5 Random Things About FB

I went to visit my hometown this weekend. It's a small (yet incredibly picturesque) little Jersey town about an hour from New York and Philadelphia, equally populated by farmers and commuters.

The pizza and bagels were worth the trip alone; the necklace I scored from a little store called Wears & Wears for $39 was the icing on the cake. And that was before I got to spend three days curled up with my three bestest friends that I've known since grade eight. That was just beyond compare.

Anyhoo, we went to a reunion of sorts, the kind that have been happening across the country apparently, courtesy of Facebook. I hadn't been back in about 15 years, so I wasn't even expecting people to remember me at all. We ended up having a great time, closing down our little redneck bar, rehashing memories with people from our collective past; sitting around the same tables around which we all used to sit, just with 80's hair.

So back to Facebook. It's such a weird sense of familiarity it gives, as we now know a whole new level of the mundane about each other, and we now chat with people instantly and quickly, and about so many random things. And the bonding it gives isn't all a complete facade. But there are a few stereotypes that seem to have been created as a result:

1.) Kissyface(book): That's where flirting with your ex or crush over FB IM crosses the line. Playing with fire, that one.

2.) FaceBFF: When you reconnect with someone you weren't that close to originally and become instant soulmates due to FB. You're pretty sure you never had a conversation with her EVER, and now she's telling you about her marriage and how much she can't wait to see you and she IMs you twice a day.

3.) Facebleh: When you see your FaceBFF in person and you're like, well, "meh."

4.) Facebuffoon: The guy (it's always a guy, usually a right-winger) who friends everyone in your elementary/middle/high school and tries to become the stud of your class. But it's 20 years later and you just don't want to have everything you do commented upon ("Hey girl! Lookin' good!"--UGH) and reviewed by the masses. Defriend immediately.

5.) Hatetagger: The girl (it's always a girl) who posts every great picture of herself, whether or not everyone else in the picture looks like crap. And always tags you (and everyone else), mainly so that she'll get as much exposure as possible. You'd defriend her but she counts her friends, and counts them every day, so she'll know it immediately and because she's a hater there will be hell to pay.

That being said, I've found some great people that I totally love keeping in touch with. Like you. Honest, I swear, you're none of the above. Really.