Socially Networked

There I was last week, sitting at my desk, minding my own business, when a Facebook friend request came in.  I didn’t know the sender but saw that we had a dozen or so mutual diver friends and so I hit the ‘confirm’ button.  

Less than an hour later, a message appeared from my new friend suggesting that I change my profile photo.  Why?  Because my mask is pulled down around my neck in it, setting a poor example for new divers and making me look like a fool.  He said this “with all due respect.”  That’s right, he pulled a Ricky Bobby on me! 

Ah, the joys of Facebook.  But has there ever been a better tool for divers to communicate, collaborate, and commiserate?  I think not.  And this from someone who’s deleted his Facebook page three different times over the years! 

In the past 12 months alone, though, if it weren’t for Facebook, I wouldn’t have been slobbered on by Diver Ed’s massive dogs while sleeping on his couch, spent long minutes in Joe George’s silty slipstream up in Canada, or received Anne Dupont’s guided tour of Blue Heron Bridge’s miniscule invertebrate life.  And I wouldn’t have missed any of that stuff for the world.  For all its faults, Facebook works for divers, plain and simple. 

As for my latest friend’s photo suggestion, I immediately started typing my own “with all due respect” response, but quickly decided to just hit the ‘de-friend’ button instead – another great Facebook innovation!