Random Facebook Thoughts

• It never ceases to amaze me how many friends some people have. I noticed one of my friends today has over 3300 friends. That is mind boggling.
• I often wonder how some people seem like they spend all day on facebook as evidenced by their constant status updates…”So and so just looked outside…so and so is reading a book.”
• How is it that some people have impossible to achieve status updates? “So and so is eating dinner with the family and holding the baby.” How are they typing that at the dinner table while holding the baby? I don’t get it.
• Does anyone know how many applications exist on facebook? It seems to me that there is a select group of people who feel like I need to be poked, given a green patch, or added to a calendar. I don’t understand what 99% of those things are.
• Do you ever get so bogged down with news about people you don’t know that you can’t make out pertinent info about people you really do know?
• Have you ever added enough groups that the ones you really want to see are no longer on the list…you have to click “see all” to get to the ones you need to see.
• Does anyone else think the facebook email system is pretty amazing. I love how you can follow a conversation all on one page. That is a great feature of the wall too.
• Have any of you check out the Networked Blogs application on facebook? It is really helpful but not as helpful as bloglines or google reader.
• Do you ever get someone to initiate a chat with you just as you are about to close facebook? Maybe you haven’t spoken with them in years and you don’t know what to do…either acknowledge it and start a conversation that could take a long time or else feel like you are acting rude.
• Have you ever turned down a friend suggestion? I don’t think I ever have.
• Have you ever added a friend that you have never met? I have a few people in my friends list that I have in there just in case I ever need to contact them.
• Have you ever experienced someone using facebook notes like a blog? You get a bunch of emails of various and assundry thoughts to flood your inbox. I figure if someone has that many thoughts why don’t they start a blog that I can choose to read or not read rather than getting my inbox full.
• Facebook is such an amazing tool. I have been surprised again and again at how well it can be used to minister to others, connect people, and form community with people who would have never been connected in a million years. I have used it to set up Bible studies with people I would have never been able to reach otherwise and to organize a ministry. I have seen others use it to organize prayers for people with serious illness and I have seen it become a tool to help progress a positive Christian dialog on pertinent issues.

So thank you Facebook for all of your quirks but also for all of the ways you have been used to advance the kingdom of God.