Facehooked

I have a confession. I've been ignoring this blog, because I have a social media monkey on my back. I've fallen prey to the Facehooked phenomenon.

That's the term applied to people who are obsessed with Facebook. Apparently, there are more than 200,000 million FB users -- which is comparable in size to the 5th largest country in the world. While not everyone is hooked like me, about 100 million users are said to leaf through FB daily.

Facebook is a great vehicle for seeking out old friends/colleagues. It's also an effective tool for making new connections for business and otherwise. It's important, though, to have a little perspective. A few good lessons I've learned include:

1. Limit the amount of time you spend on FB. (Duh.) This potential time-suck can be minimized by limiting yourself to 5 minute increments so you can get on with your day... and your life.


2. Add apps cautiously and selectively. Do you really need to know what your Witness Protection or Stripper Name would be?


3. Don't collect friends as though it's a competition. You may get a quick Prom Queen buzz from racking up those numbers, but the tiara is quickly tarnished when you're forced to respond to daily inquiries from the guy you tried to avoid at the Student Union in college.


4. Use Facebook for show and tell. It's an excellent venue to get the word out about successes and opportunities. But if you use it exclusively as a platform to boast, you'll become pariah faster than you can say "Lindsay Lohan."


5. Ask and ye shall receive. Turn to your friends if you have questions. Hopefully, there's a lot to be learned from those around you. (I said, "hopefully.")

Ultimately, enjoy in moderation, but enjoy. Facebook can be amazingly entertaining. After all, that's where I learned about my latest obsession: awkwardfamilyphotos.com