Facebook: It's The Little Things that Count

I resisted Facebook for years. What a waste of time, who cares, why should I bother, a bunch of trivial non-news -- I had lots of reasons.

Now I find myself logging on daily, even more than once a day sometimes. I update my status and check the status of my Facebook friends (not all of whom are "actual" friends, of course). I even comment on the status of others, look at photo albums and give a thumbs up now and then, and once in a while take one of the stupid quizzes.

So I'm asking myself now, why the shift? What has changed my mind, or at least my behavior?

Well, it wasn't really a conscious decision, so here are the reasons that I can think of off the top of my head right now:

1. A number of my Facebook friends are clever and interesting -- reading their status updates is amusing and informative. Good content draws repeat readership.
2. It's making me feel more connected to people I rarely or never see in person: people from my distant past (high school classmates, long-ago neighbors), work colleagues in far-flung offices, people I've met once or twice socially and those I've only "met" online in some way. Facebook friends aren't *real* friends, but being part of a virtual conversation with them on Facebook is a form of social interaction that I enjoy.
3. As a full-time telecommuter/home office worker, I miss out on the routine office chatter with all the day-to-day chit chat about colleagues' kids, weekend adventures, the ups and downs of single and married life, and career successes and setbacks. Facebook status updates fill that gap shallowly, true, but broadly. I'm current on many more people's status than I would be via in-person contact alone, even though only on a surface level.
4. People like to talk about themselves, and I am no exception. I find it mildly satisfying to share simple thoughts, observations or insights by updating my Facebook status. And when someone comments upon it or gives it a thumbs up, I like seeing that someone is listening. There's a connection that has been made or strengthened, even if only so slightly.
5. I am constantly seeking out and learning about news and ideas, and I like to share what I have found. I use FriendFeed as well as Facebook's own system to post links to articles and occasional videos. I used to do this in my personal blog, but I don't find time for that much anymore. It's much faster and simpler to share the link and make a very brief comment -- plus, it's going to be seen by a much wider audience than it would be on my personal blog. It's fun to spread the word about things that interest me, and I like it when people comment upon or even debate my views.
6. Just about everyone seems to be on Facebook. Resistance is futile. It has become a commonly accepted way to acknowledge and continue even casual acquaintance-ships. Why be anti-social?

There are probably more reasons, but that's enough for now. It seems to come down to the little things that have sucked me into the Facebook universe. But all those little things do add up.

In the end, Facebook is one of the largest and most well-known social media sites, so lessons learned there should be considered for our own online communities. My Facebook lesson for today is that it's the little things that count.