sites though how any of them make money is beyond me as the twitter people don't seem to have advertising (maybe they're trying to get everyone on earth hooked up only to learn Bill Gates isn't going to give them a dollar for every person). That's so "oldest child" in me, fretting how total strangers who may not even exist ,will make a living, as if they would ever return the favor.

Meanwhile on Facebook, maybe it works that way on your page, or wall, or whatever the starting point is called, where you get suggestions for people who might be your new friends. I have 57 years of living in this skin, and for the most part, the answer is 'I don't think so.' There's a reason why I have no friends in the F&B, Flesh and Blood, World and it carries over to the virtual one. So that the machines that are Facebook keep suggesting the same someone, over and over, seemingly because she, too, went to Rutgers University (it's the STATE University of New Jersey, there's tons of people who went and still go there) is not especially insightful. It's just a variation of 'do you like apples?' without the payoff.

Push comes to shove, Facebook, try hawking James Gandolfini as a suggested friend. He also went to Rutgers. Heck, I interviewed Journey and nobody got shot. Hey! We've got TWO things in common. You gonna finish those onion rings?
-bill kenny