Friday, February 29, 2008

Social Butterflies

Social Butterflies

OK, so I admit I am no social butterfly. In point of fact, social situations often give me butterflies in my tummy.

However, I have started to take a liking to some of the "social" networking websites.

I now have a profile on Facebook, and one on LinkedIn.

It's kinda neat to be able to connect with current and past colleagues, classmates, etc. and just see what it is they are doing or thinking about these days.

Then again, sometimes it's more than I want to know.

Facebook is, of course, much more quirky and personalized... and often just ridiculous. So far I've tried to keep my pretty sane (so far, anyway). Most LinkedIn profiles, given their focus on professional networkings, are pretty standardized.

While just being on LinkedIn may not necessarily lead you to a better job, it's still not a bad idea to keep track of people you have known in some way in "real life." You never know when it might come in handy.

I've also started joining real-life groups of train nuts... er, I mean, rail fans. I've even attended several model trains shows. Those are a lot of fun... and a lot different than just being on the Facebook group "I Love Trains" ... although I'm on that, too!

I'm still not quite sure where I fit in that world, although the idea of becoming a volunteer trolley operator at the Museum of Transportation is alluring, I'm not sure I'm quite ready for it, just yet.