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February 13, 2012
Binyamin Rose: Back to the Bunker: How a life-risking act by a Christian family during the Holocaust saved a family and built a thriving community a world away
Menachem Wecker: Business Schools Teach Real Estate Despite Troubled Housing Market
February 10, 2012
Lisa M. Krieger: Man with defibrillator demands access to his own heart's information
David G. Savage: Why activists may not be in a hurry to have High Court rule on alternative marriage
February 9, 2012
Laura McMullen: 10 Least Expensive Public Schools for Out-of-State Students
Kimberly Palmer: How to actually enjoy -- relaxing, financially -- your vacation
February 8, 2012
Warren Richey: Why momentous Prop. 8 ruling might not satisfy gay-rights groups
Menachem Wecker: Though Controversial, LL.M.'s Can Lead to Specialized Legal Jobs
The Kosher Gourmet byDana Velden: Going to the bother of making soup? You know it better be good. This CREAM OF TOMATO SOUP certainly is! And it's a cinch to make, too (Includes techinques and serving secrets)
February 7, 2012
Frank J. Gaffney, Jr.: Caught off-guard? President's Super Bowl interview with Matt Lauer gives those who need a reason not to vote for him, a darn good one
Suzanne Bohan: Leaping lizards! Tiny reptiles advancing robot design
February 6, 2012
Jonathan Tobin: Iran Threatens Israel With Destruction, But the New York Times Doesn't Hear It
Jeffrey Fleishman: In newly democratic Egypt, tens of democracy activists jailed, to stand trial; their groups are 'threatening the stability of the homeland'
Julie Deardorff : Researchers say antioxidants may not be that effective and could do more harm than good
Mark Clayton: How did Anonymous hackers eavesdrop on FBI and Scotland Yard?
February 3, 2012
Edmund Sanders : Israeli official says Iran is creating missile that could reach East Coast of US
Victoria Kim: Immigrant-smuggling ring used black drivers to avoid racial profiling
February 2, 2012
Jim Carney: Wrong number call may have saved her life
Reza Kahlili : Ex-CIA spy in Iran's Revolutionary Guard: What Obama doesn't grasp about striking deals with Tehran
Tina Susman: For woodchuck rescuer, every day is Groundhog Day
February 1, 2012
Brian Bennett: US officials see increasing threat of domestic attack from Iran
Emily Brandon: How to Take Advantage of New 401(k) Fee Disclosures
January 31, 2012
January 30, 2012
Paul Richter and Ramin Mostaghim: Misreading Teheran's limits -- deadly and economically devastating as they may be -- is a risk administration, Europe seem willing to take
Suzanne Bohan: Warning: Nap-deprived tots missing more than sleep, study finds
Meg Handley: Banks Revamping Rewards Programs to Woo Customers
January 27, 2012
Caroline B. Glick: Obama: Of course I intend to prevent a nuclear holocaust . . . in a few months
Yochonon Donn: In liberal New York City, fervently-Orthodox Jews may soon be getting a district to call their own
Jeannine Stein: An inflated ego and thinking you're 'all that' doesn't just make others sick of you, it can make you ill
Katy Hopkins: New budget rules may affect how much money you get for college
January 26, 2012
Ed Koch: To the New York Times, calling for the murder of Jews by those capable of having their incitement taken seriously isn't news
Jeannine Stein: Mental illness struck one in five U.S. adults in 2010: Report
January 25, 2012
Richard Simon: House passes two bills endorsing the use of religious symbols at military memorials
Fred Weir: Putin: Multiethnic Russia cannot survive as a US-style 'melting pot'; must find its own way
Susan Johnston: 5 Sneaky Coupon Strategies Consumers Should Watch Out For
January 24, 2012
Carol Clark: The price of your soul: How your brain decides whether to 'sell out'
Caroline B. Glick: America lost most in 'Arab Spring'. Sadly, many voters still don't grasp the extent
Warren Richey: Drug criminal scores win in GPS ruling from conservative-leaning high court
Erika Bolstad: Black conservatives gather to talk about gaining strength
January 23, 2012
Melissa Dribben: Jewish voters to play a key role in Florida's Republican primary
Jordan Rau: In quest to grow, Catholic hospital system will announce this morning its break from church
Ali Safi: U.S. envoy gives Taliban terms for peace talks
January 19, 2012
January 18, 2012
January 17, 2012
Frank J. Gaffney Jr.: No-kidding red lines: U.S. response to an Iranian nuke may be bluster, but Israel's won't be
David G. Savage: They sued their principals after slandering them online --- now the cases are headed to the Supreme Court
David Francis: Where to Invest in 2012: With stocks expected to rebound, opportunity abounds for investors
January 13, 2012
Ben Lynfield: Israeli lawmakers move to annex Jewish Judea, one museum at a time
Alexia Elejalde-Ruiz: Thriving through touch: Gentle massage helps older people with low mobility improve in mind and body
January 12, 2012
Warren Richey: Landmark Supreme Court ruling a 'resounding win' for religious groups
Warren Richey: Supreme Court says no to new rule on eyewitness testimony
John Fauber : Statins found to raise diabetes risk in postmenopausal women
Katy Hopkins : Consider This Before You Pay for an Online Degree
The Kosher Gourmet by Joseph Erdos: This mushroom and barley soup has an intense -- almost nutty -- flavor that mixes robust with Middle East. It has creaminess without cream
January 11, 2012
Shari Roan: Millions of atrial fibrillation sufferers at risk for devastating, but preventable, stroke
Tom Hussain: Pakistan -- recipient of more than $21 billion in civilian and military aid -- speeds pursuit of Iranian pipeline, defying US
David G. Savage: High court signals it won't be loosening TV's 'indecency' rules
Stephen Ceasar: Oklahoma's Islamic law amendment can't go into effect, court rules
January 10, 2012
Reza Kahlili: From an ex-CIA spy: US must exploit new split in Iran's Revolutionary Guard
Karen Kaplan: Study: Nicotine replacement products ineffective when used in real-life situations
January 9, 2012
Michael Doyle: Put through legal hell over dream home, couple fought back hard --- all the way to Supreme Court
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Jewish World Review
Dec. 17, 2008
/ 20 Kislev
Facebook epidemic: More than 120 million have joined, many too old for this nonsense
By
Michael Smerconish
http://www.JewishWorldReview.com |
Should productive adults with families to raise, jobs to do, and taxes to pay be Facebooking?
Dave Frankel is a good friend and a lawyer who happened to spend more than two decades as a television news reporter, weatherman and anchorman.
So you can imagine my surprise last week when he sent me an invitation to "check out his Facebook profile." My response?
Grown men, especially Philly guys, don't Facebook.
I did check out Frankel's Facebook digs though, mostly because I wanted to see what it's all about.
"omg! I have so often wondered how you are!" read one post on Frankel's wall. "I knew you had stayed in Philadelphia ... and that's it. I've been in Chicago since '93. I have 3 fantastic kids - one's in college in Boston - freshman this year, can you believe it?"
I couldn't. And in the process of moderating Frankel's online reunion, I had inadvertently created my own Facebook page. That morning, dozens of people friended me. Some already had pictures of me posted on their own Facebook pages.
OMG! I thought.
Frankel told me he had a similar epiphany a few weeks ago. Preparing to speak to a news director about a client, the first thing Frankel retrieved in a Google search was the director's Facebook page. There, Frankel's online game of tag began: "Our clients, reporters, anchors, news directors, general managers, producers ... They're all in here. They're all doing it," he told me.
Frankel's not the only one. Buzz Bissinger - Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative reporter, author of one of the most acclaimed sports books ever ("Friday Night Lights"), and a man whose hatred of blogs has been well-documented - has set up shop on Facebook.
A woman named Cindy who works down the hall from my radio studio has been friended by a cat and two dogs. Her cousin, an employee of the city, entertains friend requests from colonial figures like Betsy Ross and Alexander Hamilton all the time.
LOL.
I guess I shouldn't be surprised. Facebook now boasts more than 120 million users, including 30 million added in the last three months alone. About 20 percent are between 35 and 54 years old.
And now the site's operators are doing more to bring adults and businesspeople into the fold. A recently announced collaboration between Facebook and Salesforce.com will let Facebook users do more to manage their businesses - planning events, managing data and recruiting - right there on Facebook's network.
Last year, Facebook started letting users determine who among their friends or potential friends could see what information in their profiles. Meaning, you might not be able to see pictures of your 23-year-old co-worker playing beer pong dressed as Cap'n Crunch, but other friends will. No doubt that increased control will draw more businesspeople into the network.
I hear Facebook is great for sharing stories and pictures with family members scattered throughout the country. Instead of having 10 conversations, you're having one. Others say they believe it's a great way to reconnect with old friends. Some parents say it's perfect for keeping track of whom your kids are hanging out with and what they're up to.
I'm sure that's all true. But I can't help but think that social networking adds a whole new layer of awkward etiquette for those of us older than 30.
Think about how cell phones have affected our communications habits. Obviously it's easier than ever to immediately contact anybody you want. And the conventional wisdom is that we're in touch with more people more often with a cell phone strapped to our sides.
But gone are those secondary relationships fostered when the only phone ringing was the cordless house phone. Now, on that rare occasion when someone else answers the phone, we stammer all over ourselves trying to make conversation.
Small talk? A lost art.
Now, thanks to Facebook, I can look forward to phone calls from old friends wondering why I haven't yet accepted their invitation to be Web 2.0 friends, too (Isn't the phone call enough?). Or sending messages asking an acquaintance to take an embarrassing picture down (That's not mine). Or would-be fan mail posted on my wall for anyone to see (No, voting for Barack Obama doesn't make me a socialist).
If only Seinfeld was still around to deal with this.
Bottom line: Texting is for chicks, Facebook is for teens, and nobody is going to convince me otherwise. But that isn't stopping more and more folks my age from trying.
I've got four words for them:
TTYL.
Every weekday JewishWorldReview.com publishes what many in the media and Washington consider "must-reading". Sign up for the daily JWR update. It's free. Just click here.
Comment by clicking here.
Previously:
12/01/08 The high price of downsizing the news biz
11/14/08 Prescience on greed, arrogance of a system
09/29/08 Closer look at party lines
08/26/08 Obama's pick creates GOP opportunity
08/21/08 Fishing with the Angry Everyman
07/31/08 The perils of e-mail: Ponder, then click
05/22/08 Two very different sides of the Internet
02/12/08 Sublimely ridiculous suits
11/28/08 Cell phones cut out secondary circle of kinship
09/26/07 What do we owe those who have died in Iraq?
08/30/07 A Navy SEAL's gut-wrenching tale of survival
07/30/07 First it was a faux pas, now it's a new word
© 2008, The Philadelphia Inquirer Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services
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